usia
/uˈsia/
In Indonesian, the English concept of "age" is expressed using usia or umur.
Meaning: amount of time since the birth of a being or the beginning of a thing (noun)
Ways to say it
| Indonesian | IPA |
|---|---|
| usia | /uˈsia/ (Standard Indonesian) |
| umur | /ˈumur/ (Standard Indonesian) |
Both words refer to the amount of time that has passed since the birth of a being or the beginning of a thing.
Which one should you use?
usia is the more formal term and is frequently used in official contexts, such as in statistics or formal documents. umur is the more common, everyday word used in casual conversation.
How does it change in a sentence?
To specify a particular age, you follow the word for age with the word tahun (years), for example usia 20 tahun (age 20 years).
How do you pronounce it?
/uˈsia/
Did you know?
- In traditional Indonesian social etiquette, asking someone's umur directly can be considered impolite or overly intrusive depending on the person's social status.
- The word usia has its roots in Sanskrit, the ancient language of India, where it originally referred to the concept of a 'lifespan'.
- The term panjang umur is frequently shouted by guests during a birthday party to wish the celebrant a long life.
Examples in context
- Dia masih di bawah umur.She is still under age.This sentence uses the form umur to describe someone being under the legal age.Tatoeba #7429287 by purichan, translation #312247 by StephenCase
- Dia pensiun di usia 71 tahun.He retired at the age of 71.This sentence uses the form usia to state a specific age at retirement.Tatoeba #3478392 by lewis, translation #3476750 by Ricardo14
- Bisakah kamu menebak umurnya?Can you guess her age?This sentence uses the form umur to ask someone to guess an age.Tatoeba #10725541 by HAGNi, translation #309612 by CK
- 15 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Indah and Dimas are discussing a historical artifact at a museum.
- IndahApakah kamu tahu usia keramik ini?Do you know the age of this ceramic?
- DimasSepertinya usia keramik ini sudah ratusan tahun.It seems the age of this ceramic is hundreds of years.
- IndahDimas, benda ini sangat luar biasa.Dimas, this object is truly amazing.
- DimasBenar, Indah, sejarahnya sangat menarik.That's true, Indah, its history is very interesting.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “age” translations and entries usia, umur, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries umur, usia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
