How to make friends in Singapore as an adult

Making friends in Singapore as an adult comes down to routine. Join one group that meets every week, keep showing up, and turn the activity into kopi or a meal afterwards. This guide shows how to make friends in Singapore step by step. It is for anyone who has moved here, drifted from old friends or simply wants a wider circle, local or expat.

The short answer

• Join one group that meets every week and stay with it for at least two months. Friendships grow from time spent with the same people.
• Use what already runs near you: community club courses and interest groups, ActiveSG sport groups, library book clubs and volunteering.
• Lead with food. Asking people to supper or kopi after an activity is an easy invite here.
• Make the second invite yourself, to two or three people, with a day and a place.
• If you are new to Singapore, mix expat groups with local ones, so your circle stays when people move on.

Before you start

Any adult in Singapore who wants more friends can use these steps, from newcomers to people who grew up here. They suit quieter people too. Most steps are built around an activity, so you rarely have to start a conversation from nothing.

You need two regular free slots a week for at least three months, and a small budget for classes and meals. You also need to be willing to go alone the first few times. Almost everyone in a group arrived alone once.

How long it takes

Research from the University of Kansas found it takes roughly 50 hours together to go from acquaintance to casual friend. It takes about 90 hours to become friends, and more than 200 to become close friends.

A weekly two-hour game plus an hour of supper adds up to about 50 hours in four months. That is why the steps below lean on groups that meet every week.

Where to start

Step 1: Decide what kind of friendship you want

Write down what you want before you sign up for anything. It might be a kaki for Sunday badminton, or one or two close friends to call when life gets busy. Each needs a different place and a different amount of time.

Friendship means different things to different people. Some are happy to text every week and meet once a quarter, while others want a standing dinner. Knowing your answer helps you pick the right group, and it saves you from feeling let down by people who want something else.

Then block two regular slots in your calendar and keep them for three months, as you would a gym class. A Tuesday evening and a Saturday morning would do.

Common mistake: hoping the first new person you meet becomes your best friend. Most new contacts stay friendly acquaintances, and that is normal.

Step 2: Learn how to make friends in Singapore the local way

Many people here keep the friends they made in school, National Service, university or their first job. Weekends fill up with family, and people plan in group chats well ahead. New friendships tend to grow out of routines, such as the same class every Tuesday or the same court every Sunday.

The easiest way in is to become someone's kaki. A kaki is a buddy for one thing: a makan kaki shares your food hunts and a kopi kaki your coffee breaks. Start with that one thing, and let the friendship widen from there.

Food makes the first invite easy. Suggesting supper at a hawker centre after a class is ordinary here, and nobody reads too much into it. After your third session, try "Anyone want to grab supper at the hawker centre after this?"

Common mistake: reading a quiet first meeting as a no. People can be reserved with strangers and much warmer by the third or fourth time they see you.

Step 3: Start with the people around you

Some of your easiest leads are people you already see: colleagues, neighbours, cousins, friends of friends and people from your faith community. You already have a reason to talk, so the first step costs less.

Change the setting to move a relationship along. The University of Kansas study found that hours spent working together count for less than time spent hanging out. So ask someone from another team to try a new stall at the food court on Thursday.

Neighbours count too. Your Residents' Network runs events to help residents of all ages and races get to know one another, and community clubs hold festive celebrations. For friends of friends, ask a friend to bring you along the next time their group meets.

Common mistake: waiting to be invited. Most people are simply busy, and they are glad when someone else makes the plan.

Step 4: Join one group that meets every week

When choosing where to meet new people in Singapore, look for places where the same people come back each week. A weekly group gives you repeat contact without anyone having to organise it. Pick one, stay for at least two months, and arrive a few minutes early, when people chat.

Once you are there, simple openers work best. Ask how long someone has been coming or where people eat afterwards, and listen more than you talk.

Community clubs run courses and interest groups for adults, from body conditioning and Chinese martial arts to orchestra and speech and drama. The People's Association describes community clubs as common spaces where people of all races come together and build friendships. You can search for interest groups near you on onePA, along with courses.

For sport, ActiveSG Sport Interest Groups bring the same players together once a week for two hours. Groups play badminton, pickleball, table tennis, tennis, squash, basketball or volleyball at ActiveSG sport centres, and you sign up through MyActiveSG+. A game gives you something to talk about from the first minute.

If you prefer the outdoors, PAssion Wave, part of the People's Association, runs water sports and lifestyle activities at reservoirs and by the sea. Learning a new sport puts everyone at the same level, which makes it easier to talk.

Public libraries run book clubs, talks and workshops for adults, listed on the National Library Board's What's On page. A book club hands you a topic, which helps if small talk is hard for you.

