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What is Brother in Indonesian Language

In English, there is only one word “brother” to describe a “brother”. Brother can be interpreted as a male sibling, or a male friend. In Indonesia, there are many ways to say “brother”. People say different word in a different family. Usually the difference is influenced by homeland, environment, parents, etc.

However, in Indonesian, the official translation of brother is “saudara laki-laki”. If this is too difficult, we can use another word depends on the sentence. Indonesian people rarely use word “saudara laki-laki”. They usually use another nickname. The nickname will be different for older brother and younger brother.

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Brother (Younger Brother In Indonesian Language)

Younger brother if translated will become “adik laki-laki” in Indonesian. “Adik” is a nickname to call younger sibling, while “laki-laki” is male in English, to indicate that the younger sibling is a male. To call younger brother, people usually use “a”, “adek”, or abbreviated become “dik” or “dek”.

Pronouncing “adik” and “dek” is a little different. To pronounce “adik”, the “k” in “adik” is pronounced clearly as written. While if saying “dek”, you don’t have to say the “k”. You will say “dek” similar with “de”. “E” in “de” in pronounced similar with “e” in bell. As a result, several people will write “adik” as “ade” informally.

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Brother (Older Brother in Indonesian Language)

Older brother if translated will become “kakak laki-laki” in Indonesian. “Kakak” is a nickname to call older sibling, while “laki-laki” is male in English, to indicate that the older sibling is a male. To call older brother people usually use “kakak” or abbreviated become “kak”.

Pronouncing “kakak” and “kak” is not difficult. People usually not saying “k” at the end of the world clearly. The word will sound similar with “kaka” or “ka”. As a result, several people can write “kaka” or”ka” informally.

Kakanda is another word used to call older brother. Kakanda is considered more polite than kaka. However, people very rarely use this word in daily life and conversation. Besides “kakak”, there are many more Indonesian traditional word to say older brother. Below are several examples of older brother translation in Indonesian traditional languages:

  • Abang” is translated as older brother. The word come from Melayu Language.
  • “Bung” is a nickname for older brother used in several areas in Indonesia, such as Sulawesi, Maluku, Papua dan Nusa Tenggara.
  • “Aa” or “akang” is a nickname for older brother. The word come from Sundanese word. This is mostly used in West Java area. 
  • “Uda” is a nickname for older brother. The word come from Minangnese language.
  • Mas” or “raka” is a nickname for older brother in Javanese language. This word mostly used in Central Java, East Java, and Yogyakarta.
  • “Bli” is a nickname for older brother come from Balinese language, and mostly used in Bali area.
  • “Daeng” is a nickname for older brother mostly used in Makassar, South Sulawesi.

Examples of using word “brother” in Indonesian Language

  • Saya mempunyai satu orang kakak laki-laki.

I have one older brother.

  • Saya pergi ke sekolah yang sama dengan adik laki-laki saya.

I go to the same school with my younger brother.

  • John adalah teman baik saya. Ia seperti saudara bagi saya.

John is my best friend. He is like a brother for me.

That’s all about brother in Indonesian language. Hope the information will be helpful for all of you. Thank you for reading.

Categories: Vocabulary