kakak

See also: kakák

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)

1. (literally or figuratively, formal) older sibling
2. (literally or figuratively, chiefly Sumatra and Kalimantan) older sister
3. (literally or figuratively, chiefly Jakarta and Java) older brother
4. (chiefly Jakarta) a form of address to an older person (same generation or one generation before)
5. (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).

Alternative forms

• KK

Synonyms

• (older sister): see Thesaurus:kakak
• (older brother): see Thesaurus:abang

Derived terms

• kakak ipar

 

Etymology 2

Onomatopoeic, compare to Tagalog kakak.

Root

kakak

1. quack, cluck
2. laugh

   Synonyms: kakah, kahkah

Derived terms

• berkakak
• berkakakan
• mengakak
• terkakak-kakak

 

Further reading

• “kakak” in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia, Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation – Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, 2016.

Javanese

Romanization

kakak

1. Romanization of ꦏꦏꦏ꧀.

Malay

Etymology

From Proto-Malayic *kakaʔ, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *kaka, from Proto-Austronesian *kaka.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kakaʔ/
• Rhymes: -akaʔ, -kaʔ, -aʔ

• Audio (Malaysia):

  (file)

Noun

kakak (Jawi spelling کاکق, plural kakak-kakak, informal 1st possessive kakakku, 2nd possessive kakakmu, 3rd possessive kakaknya)

1. sister (older woman or girl having the same parents)
2. (rare) sibling (older person who shares same parents)
3. (rare) brother (older male sibling)
4. term of address for a female acquaintance who is a bit older

Synonyms

• abang
• engko
• nana
• uda

Derived terms

• kakaktua

Related terms

• akak
• akang
• kak
• kakanda
• kakang
• kanda
• kang
• kangmas
• kekanda

 

Tagalog

Alternative forms

• cacac — obsolete, Spanish-based orthography

Etymology

Onomatopoeic. Compare Indonesian kakak.

Pronunciation

• (Standard Tagalog) IPA^(key): /ˈkakak/ [ˈkaː.xɐk̚]
• Rhymes: -akak
• Syllabification: ka‧kak

Noun

kakak (Baybayin spelling ᜃᜃᜃ᜔)

1. cackle or cackling of a hen, duck, etc.

   Synonym: putak

Derived terms

• ipangakak
• kumakak
• mangakak

 

See also

• kuwak
• putak

 

Further reading

• “kakak”, in Pambansang Diksiyonaryo | Diksiyonaryo.ph, Manila, 2018