If you have a faith, your church, mosque, temple or gurdwara may be an easy community to join. Many run small groups and volunteer teams alongside their services, so there is usually a way to help and meet people.

A good start is a weekly badminton group at the sport centre nearest your home. Go every week for two months, even on tired days.

Common mistake: signing up for five things at once. You end up at each one too rarely for anyone to remember your name.

Step 5: Volunteer with the same team

Volunteering puts you next to people who care about the same thing, with a job to do together. The shared task takes the pressure off conversation, which suits quieter people. Choose a regular role over one-off events, so you see the same faces.

volunteer.gov.sg lists roles across government agencies and community groups, from eldercare and befriending to conservation and sport. NParks takes volunteers for mangrove clean-ups, forest patrols and community composting. Its Community in Bloom programme helps residents join or start a community garden.

Sport fans can volunteer at sporting events with Team Nila. The People's Association also takes grassroots and community volunteers for neighbourhood programmes.

A community garden near home is a good first try. When the work is done, suggest kopi at the coffee shop downstairs.

Common mistake: only doing one-off events. You meet many people once and nobody twice.

Step 6: Use apps, events and online groups with a plan

Apps and event sites help you find people who are also looking for friends. Some match you into small groups, and others list board game nights and language exchanges. Use them to find an activity, then let the activity do the work.

Pick events that repeat, so you can go back and see the same people. Small groups are easier than big mixers, where most people stay with the friends they came with. Try the same board game night three Fridays in a row and learn two new names each time.

If you would rather make friends online first, join a group tied to something local, such as your estate or your sport. Moving from chat to a meetup then feels natural, and the group chat is often where the next plan starts.

Common mistake: chatting for weeks without meeting. Suggest a short meetup in a public place early on, or move on.

Step 7: If you are an expat, build two circles

Making friends in Singapore as an expat often starts fast and then thins out, because many people are here for a few years. Fellow newcomers are open and quick to make plans, while locals may take longer and tend to stay. A mix of both gives you company now and friends who are still here later.

For the first circle, try your country's association. The Australian and New Zealand Association (ANZA) and the American Association of Singapore both run social groups, sport and events. Other nationalities often have their own.

For the second circle, use the local routes in this guide, such as a community club course or an ActiveSG group. Say yes to local invitations too, like a colleague's Chinese New Year visit or a Hari Raya open house. One way to pace it is your association's walking group in your first month and a community club class in your second.

If you have become a citizen, the People's Association's Integration and Naturalisation Champions run activities that help new citizens meet their neighbours. These include chit-chat sessions and festive celebrations.

Common mistake: building your whole circle from people who are leaving soon. Keep making friends who call Singapore home.

Step 8: Make the second invite

Most new friendships stall after the first meeting, because each person waits for the other to suggest the next one. Be the one who suggests it.

Keep the invite small and specific: a day, a place and an easy way to say no. Asking two or three people at once takes the pressure off everyone. Here are a few messages that work:

• "Good game today. Same time next week, and supper after?"
• "There's a book talk at the library on Saturday. Want to go?"
• "I'm trying the chicken rice stall near my office on Friday. Join me?"

For more ideas on what to suggest, see our guide to things to do in Singapore with friends. Pick something you would enjoy even if only one person comes.

Common mistake: treating one "can't make it" as a rejection. Ask once more with a different day, and if the answer is vague again, put your energy elsewhere.

Step 9: Keep it going

Friendships fade without contact, so keep a light rhythm, such as a message when something reminds you of someone or a standing monthly meal. Now and then, be the organiser, because people remember who brings them together.

If three months pass and nothing has clicked, that is common and says nothing bad about you. Change the group or the time slot and keep going. Groups have different moods, and the right one can feel easy within a few weeks.

If it starts to feel heavy, you are not the only one, and you can talk to someone today. The national mindline 1771 offers 24-hour support by phone, or by WhatsApp chat on 6669 1771. The Samaritans of Singapore run a 24-hour hotline on 1767.

Common mistake: going quiet when life gets busy. A short message keeps the door open, even if you cannot meet for a month.

Checklist

• Two regular slots a week, kept for three months
• One weekly group chosen and the first session booked
• One lunch or kopi invite sent to a colleague, neighbour or old friend
• One volunteer role or community garden looked up
• At least one new name learned at every session
• A second invite sent to someone you met
• One small group plan made, with a day and a place
• A friend told where you are when you meet someone new
• The national mindline number, 1771, saved in your phone
• A check after one month on what is working and what to change

A good first week

Choose your two time slots and one weekly group on Monday. Look up community club courses on onePA or an ActiveSG sport group near home, and book the first session.

On Tuesday, message someone you already know, such as a colleague from another team or an old friend. Suggest lunch or kopi later in the week.

