perkataan
[pə(r).ka.tə.ʔan]
The English word "words" is translated into Malay as perkataan.
perkataan refers to a single unit of language that consists of one or more syllables.
Did you know?
- If you want to describe the 'vocabulary' of a person, you would not use perkataan but rather the term kosa kata, which literally translates to 'the basket of words'.
- Because Malay is an agglutinative language, a single perkataan can become extremely long by adding various affixes to the root, sometimes functioning as an entire sentence in English.
- The root kata is a cognate with words in other Austronesian languages, showing a prehistoric connection across thousands of islands in the Pacific.
Examples in context
- kerana bahasa bukan hanya sekadar daripada himpunan perkataanTatoeba: Because a language is more than the sum of its words.This sentence uses perkataan to discuss the components of a language.Tatoeba #2285984 by syaido, translation #761916 by TRANG
- Dia tahu sepuluh kali ganda lebih banyak perkataan Bahasa Inggeris dari saya.She knows ten times as many English words as I do.This sentence uses perkataan to compare knowledge of English vocabulary.Tatoeba #661228 by sestersparrow, translation #314274 by CK
- Bolehkah saya meminjam pensel anda?Can I borrow your pencil?
- Saya tidak faham perkataan ini.I do not understand this word.
Example conversation
Ahmad and Aishah are studying a Malay textbook together.
- AhmadBerapa banyak perkataan yang awak tahu hari ini?How many words do you know today?
- AishahSaya baru belajar sepuluh perkataan baru.I just learned ten new words.
- AhmadBaguslah, Aishah.That is good, Aishah.
- AishahTerima kasih, Ahmad.Thank you, Ahmad.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry perkataan, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
