bawang
/ˈbawaŋ/
The English word onion is bawang in Malay.
The term bawang refers to a bulb. You may encounter specific types: bawang merah refers to shallots or red onions, bawang putih refers to garlic and bawang besar refers to large onions like yellow or white onions.
Meaning: bulb (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
To express the plural form of onion, you use the reduplicated form bawang-bawang.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈbawaŋ/
Did you know?
- In modern Malay slang, the word bawang can refer to gossiping. This stems from the image of women peeling onions while sharing secrets during large communal feasts called kenduri.
- In Malay culture, the act of 'peeling onions' is associated with kenduri, the traditional communal feasts where large amounts of food are prepared together.
Examples in context
- Bawang adalah salah satu bahan utama dalam masakan Malaysia.Onions are one of the main ingredients in Malaysian cuisine.
- Nak ayam goreng tambah bawang tak?Do you want to add onions to the fried chicken?
- Saya perlu beli bawang merah.I need to buy red onions.
- Bawang ini sangat besar.This onion is very big.
- Adakah awak ada bawang putih?Do you have garlic?
Example conversation
Nur and Ahmad are preparing dinner in the kitchen.
- NurAhmad, ada bawang dalam peti sejuk?Ahmad, are there onions in the fridge?
- AhmadYa, ada banyak bawang.Yes, there are plenty of onions.
- NurBoleh bantu saya kupas bawang ini?Can you help me peel these onions?
- AhmadBoleh, saya bantu sekarang.Sure, I will help now.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “onion” translations and entries bawang, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries bawang, CC BY-SA 4.0.
