olahraga

Indonesian

Etymology

Derived from Malay olahraga, compound of olah (“to process”) +‎ raga (“body”), from calque from Japanese 体操(たいそう) (taisō, “gymnastics, exercises, calisthenics”, literally “body exercise”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [olahˈraɡa]

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: o‧lah‧ra‧ga

Noun

olahraga

1. exercise; any activity intended to improve physical strength and fitness.
2. sport,
   1. any activity that uses physical exertion or skills competitively under a set of rules that is not based on aesthetics.
   2. something done for fun, regardless of its design or intended purpose.

Usage notes

• The word is part of false friends between Standard Malay and Indonesian due to shared etymology. The Brunei, Malaysia and Singapore usage can be seen in Malay olahraga.
• The sense "exercise" only refers to physical exercise, not mental exercise.
  • However, "mind sports" like chess still fall under olahraga because they are also considered sports, fitting the "sport" sense of the term.

Derived terms

• berolahraga
• keolahragaan
• memberolahragakan
• mengolahragakan
• peolahraga

 

Further reading

• “olahraga” 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.

Malay

Etymology

Compound of olah +‎ raga, calque from Japanese 体操(たいそう) (taisō, “gymnastics, exercises, calisthenics”, literally “body exercise”).

Pronunciation

• (Johor-Riau) IPA^(key): [o.lah.ra.ɡə]

  • Audio (Malaysia):

    (file)

  • Rhymes: -ɡə, -ə
• (Baku) IPA^(key): [o.lah.ra.ɡa]
  • Rhymes: -ɡa, -a
• Hyphenation: o‧lah‧ra‧ga

Noun

olahraga (Jawi spelling اولهراݢ, informal 1st possessive olahragaku, 2nd possessive olahragamu, 3rd possessive olahraganya)

1. (sports) A group of sporting activities including track and field, road running, cross country and racewalking; athletics.

Usage notes

The word is part of false friends between Standard Malay and Indonesian due to shared etymology. The Indonesian usage can be seen in Indonesian olahraga.

Synonyms

• atletik (uncommon in Malaysia, sole standard in Indonesia)

Hypernyms

• sukan

Further reading

• “olahraga” in Pusat Rujukan Persuratan Melayu | Malay Literary Reference Centre, Kuala Lumpur: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, 2017.