Wednesday is your first session, and you go alone. Arrive a few minutes early, introduce yourself to one person and remember their name.

On Thursday, have the lunch you set up. Favourite food spots make an easy topic, and you leave with a stall to try.

On Friday, try a social event that runs every week, such as a board game night. Stay for the chat afterwards.

On Saturday morning, you help at a volunteer session or a community garden. When it ends, you suggest kopi to whoever is around, and two people say yes.

Sunday is for rest, one follow-up message to someone you met and a plan for next week's slots. By the evening you know a few new names and have a group to go back to.

Staying safe

Most people you meet through classes and groups want what you want. Take a little more care with someone you found through an app or an online group:

• Meet first in a busy public place, such as a hawker centre or a mall.
• Tell a friend where you are going, who you are meeting and when you expect to be home.
• Make your own way there and back.
• Keep your home address to yourself at first, and never share your NRIC number, bank details or one-time passwords.
• Be wary of anyone who quickly brings up money, investments or loans, or asks you to click a link or install an app. If you are unsure, call the 24/7 ScamShield Helpline on 1799.
• Leave if anything feels off. You do not owe anyone an explanation.

In an emergency, call the police on 999. If it is not safe to talk, send an SMS to 70999.

With Rentbaby

Sometimes you want to try something, such as a board game café or a pottery class, and nobody you know is free. Booking a Darling for that activity is one way to have company for it.

Darlings are adults who offer their time for meals, outings, hobbies, games and video calls, and everything on Rentbaby is platonic. A booking gives you company for one plan. Lasting friendships still come from the weekly groups and invites above.

Booking works in three steps:

1. Browse Darlings on the For You page. You can filter by location, service type and more, and each profile shows the services on offer, availability and reviews.
2. Send a request with the date, time and a note about the activity. The Darling accepts or declines, and you hear back in the app and by email.
3. Once the Darling accepts, pay in credits to confirm. The credits are held until the booking is done, and afterwards you can rate and review the Darling.

Every Darling is 18 or over and is reviewed and approved by the Rentbaby team before their profile appears. Every account, clients' included, is confirmed with a one-time code sent to your phone or email, or a Google, Facebook or TikTok sign-in.

For a first meeting, meet in a busy public place, keep the chat and the payment in the app, and tell a friend where you are. If anything feels wrong, leave first. Then block and report the chat in the app, and tell Rentbaby support.

If a Darling does not show up, report it to support within 24 hours. Once support confirms the no-show, you get a full refund to your wallet.

When you have an activity in mind and nobody free to join you, see who is available on Rentbaby's For You page. Browsing profiles there is free.

Questions

How can I find friends in Singapore?

Join something that meets every week and keep going for at least two months. Community club courses and interest groups, ActiveSG sport groups, library book clubs and volunteering all put you with the same people again and again. Lunch with colleagues and saying yes to invites help too.

What is the fastest way to make friends?

Spend more time with the same small group, and make the plans yourself. A sport team or a volunteer crew builds friendships faster than a large mixer, because you share a task. Research from the University of Kansas suggests about 50 hours together turns an acquaintance into a casual friend. Meeting weekly and staying for a meal afterwards gets you there sooner.

Why is making friends in Singapore as an adult so hard?

Many adults here already have circles from school, National Service, university or work, and weekends often go to family. Long working hours leave little room for new plans. It gets easier once you join a group that meets regularly, because you no longer depend on chance meetings.

Are Singaporeans friendly to foreigners?

Most Singaporeans are polite and helpful, though they can seem reserved with people they have just met. Friendships usually grow through shared routines such as classes, sport, work or volunteering, so give it a few meetings. Singapore is multiracial and home to people from many countries, so newcomers are a familiar part of daily life.

Is there a site just to make friends?

Yes, several apps and event sites focus on friendship, matching people into small groups or listing social events. In Singapore, onePA lists community club courses and interest groups, and MyActiveSG+ lists weekly sport groups. The National Library Board lists book clubs and talks, and volunteer.gov.sg lists volunteer roles. Whatever you use, meet in a public place first.

What are good things to do alone in Singapore?

A library talk, a guided nature walk, a community club course or a hawker centre meal all work well alone. Going alone often makes you easier to talk to, because you are not tucked inside a group. Pick something you would happily repeat, and you will start seeing familiar faces.

Who can I talk to if I feel lonely?

You can call the national mindline on 1771 at any hour, or chat with a counsellor on WhatsApp at 6669 1771. The Samaritans of Singapore run a 24-hour hotline on 1767 and a 24-hour CareText service on WhatsApp at 9151 1767. If you or someone else is in immediate danger, call 995 or go to the nearest A&E.