| Dhoby Ghaut | |
| Settlement Type: | Subzone of Museum Planning Area |
| Translit Lang1: | Name |
| Translit Lang1 Type: | Chinese |
| Translit Lang1 Info: | 多美歌 |
| Translit Lang1 Info1: | Duōměigē |
| Translit Lang1 Type4: | Malay |
| Translit Lang1 Info4: | Dhoby Ghaut |
| Translit Lang1 Type5: | Tamil |
| Translit Lang1 Info5: | தோபி காட் |
| Pushpin Map: | Singapore |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location of Dhoby Ghaut within Singapore |
| Coordinates: | 1.2983°N 103.8461°W |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | Singapore |
| Area Total Km2: | 0.2220 |
| Population Footnotes: | [1] |
| Population Total: | 320 |
| Population As Of: | 2020 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
Dhoby Ghaut is a place in Singapore that often refers to the MRT station of the same name, which is a major interchange station on Singapore's Mass Rapid Transit network connecting the North-South Line, North East Line, and the Circle Line. As a place, Dhoby Ghaut lies along the eastern end of Orchard Road. There is a shopping mall above the MRT station called Plaza Singapura.
Dhoby Ghaut was influenced from Dhobi Ghat, which literally means washerman's place in Hindi, from dhobi, "washerman" or one that does laundry, and ghat, referring to a series of steps leading down to a body of water,[2] as in the case of the Varanasi ghats by the Ganges. The Hindi term ghat passed into English usage during the British occupation of India, and was later anglicised to ghaut.[3]
Around this time, the British had also ruled Singapore, which influenced the naming of this area.[4]
Until the early 1900s, the dhobis used water from a clear stream that flowed into Sungai Bras Basah, now Stamford Canal. This stream now exists as a large drain beside Handy Road. The ghats, or steps leading down to the stream, were demolished when Sungai Bras Basah was canalised. The dhobis would then dry the laundry at Dhoby Green, the open park bounded by Stamford Road, Handy Road, Bras Basah Road and Prinsep Street.