gajah
/ˈɡad͡ʒah/
The Indonesian word for elephant is gajah.
The word gajah refers to the mammal known as an elephant.
Meaning: mammal (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
To count an elephant, you use the classifier ekor (tail) after the number or the indefinite article, resulting in seekor gajah. To form the plural, you repeat the word to get gajah-gajah.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈɡadʒah/
Did you know?
- The word gajah is used in the Indonesian idiom gajah di pelupuk mata tidak tampak, semut di seberang lautan tampak, meaning one ignores a huge problem nearby while obsessing over a tiny one far away.
- Before the Sanskrit-derived gajah became common, the native word for elephant in the region was reportedly liman.
- Because the classifier ekor refers to the 'tail', it is used for almost all animals in Indonesian, not just elephants.
Examples in context
- Seekor gajah sedang makan rumput.An elephant is eating grass.This sentence is useful for seeing the use of gajah with a classifier.Tatoeba #11247290 by Pacific, translation #8499540 by shekitten
- Gajah itu dibawa ke kebun binatang.The elephant was brought to the zoo.This sentence shows gajah in a simple sentence.Tatoeba #3960325 by Bilmanda, translation #46252 by CK
- Gajah Afrika memiliki telinga lebih besar dibandingkan gajah Asia.The African elephant has bigger ears than the Asian elephant.This sentence uses gajah to compare two different types of elephants.Tatoeba #1792837 by menyo, translation #1578624 by CM
- Ada banyak gajah di kebun binatang.There are many elephants in the zoo.
- Peneliti sedang mempelajari perilaku gajah di hutan.Researchers are studying the behavior of elephants in the forest.
- 1 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Dimas and Sari are watching a nature documentary on television.
- DimasGajah itu sangat besar ya.That elephant is very big, isn't it.
- SariIya, Dimas, dia terlihat sangat kuat.Yes, Dimas, it looks very strong.
- DimasApakah gajah itu sedang tidur?Is that elephant sleeping?
- SariTidak, dia sedang berjalan.No, it is walking.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “elephant” translations and entries gajah, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries gajah, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
