sepupu
/səˈpupu/
The Indonesian word for cousin is sepupu.
sepupu is a noun used to describe the child of a person’s parent’s brother or sister. sepupu saya means "my cousin" and sepupu Anda means "your cousin".
Meaning: child of a person’s parent’s brother or sister (noun)
How do you pronounce it?
/səˈpupu/
Did you know?
- In many Indonesian social contexts, calling someone sepupu is a way to establish a sense of 'family closeness' even if there is no biological link.
- The word sepupu contains the root pupu, which refers to an 'ancestor' or 'forefather'.
- While sepupu is the formal term, in many Indonesian households, cousins are often addressed using titles for older siblings like kakak to show respect.
Examples in context
- Saya meminjam 1.000 yen dari sepupu saya.I borrowed 1,000 yen from my cousin.This sentence shows how to use sepupu when discussing borrowing money.Tatoeba #12231337 by Pacific, translation #253171 by CK
- Sepupu saya adalah seorang Vtuber terkenal.My cousin is a famous VTuber.This sentence shows how to use sepupu when describing someone's profession.Tatoeba #11227129 by Pi31415i, translation #11227135 by ToxicFriu
- Ini adalah sepupu saya.This is my cousin.
- Sepupu saya tinggal di Surabaya.My cousin lives in Surabaya.
- Dia adalah sepupu jauh saya.He is my distant cousin.
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Adi and Putri are looking at a family photo.
- AdiSiapa anak laki-laki ini?Who is this boy?
- PutriDia adalah sepupu saya.He is my cousin.
- AdiApakah dia seumuran denganmu?Is he the same age as you?
- PutriYa, kami sangat dekat.Yes, we are very close.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “cousin” translations and entries sepupu, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries sepupu, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
