Reduplication — Indonesian Grammar

Nouns in this language do not strictly distinguish between singular and plural forms. A single word like can mean "a book" or "books" depending entirely on the context of the sentence.

Contextual Plurality

In most cases, you do not need to modify the noun to show there is more than one. If the context makes it clear, the base form is sufficient.

Saya membeli apel.
I bought an apple / I bought apples.
Ada murid di kelas.
There is a student in the class / There are students in the class.

Explicit Plurality through Reduplication

To explicitly emphasize that there are many items, or to clarify plurality when context is insufficient, you repeat the noun. This process is known as reduplication. The repeated word is always connected with a hyphen.

Anak-anak sedang bermain di luar.
The children are playing outside.
Negara-negara Asia bertemu hari ini.
The Asian countries are meeting today.

Nuance of Variety and Diversity

Reduplication often implies more than just a simple count greater than one. It frequently carries the nuance of "variety," "assortment," or "all kinds of."

For example, while means "tree," suggests "various trees" or "the trees" (collectively).

Ibu membeli buah-buahan.
Mother bought various fruits.
Sayur-sayuran itu segar.
Those (assorted) vegetables are fresh.

Usage with Numbers and Quantifiers

A crucial rule is that you generally do not use reduplication if a number or a quantity word is present. Words like "two," "many," or "several" already indicate plurality, so repeating the noun becomes redundant.

Dua orang
Two people (not "dua orang-orang")
Banyak masalah
Many problems (not "banyak masalah-masalah")
Beberapa rumah
Several houses

Semantic Shifts

In some instances, duplicating a word changes its meaning slightly, creating a new concept rather than just a plural form.

Orang-orangan
Scarecrow (from "person")
Mata-mata
Spy (from "eye")

Words That Only Come Doubled

Some words exist only in their doubled form. Here the doubling says nothing about how many, and half of the word is not used on its own.

man, male
grey
each, respectively

(you're welcome) is a fixed doubled expression too.

Doubled Words With an Affix

A doubled word can take a prefix as well. The doubling then usually adds that something is done together, again and again, or in a rush.

together
in a hurry
to think something over

In the course

Sentences from Lingora’s Indonesian course

31 of the course's 500 sentences use this, the first in lesson 11. A few of them, with the words “Reduplication” is about in bold:

Setelah dipikir-pikir, itu ide yang buruk.
On second thought, that is a bad idea.
Lesson 338
Burung-burung berkicau di taman.
The birds are singing in the garden.
Lesson 489

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