Bahasa speakers -

mccardey · Sep 14, 2010

In Malaysia we called the youngest child Adik, the oldest boy Abang - what was the generic name for "older sister"? I think it started with K...

I can look it up later, I just thought someone might know...

Thanks

m

Tsu Dho Nimh · Sep 14, 2010

kakak - from Tamil akkAL meaning older sister ???

Kakak. This is a polite form of address, which means ‘older sister’, is used in Malaysia to refer to a woman who is slightly older than you. [NB: Much older women would be referred to as makcik (auntie); really old women are addressed as nenek (grandmother). If you're not sure between kakak and makcik, kakak is safer, so as not to offend the person whom you are addressing.] In Indonesia, however, kakak can be used to address both an older man or an older woman. This term is not to be confused with the Indonesian kakek, which means ‘grandfather’!

mccardey · Sep 14, 2010

Thank you so much!

I'm looking for the name a boy aged 6 might use to a 12 year old cousin he hasn't met before..... I think Kakak would do it?

Julia U · Sep 14, 2010

mccardey said:
Thank you so much!

I'm looking for the name a boy aged 6 might use to a 12 year old cousin he hasn't met before..... I think Kakak would do it?

Hai! Apa khabar?

Another Bahasa speaker here

The Malay usually call kakak (formal) or kak (informal), like, Kak Ani. Akak is another informal way for a little boy to calls his older sepupu perempuan.

Hope this helps.

Julia

mccardey · Sep 14, 2010

Khabar baik! (there's a phrase from the past!). I'd forgotten the Kak abbreviation, so thanks muchly. I guess he'll begin by addressing her as Kakak, then go to Kak-whoever... and then just use her name. She's his half-sister (saudara tiri perempuan? Would that be right? It's not an expression I've heard - I looked it up....)

I'm planning a research trip soon - I'm sure it will all come back to me. I hope so!

Terimah kasih!

Julia U · Sep 14, 2010

If she's his kakak tiri, half-sister, they're not a sepupu then. Yes, he could call her Kakak for the first time, and later just Kak.

Sama-sama

Julia

mccardey · Jul 13, 2012

More help - if possible?

Disclaimer: I used to speak a very low form of bahasa when I lived in Malaysia, so please forgive me if I get this totally wrong. I'm looking for the bahasa Malay for "Are you asleep?" In my day, I would have said "Awak tidur?", but I'd only have said it to my own kids and it might be totally wrong or too modern or too familiar. I don't know enough of the language to factor in nuances of tone or voice or relationship.

Is there a way that forty-something soldier in 1941 might have said it to a little girl he doesn't know?

Thank you so, so, so, so much for any help with this.

Julia U · Jul 13, 2012

Hai, apa khabar di sana? Lama menyepi

OK. Here's my take on this.

"Awak dah tidur?" (informal) or "Awak sudah tidur?" (formal) for "Are you asleep?" The question shows the person cares. But, when someone says, "Budak kecil, awak dah tidur?" (Budak kecil means a kid) it shows a patronizing tone of voice as indicated by the use of "budak kecil." Both examples also show the characters don't know each other, due to the usage of pronoun "awak."

Awak tidur? Can be use too, but it's more like you blame the person for falling asleep.

Hope this helps.

Julia

mccardey · Jul 13, 2012

Julia U said:
Hai, apa khabar di sana? Lama menyepi

OK. Here's my take on this.

"Awak dah tidur?" (informal) or "Awak sudah tidur?" (formal) for "Are you asleep?" The question shows the person cares. But, when someone says, "Budak kecil, awak dah tidur?" (Budak kecil means a kid) it shows a patronizing tone of voice as indicated by the use of "budak kecil." Both examples also show the characters don't know each other, due to the usage of pronoun "awak."

Awak tidur? Can be use too, but it's more like you blame the person for falling asleep.

Hope this helps.

Julia

You're my new best friend

Have a rep point.

Thank you so much.