lokun

English

Alternative forms

• lo-kun, lo kun, lo-koon, lor kun

Etymology

From Hokkien 老君 (ló-kun), from Malay dukun (“shaman or medicine man”). Doublet of dukun.

Pronunciation

• (Singapore, Malaysia) IPA^(key): /ləʊ ˈkʊn/

Noun

lokun

1. (Singapore and Malaysia) doctor; physician
   • 2006 October 30, kaupehkaubu, “Malaysia A Police State? Is Mahathir Serious?”, in Sangkancil‎^[1] (Usenet):

     What they say about the doctors, generalist and the specialist: […] The specialist(aka tua lokun) knows more and more about less and less until eventually he knows everything about nothing.

   • 2012 October 31, Chang Mei Bin, “The Testimony of the Late Dr Richard Teo, the Singaporean Millionaire Plastic Surgeon”, in SacredHeart1984‎^[2] (Usenet):

     Anything more than SGD$30, they would complain: “Wah, this lo kun (doctor) jing qwee (very expensive)!”

   • 2015, Gwee Li Sui, Singathology: 50 New Works by Celebrated Singaporean Writers:

     The lo-kun stared steadily at the computer screen, his finger still, uncertain what to do, unable to understand if some tragic meaning lay behind that long coughing fit.

Usage notes

Used primarily in casual conversation or informal writing and not in more formal written works and discourse.

Translations

doctor — see doctor