We’re back with vocabularies lesson! In this post, we will talk about the beauty of vocabularies in Indonesian. You probably have never heard or even used these words below, but you may want to start using it after knowing the meaning behind them. These words are pretty especially if you are into poems.
Here are some “not famous” Indonesian words that have a good or cool meaning.
Candramawa (/can·dra·ma·wa/ a) = hitam bercampur putih (tentang warna bulu kucing) = black mixes with white (refers to the color of cat’s fur)
Yes, Indonesian has its own word to describe a cat’s fur! How cool is that? Dig deeper, it literally means the one who (carries) the moon in Sanskrit.
Swakarya (swa·kar·ya/ n) = hasil kerja sendiri = DIY or do-it yourself. For example:
“I build the DIY bed!” = “Aku membangun tempat tidur swakarya!”
“I’m so bad in making DIY” = “Aku sangat buruk dalam membuat swakarya”
Nirmala (/nir·ma·la/kl a) tanpa cacat cela; bersih; suci; tidak bernoda = pure, clean, spotless, or stainless. For example:
“The baby is so pure” = “Bayi tersebut sangat nirmala“
Fun fact: It is also a name for a famous comic fairy character in a magazine for children. Does anyone know?
Rumpang (/rum·pang /) = gap
“Rumpang” means “gap” can be put in different usage in a sentence. For examples:
“He lost his tooth, now there’s a gap beetwen his teeth” = “Ia kehilangan giginya, sekarang giginya rumpang“
“The pig ran away from the gap on the fences” = “Babi tersebut kabur dari pagar yang rumpang“
It can also mean “berhenti sejenak” or “stop awhile”. For example:
“He never stops working for a while” = Tiada rumpangnya ia bekerja”
Ps. Make sure you don’t confuse it with “Rampung” which means “finished or done”
Renjana (/ren·ja·na/ n) =  rasa hati yang kuat (rindu, cinta kasih, berahi, dan sebagainya) = a strong affection (refers to longing, love, or lust); passion.
Sujana (/su·ja·na/ kl n) =  orang berbudi (bijaksana, pandai) = a person who is wise and smart
Nuraka (/nu·ra·ga/ ark a) = simpati; berbagi rasa = sympathy
Panasea (/pa·na·sea/ /panaséa/ n) = remedi bagi semua penyakit atau kesulitan; obat (mujarab) = a remedy for all touble and sickness. For example:
“Mother is the remedy for all his problems” = “Ibu adalah panasea baginya”Â
Cendala (can·da·la) =
There are two meanings for Cendala. One, it means “rendah; hina” or “lowy; despicable”. Two, it means “rendah diri” or “humble”
Hibuk (/hi·buk/ Jk a) banyak pekerjaan; giat bekerja; sibuk = has a lot of works, hard worker, busy. For example:
He barely at home because a lot of works = Dia jarang di rumah karena hibuk.
These words above are words that you can find in KBBI. There are also some beautiful words that are originated from Sanskrit but have not put in KBBI.
For example “Swastamita” which means sunset and “Arunika” which means sunrise.
That’s all we have today. If you have any beautiful words, let us know!
Read also about vocabulary topic here: