Here is how to order kopi in one simple pattern: drink, then milk, then sugar, then strength, then hot or iced. Say kopi on its own and you get hot coffee with sweet condensed milk. Add a few short words, such as O, C, kosong or peng, and you get exactly the cup you want.
Kopi is the local coffee sold at coffee shops and hawker centres. Staff at the drinks stall understand English, but the local terms are quicker and more fun. It is the drink that goes with everything in our Kaya Toast and Local Breakfast guides.
What makes kopi different
Kopi is not the same as café coffee. The beans are usually roasted dark, often with sugar and margarine or butter. The coffee is brewed in a cloth filter that looks like a long sock. The result is strong, thick and full of roasted flavour.
By default, kopi comes with sweetened condensed milk already stirred in. That is why it tastes sweet and creamy unless you ask for something else. Tea, called teh, works the same way.
How to order kopi, step by step
Build your order in the order below. You only need the words that change your drink. Leave out anything you are happy to have as standard.
Step 1: Pick the drink
- Kopi: coffee
- Teh: tea
- Milo: the malted chocolate drink, very popular here
Step 2: Choose the milk
- No extra word: sweetened condensed milk, the default
- O: no milk, but with sugar
- C: evaporated milk, with sugar
Step 3: Set the sugar
- Kosong: no sugar, as kosong means zero in Malay
- Siew dai: less sweet
- Ga dai: extra sweet
Step 4: Adjust the strength
- Gao: stronger and thicker
- Po: weaker and thinner
- Di lo: extra strong, with little or no water added
Step 5: Hot or iced
- Hot: the default, so you do not need to say it
- Peng: iced
Kopi orders you can copy
Put the words together and you have a full order. Here are common ones:
- Kopi: hot coffee with condensed milk, sweet and creamy
- Kopi O kosong: hot black coffee with no sugar
- Kopi C siew dai: coffee with evaporated milk and less sugar
- Kopi O peng: iced black coffee with sugar
- Kopi gao siew dai: strong coffee with condensed milk, less sweet
- Teh C kosong peng: iced tea with evaporated milk and no sugar
Not a coffee person? Try teh tarik, milky tea poured back and forth between two containers until it turns frothy. Tarik means pull. It is a favourite at many Malay and Indian Muslim stalls.
Where and how to place your order
At a coffee shop or hawker centre, drinks come from one stall, often called the drinks stall. Food comes from the other stalls. Order your drink at the drinks stall, not at the food stalls.
- Find a seat first and note your table number, if there is one.
- Go to the drinks stall and say your order clearly, such as two kopi C siew dai.
- Pay when you order, or when the drink reaches your table. Ask if you are unsure.
- Many stalls take cash, and many also take QR or card payment. Carry some small notes and coins.
For takeaway, say da bao, which means pack to go. Many stalls use a cup with a lid. A cup at a hawker centre usually costs a couple of dollars or less, and iced drinks often cost a little more. Prices change, so check the board.
Good places to practise
Big food centres such as Tiong Bahru Market and Maxwell Food Centre have drinks stalls used to visitors. Local chains such as Ya Kun Kaya Toast (Far East Square) and Killiney Kopitiam understand the same terms. Pair your cup with kaya toast and soft-boiled eggs with soy sauce for the full breakfast.
Want a flat white or latte instead? Head to a café such as Common Man Coffee Roasters. To learn more about the shops that serve kopi, read What Is a Kopitiam?
FAQs about ordering kopi
What does kopi O mean?
Kopi O is black coffee with sugar. Add kosong if you want it with no sugar.
What is the difference between kopi and kopi C?
Kopi comes with sweetened condensed milk. Kopi C comes with evaporated milk and sugar, so it tastes lighter and less creamy.
How do I order iced kopi?
Add peng to the end of your order, such as kopi peng or kopi O kosong peng.
What does kopi kosong mean?
Kosong means no sugar. Plain kopi uses sweet condensed milk, so say kopi O kosong or kopi C kosong to be clear.
Can I get kopi with fresh milk or oat milk?
Traditional drinks stalls usually stick to condensed or evaporated milk. For fresh or plant milk, try a café instead.
