The term syukur originates from the Arabic word shukran (شكراً), meaning ‘thank you’. So, what sets it apart from terima kasih, the conventional Indonesian expression for ‘thank you’?
Syukur is not used to express ‘thank you’. ‘Thank you’ is always conveyed as terima kasih. However, when expressing your gratitude, you may use either saya berterima kasih or saya bersyukur. Both phrases mean ‘I am grateful’.
The primary distinction between the two lies in the religious connotation of syukur. Even though syukur is of Arabic origin, it is embraced by Indonesians of all religious backgrounds.
The following has been taken from the Indonesian bible published by the Indonesian bible society Lembaga Alkitab Indonesia (Philippians 1.3).
- Aku mengucap syukur kepada Allahku setiap kali aku mengingat kamu.
- I thank my God every time I remember you.
However, syukur does not need to have a the religious undertone:
- Syukur. Hari ini tidak turun hujan.
- Thank goodness. It’s not raining today.
- Petani bersyukur atas hasil panen.
- The farmers are grateful for the harvest.
Syukur is often used as an exclamation meaning ‘thank goodness’. As such, it is optional to add the suffix -lah, which indicates reassurance, emphasis and assertion.
- Syukurlah, istri saya senang dengan mobil barunya.
- Thank goodness, my wife likes her new car.
As you can see from the above example, syukur (and syukurlah) can also mean ‘fortunately’ and ‘luckily’. Therefore, syukur is often used interchangeably with untung ‘fortunately, luckily.’
- Untung/Syukur kamu tidak pergi ke sana.
- Fortunately you didn’t go there.
- Untung/Syukur tidak ada yang mati.
- Fortunately nobody died.
To intensify the expression even more, and infuse it with a stronger religious tone, you can append alhamdulillah meaning ‘praise God’ to syukur.
- Syukur alhamdulillah, cucu pertama saya telah lahir.
- Praise God, my first grandchild was born.
Syukuran
A syukuran is an expression of gratitude to God manifested through a ceremonial feast. Common occasions for a syukuran include reaching significant milestones in one’s life, such as graduating from high school or university, receiving a promotion, or celebrating the birth of a child.
Prof. Dr. Uli Kozok (https://indonesian-online.com)