M

Malah

Meaning

if, even if, instead

Synonym

justru, bahkan

Application

malah, malahan

Usage

Dimarahin kok malah ketawa You were reprimanded yet you're smiling
Hukumnya malahan lebih tegas sekarang The law is even tougher now

Maling

Meaning

burglar, thief

Synonym

pencuri, pencoleng, pencopet, penjambret

Application

maling, kemalingan

Usage

Dasar maling! Such a thief!
Di daerah rumah saya banyak maling There are a lot of burglars in the area where I live
Tadi malam rumah saya kemalingan I had a break-in last night

Mampir

Meaning

pass by, visit, drop in, come by

Application

mampir

Usage

Silakan mampir ke rumah saya Please come and drop by my house
Ayo .. mampir dong Come and visit us ..

Mampu

Meaning

capable, wealthy, afford

Synonym

sanggup, bisa, dapat

Application

mampu, kemampuan

Usage

Dia tidak mampu melaksanakan pekerjaan itu He is not capable in doing that job
Kemampuannya terbatas His capability is limited
Dia bukan orang mampu He's not wealthy
Kami tidak mampu membayar bunga We can't afford to pay the interest

Mana

Meaning

where

Application

di mana, mana, di mana-mana, kemana, kemana-mana, dikemanakan

Usage

Di mana rumahnya? Where's your house located?
Tinggal dimana? Where do you live?
Di mana-mana Everywhere
Di mana saja Whereever
Mana barangnya? Where is the stuff?
Mana saya tahu? How should I know?
Kemana aja(saja)? Where have you been?
Nggak kemana mana I haven't been anywhere
Jangan kemana mana Don't go anywhere
Mau kemana? Where are you going?
Kemaren kemana? Where were you yesterday?
Akan dikemanakan buku itu? Where are you going to take this book to?

Manfaat

Meaning

use, benefit, merit

Synonym

kegunaan, fungsi, keuntungan, faedah

Application

manfaat, dimanfaatkan, memanfaatkan

Usage

Apa manfaatnya memiliki 2 mobil? What's the use of having 2 cars?
Manfaat daun teh ... The benefit of tea ...
Kesempatan yang langka ini harus dimanfaatkan sebaikbaiknya We have to use this rare opportunity as best as we can

Mantap

Meaning

stable, strong, firm, steady, sure

Synonym

pasti, afdal, kuat

Application

mantap, mantep, memantapkan, kemantapan, dimantapkan

Usage

Hubungan saya dengan pacar saya belum mantap My realtionship with my boyfriend is not steady yet
Saya belum mantap I am not sure yet
Makan tanpa cabe nggak mantep rasanya Having meal without chilli does not feel authentic
kemantapan stability

Marah

Meaning

angry, upset, mad, cross, furious

Synonym

See other expression

Application

marah, marah-marah, marahan

Usage

Dia bikin saya marah tiap hari He makes me angry everyday
Tiap hari dia marah-marah terus He's always grumpy everyday
Saya lagi marahan sama adik saya I am in angry state with my brother
Kemarahan saya ... My anger ...
Kemarin saya dimarahi Ayah I got in trouble with Dad yesterday

 

Other Expression

dongkol resentful
jengkel irritated, annoyed
keki resentful
gemas/gemes put out - can be of passion
gondok suppressed anger
geram infuriated, furious
geregetan tense from restraining emotion
gusar anger
kesal fed up, cross, annoyed
murka very angry
naik darah fuming, boiling
ngamuk go beserk
ngambek sulk
sebal/sebel resentful, annoyed

Mata

Meaning

eye

Application

mata, semata-mata

As an idiom this word can have lots of meanings

Usage

air mata tears
biji mata eyeball
bulu mata eyelash
dokter mata opthalmologist/oculist
main mata flirtatious wink
mata air source, well, spring
mata air-panas spa
mata angin compass point
mata biasa naked eye
mata duitan moneygrubber
mata gelap blind fury
mata hati the sunshine of my heart
mata kail barb
mata kaki ankle
mata keranjang flirtatious, heart-breaker
mata-mata spy
mata pelajaran course
mata pencaharian livelyhood
mata pisau blade
mata rantai link
mata uang currency
Dia bekerja keras semata-mata untuk menghidupi keluarganya He works very hard for the sake of his family welfare

Mati

Meaning

die, dead, deceased, death

Synonym

mangkat, wafat, gugur, berpulang, meninggal, meninggal dunia, modar, mampus

These words are synonyms but each word can point towards different denotations.

