kakak
/ˈkakaʔ/
The Indonesian word for "older sister" is kakak.
kakak is a gender-neutral term meaning "older sibling." It is also frequently used as a polite honorific or title for someone who is slightly older than you, even if you are not related.
Meaning: single-word translations (noun)
Which one should you use?
While kakak can refer to any older sibling, you must add perempuan (female) after it to specify that the older sibling is a sister. Thus, kakak perempuan means "older sister."
How does it change in a sentence?
You can attach the suffix -ku to kakak to create kakakku, which means "my older sibling."
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈkakaʔ/
Did you know?
- While used for siblings, kakak can also serve as a polite way for a wife to address her husband in certain traditional contexts.
Examples in context
- Di mana kakak perempuanku?Where's my older sister?This sentence uses kakak to ask for the location of an older sister.Tatoeba #13741118 by HAGNi, translation #11482137 by Adelpa
- Kakak perempuan saya cantik.My older sister is beautiful.This sentence uses kakak to describe an older sister's beauty.Tatoeba #3362974 by dbahasa, translation #3075823 by AkuNeko
- Dia kakakku.She's my older sister.This sentence uses kakak to identify someone as an older sibling.Tatoeba #4629642 by Bilmanda, translation #469125 by CK
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Budi is asking Putri about her family.
- PutriBudi, ini foto kakak saya.Budi, this is a photo of my older sister.
- BudiApakah kakak kamu tinggal di Jakarta?Does your older sister live in Jakarta?
- PutriTidak, dia tinggal di Bandung.No, she lives in Bandung.
- BudiOh, dia terlihat sangat ramah.Oh, she looks very friendly.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “older sister” translations and entries kakak, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries kakak, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
