anak laki-laki
/anaʔ laki laki/
The English phrase boy is translated into Indonesian as anak laki-laki. Wiktionary also lists anak lelaki.
Meaning: male child (noun)
Ways to say it
| Indonesian | IPA |
|---|---|
| anak laki-laki | /anaʔ laki laki/ |
| anak lelaki |
The term is used to refer to a male child.
Which one should you use?
While anak laki-laki is the standard term, anak lelaki is another way to express the same meaning. If you need to refer to a group of both young boys and girls, the formal term Muda-Mudi is used. For a young male who is older, typically in his late teens or early twenties, use the formal term Pemuda.
How do you pronounce it?
/anaʔ laki laki/
Did you know?
- The term anak is used for both human children and animal offspring. In English, we might say 'pup' or 'kitten', but in Indonesian, anak is the standard term for the young of most species.
- The term Pemuda specifically refers to a young man in his prime and is often associated with nationalist movements and the spirit of youth in Indonesian history.
- In many Indonesian dialects and regional languages, the root of 'boy' or 'man' resembles the Tagalog word lalaki. This shows how closely related Indonesian is to other languages in the Philippines.
Examples in context
- Inilah anak laki-laki itu.This is the boy.This sentence is useful for identifying a specific boy using anak laki-laki.Tatoeba #13749716 by HAGNi, translation #56312 by CM
- Anak laki-laki itu melompat.The boy is jumping.This sentence shows the boy performing an action using anak laki-laki.Tatoeba #868980 by Bilmanda, translation #868965 by CM
- Anak laki-laki itu melempar batu.The boy threw a stone.This sentence describes a boy throwing a stone using anak laki-laki.Tatoeba #13700499 by HAGNi, translation #1314381 by Scott
- Anak laki-laki itu sangat pintar.That boy is very smart.
- Pemuda-pemudi di kota ini adalah masa depan bangsa.The young boys and girls in this city are the future of the nation.
- Anak cowok itu main sepak bola dengan teman-temannya.That boy plays soccer with his friends.
- 18 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Dimas and Putri are looking at a photograph of a family.
- DimasSiapa anak laki-laki di foto ini?Who is the boy in this photo?
- PutriDia adalah adik sepupu saya.He is my younger cousin.
- DimasAnak laki-laki ini sangat lucu.This boy is very cute.
- PutriYa, dia sangat pintar juga.Yes, he is very smart too.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “boy” translations and entries anak laki-laki, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
