ke-..-an
Confix or circumfix ‘ke – an’ forma nouns from adjectives, verbs and other classes. Such noun are generally of an abstract nature. It is used to form a noun that identify a state, character or condition in connection with the root word in a general or vague sense.
Examples
| Root Word | Meaning | ke – Root Word – an | Meaning |
| sehat | healthy | kesehatan | health |
| lapar | hungry | kelaparan | hunger |
| bersih | clean | kebersihan | cleanliness |
| merdeka | free, independent | kemerdekaan | freedom, independence |
| tinggi | high | ketinggian | altitude, elevated place |
| anggota | member | keanggotaan | membership |
To form an adjective with a sense of excessiveness:
Examples
| Root Word | Meaning | ke – Root Word – an | Synonym | Meaning |
| dingin | cold | kedinginan | terlalu dingin | too cold |
| besar | big | kebesaran | terlalu besar | too big |
| kecil | small | kekecilan | terlalu kecil | too small |
| merah | red | kemerahan | terlalu merah | too red |
In a few cases this is not so:
Examples
| Root Word | Meaning | ke – Root Word – an | Meaning |
| berat | heavy | keberatan | objection |
| merah | red | kemerahan | rather red |
| malu | shy | kemaluan | genitals |
| terang | clear | keterangan | explanation |
The negative ‘tidak’(not) can combine with some adjectives to form a compound base for ke-..-an nouns, i.e. ke – ROOT WORD – an. These correspond to English npuns with prefix dis- or in-
Examples
| Root Word | Meaning | ke – Root Word – an | Meaning |
| tidak sama | unequal | ketidak-saman | inequality |
| tidak jujur | dishonest | ketidak-jujuran | dishonesty |
| tidak adil | unjust | ketidak-adilan | injustice |
Several adjectives derived with prefix se- can form the base of a ke-..-an nouns:
Examples
| Root Word | Meaning | ke – Root Word – an | Meaning |
| seimbang | blanced | keseimbangan | balance, equilibrium |
| sesuai | appropriate, suitable | kesesuaian | suitability, compatibility |
| seragam | uniform | keseragaman | uniformity |
The noun can be formed from an intransitive verb:
Examples
| Root Word | Meaning | ke – Root Word – an | Meaning |
| datang | come | kedatangan | arrival |
| hidup | live | kehidupan | life |
| ingin | wish | keinginan | wish, desire |
Reference: Indonesian Reference Grammar (Paperback) by James Neil Sneddon