Application

mati, mematikan, dimatikan, kematian, mati-matian

Usage

wafat for magnate, socialite, legend, leaders, big names
gugur/mangkat for national heros, army personnel
meninggal
meninggal dunia
berpulang
polite expression
mati general expression
mampus, modar rude expression
Saya mati-matian membela keluarganya He desperately fight for his family
mati kutu helpless, powerless
mati rasa numb
mati angin helpless, powerless

Mau

Meaning

want, wish

Synonym

ingin, pingin

Application

mau, kemauan

Usage

Saya mau ke pasar I want to go the market
Dia maunya begitu That's what he wants
Saya nggak mau tahu I don't want to know
Mau nggak mau ...
Mau tidak mau ...
Whether you like it or not ...
Whether you want it or not ...
Unlikely
Mau nangis rasanya waktu saya tahu dia kecelakaan It made me sad when I heard he had an accident
Bapak mau minum apa? What would you like to drink, Sir?
Kamu mau makan apa? What do you want to eat?
Dia bekerja dengan kemauan keras He works with a will
Anak-anak pulang(kembali) dengan kemauan sendiri The children returned on their own accord.
Setiap orang bertindak sesuai dengan kemauan masing-masing Everybody's gone on their own way
Kemauan bebas Free will

Melulu

Meaning

exclusively, solely, always, only

Synonym

selalu

Usage

Doni pakai kemeja itu melulu
Doni selalu pakai kemeja itu
Doni always wears that shirt
Jangan pakai bau itu melulu Don't wear that dress all the time
Riset yang dibuat tidak melulu masalah ekonomi The research that was done was not solely on economic problem

Mémang

Meaning

absolutely, admittedly, indeed, of course

Synonym

benar, sungguh-sungguh

Application

mémang, émang

Usage

Anak itu mémang nakal sekali That boy is surely very naughty
Mémang betul Absolutely true
Émang kenapa? So what?

Mengapa

Meaning

why

Synonym

kenapa

Application

mengapa

'Kenapa' is used more often in daily conversation and informal situation. However in written Bahasa Indonesia or formal speech 'mengapa' is preferable

Usage

Kenapa nggak dibikin? Why didn't you do it?
Nggak kenapa-napa It's OK
Kenapa mau? Why did you take/do it?
Kenapa tidak?
Kenapa nggak?
Mengapa tidak?
Why not?
Kenapa baru sekarang?
Mengapa baru sekarang?
Why now?
Kenapa dia? What's wrong with her?
Kenapa yaa ... What do you think is wrong?

Monyong

Meaning

sticking out, protruding (of the mouth, from buck teeth or pouting)

Application

monyong

Usage

Mulutnya monyong Her mouth is sticking out
Bibirnya monyong Her lips are sticking out
Dasar monyong!! humorous term of address to an intimate

Muat

Meaning

contain, hold, include, fit

Application

muat, muatan

Usage

Truk ini memuat barang-barang besar This truck contains big stuff
Muatan truk truckload
Muatan angkutan udara air cargo
Biaya bongkar muat ... The fare of loading and charging ...
Alat muat top loader
Bis ini muat banyak This bus is capacious
Baju lama saya sudah nggak muat lagi I can't fit into my old dress anymore
Besi ini bermuatan listrik This steel has electron charge

Mudah

Meaning

easy

Synonym

gampang(informal)

Application

mudah, mudah-mudahan

Usage

caranya mudah
caranya gampang
It's easy
Mudah-mudahan Hopefully

Musti

Meaning

surely, certain, must

Synonym

harus, pasti, perlu, wajib

Application

musti, mesti, mestinya, semestinya

Usage

Saya mesti(musti/harus) bagaimana? What am I supposed to do?
Semestinya peristiwa ini membuat kita lebih sabar This incident should make us more patient
Peraturan ini harus dilaksanakan sebagaimana mestinya This regulation must be applied accordingly


Monas


Monas is short for Monumen Nasional (The National Monument), located in Lapangan Monas or Merdeka Square in Gambir, Jakarta. It stands 137 meters tall with the famous flame of 35 kilograms of pure glittering gold on the top. An incredible panoramic view of the city can be seen from the top observation deck. The monument houses a couple of museums. The Freedom Hall depicts Indonesia's struggle for independence through a series of dioramas, whereas the Hall of Contemplation displays the original Declaration of Independence document and a recording of the speech.



e-Learning

The University of Hawaii at Manoa offers three dedicated distance education e-learning courses for advanced Indonesian under the supervision of Dr. Uli Kozok, coordinator of the Indonesian language program at the University of Hawaii. The three courses offered are available not only to UH students but to anyone anywhere. You can enrol through UH Outreach College.