Ways to say it
| Indonesian | IPA |
|---|---|
| besar | /bəˈsar/ (Standard Indonesian) |
| agung | /ˈaɡuŋ/ (Standard Indonesian) |
| raya | /ˈra.ja/ |
The primary way to express that something is of a great size or scale is by using besar. Beyond physical dimensions, besar can also be used to describe someone who has grown up or is an adult. If you want to say something is "very big", you can say besar sekali. While besar is the standard term for physical size, the word luas is used to express the idea of something being big specifically in terms of area, meaning wide or spacious.
Which one should you use?
While besar is the common, everyday word for physical size, other forms exist for specific contexts. Agung is used for abstract concepts such as greatness, glory or majesty rather than physical dimensions. Raya is typically used in fixed compound phrases to denote something grand or vast, such as a main road or a great celebration.
How do you pronounce it?
/bəˈsar/
Did you know?
- While besar describes size, Indonesians use the word gede in casual, everyday conversation as a slang alternative to the more formal besar.
- The word raya is used in the name of the most important holiday for Muslims in Indonesia, Hari Raya Idul Fitri, where it denotes the greatness and joy of the celebration.
- The term agung has deep roots in Old Javanese, where it was used long before modern Indonesian evolved.
Examples in context
- Aku besar dan kuat.I'm big and strong.This sentence uses besar to describe a person's physical stature.Tatoeba #11583249 by Pacific, translation #10127058 by shekitten
- Ini rumah yang besar.This is a big house.This sentence uses besar to describe the size of a house.Tatoeba #13726420 by HAGNi, translation #2584306 by tanulni
- Aku punya mobil besar.I have a big car.This sentence uses besar to describe the size of a car.Tatoeba #13720723 by HAGNi, translation #13719978 by carlosalberto
- rumah besarBig house
- jumlah besarBig amount
- mobil gedeBig car
- uang gedeLarge amount of money
- 59 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Indah and Rian are looking at a new piece of furniture in a store.
- IndahApakah meja ini terlalu besar?Is this table too big?
- RianMenurutku meja ini sangat besar.I think this table is very big.
- IndahRian, apakah kamu punya ide lain?Rian, do you have another idea?
- RianMari cari yang lebih kecil saja.Let's just look for a smaller one.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “big” translations and entries besar, agung, raya, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries agung, besar, raya, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
