samudra
/saˈmudra/
The Indonesian word for ocean is samudra. Wiktionary also lists lautan.
Meaning: one of the large bodies of water (noun)
Ways to say it
| Indonesian | IPA |
|---|---|
| samudra | /saˈmudra/ (Standard Indonesian) |
| lautan | /laˈutan/ (Standard Indonesian) |
The term refers to one of the large bodies of water. When naming a specific body of water, such as the Pacific Ocean, samudra is used as a proper noun component, for example, Samudra Pasifik.
Which one should you use?
While both samudra and lautan mean ocean, samudra is the formal Indonesian term for ocean.
How does it change in a sentence?
To express the plural 'oceans', the word samudra is reduplicated to form samudra-samudra.
How do you pronounce it?
/saˈmudra/
Did you know?
- The word samudra comes from the Sanskrit word for 'gathering of waters'.
- The word lautan can be used to describe an overwhelming number of something, such as lautan manusia which means 'an ocean of people' to describe a massive crowd.
- Despite the vastness of the word samudra, Indonesian speakers often use the much simpler laut to refer to the ocean in daily conversation, making samudra feel quite academic or poetic.
Examples in context
- Samudra Atlantik sangat besar.The Atlantic Ocean is very big.This sentence shows how to use samudra when referring to the Atlantic Ocean.Tatoeba #11453924 by Pacific, translation #5535273 by zvzuibqx
- Samudra sangatlah besar dan biru.The ocean is very big and blue.This sentence illustrates the use of samudra to describe the ocean's size and color.Tatoeba #12028122 by HAGNi, translation #12018094 by carlosalberto
- Sungai ini mengalir ke Samudra Pasifik.This river flows into the Pacific Ocean.This sentence demonstrates how samudra is used when naming the Pacific Ocean.Tatoeba #11199163 by Pacific, translation #3073621 by Tappity
- Biologi laut mempelajari kehidupan dalam samudra.Marine biology studies life in the ocean.
- Ayahku suka memancing di laut.My father enjoys fishing in the ocean.
- Anak-anak bermain di pantai yang menghadap laut.Children are playing on the beach facing the ocean.
- 11 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Rian and Sari are looking at a map of the world.
- RianSamudra mana yang paling dalam?Which ocean is the deepest?
- SariSamudra Pasifik adalah yang paling dalam.The Pacific Ocean is the deepest.
- RianApakah samudra itu sangat luas?Is that ocean very wide?
- SariYa, samudra itu sangat luas.Yes, that ocean is very wide.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “ocean” translations and entries samudra, lautan, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries lautan, samudra, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
