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kakak. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
kakak, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
kakak in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
kakak you have here. The definition of the word
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Indonesian
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ka.kaʔ/
- Hyphenation: ka‧kak
Etymology 1
From Malay kakak (“older sister”), from Classical Malay kakak, from Proto-Malayic *kakaʔ, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *kaka, from Proto-Austronesian *kaka.
- For sense of older brother, semantic loan from Hokkien 哥哥 (ko-ko, “older brother”) and semantic loan from Javanese ꦏꦏꦁ, ꦏꦏ, ꦏꦏꦏ꧀ (kakang, kaka, kakak).
- For sense of form of address to husband in marital relationship, semantic loan from Javanese ꦏꦏꦁ, ꦏꦏ, ꦏꦏꦏ꧀ (kakang, kaka, kakak).
Noun
kakak (plural)
- (literally or figuratively, formal) older sibling
- (literally or figuratively, chiefly Sumatra and Kalimantan) older sister
- (literally or figuratively, chiefly Jakarta and Java) older brother
- (chiefly Jakarta) a form of address to an older person (same generation or one generation before)
- (colloquial) a form of address to any stranger
Usage notes
- People in areas with Malay populations and speaking vernacular Malay dialects only use kakak to address older sisters, otherwise outside those places like Jakarta, it is gender neutral.
- In formal situations (e.g. to address a customer), kakak may be used to address someone with impression she/he is not 'old person' (youthful nuance).
Synonyms
Derived terms
Etymology 2
Inherited from Malay kakak. Onomatopoeic, compare to Tagalog kakak.
Root
kakak
- quack, cluck
- laugh
- Synonyms: kakah, kahkah
Derived terms
Further reading
Javanese
Romanization
kakak
- Romanization of ꦏꦏꦏ꧀.
Malay
Etymology 1
From Proto-Malayic *kakaʔ, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *kaka, from Proto-Austronesian *kaka. Sense of older male sibling lost in Singapore and Malay Peninsular.
Pronunciation
Noun
kakak (Jawi spelling کاکق, plural kakak-kakak, informal 1st possessive kakakku, 2nd possessive kakakmu, 3rd possessive kakaknya)
- sister (older woman or girl having the same parents)
- (rare) sibling (older person who shares same parents)
- (rare) brother (older male sibling)
- Synonyms: abang, uda
- term of address for a female acquaintance who is a bit older
- engko (“engku”)
Derived terms
Etymology 2
Onomatopoeic, compare to Tagalog kakak.
Noun
kakak (Jawi spelling کاکق, plural kakak-kakak, informal 1st possessive kakakku, 2nd possessive kakakmu, 3rd possessive kakaknya)
- cackle (of duck and geese)
- laugh
- Synonyms: dekah, kakah, kahkah
Derived terms
Affixed terms and other derivations
Regular affixed derivations:
Irregular affixed derivations, other derivations and compound words:
References
- Pijnappel, Jan (1875) “کاکق kakak”, in Maleisch-Hollandsch woordenboek, John Enschede en Zonen, Frederik Muller, page 75
- Wilkinson, Richard James (1901) “کاکق kakak”, in A Malay-English dictionary, Hong Kong: Kelly & Walsh limited, page 497
- Wilkinson, Richard James (1932) “kakak”, in A Malay-English dictionary (romanised), volume I, Mytilene, Greece: Salavopoulos & Kinderlis, page 499
Tagalog
Etymology
Onomatopoeic. Compare Indonesian kakak.
Pronunciation
Noun
kakak (Baybayin spelling ᜃᜃᜃ᜔)
- cackle or cackling of a hen, duck, etc.
- Synonym: putak
Derived terms
See also
Further reading
- “kakak”, in Pambansang Diksiyonaryo | Diksiyonaryo.ph, Manila, 2018