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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
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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 kakak-kakak, first-person possessive kakakku, second-person possessive kakakmu, third-person possessive kakaknya)
- (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
- In common situations, kakak may be used to address older sibling (brothers or sisters, gender neutral). But, in area with Malay as native language, kakak is only used to address older sisters, as in Standard Malay kakak.
- 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
Onomatopoeic, compare to Tagalog kakak.
Root
kakak
- quack, cluck
- laugh
Derived terms
Further reading
Javanese
Romanization
kakak
- Romanization of ꦏꦏꦏ꧀.
Malay
Etymology
From Proto-Malayic *kakaʔ, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *kaka, from Proto-Austronesian *kaka.
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)
- term of address for a female acquaintance who is a bit older
Synonyms
Derived terms
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