- Get link
- Other Apps
Halo, semuanya? Apa kabar? This time, we are going to talk about the meaning of [aku] in Indonesian. As always, we are also going to be watching examples from movies, YouTube videos and whatnot where Indonesians use this word.
If you have any questions regarding the Indonesian language, you can ask me directly. You can see how to do that on my About Me page.
If you are a beginner in the Indonesian language, you can learn step by step with My Lesson Here.
Okay, without further ado, let's jump right in.
Aku In Bahasa Indonesia
[Aku] is informal for [saya] = I. You will hear [aku] used in informal settings, like, in daily conversations. You use [aku] with [kamu], whereas [kamu] is informal for [Anda] = you.
When Do You Use Aku?
If you're close enough to someone, you can use this word. But if you're new with that person, I think it's safer if you're using [saya] instead of [aku]. If you feel that you're close enough to that person, you can switch from [saya] to [aku], as simple as that.
In Jakarta, another informal word that is used a lot is [gue]. It is more common to use [gue] than to use [aku] in Jakarta. In fact, from what I've seen in my daily lives in Jakarta, [aku] is used by women a lot more than by men. But only in Jakarta.
Men in Jakarta usually use the word [gue] instead of [aku] for the informal word [saya]. But, once again, it's only in Jakarta. Outside of Jakarta, [aku] is used by men and women as the informal word [saya] in daily conversation.
Also, you will hear couples using the words [aku] and [kamu] when talking to each other. If they're not a couple, they usually use [gue] and [loe]. This happens in Jakarta and its surrounding cities like Depok, Tangerang, Bekasi, and Bogor.
How to Pronounce Aku
Here is how you pronounce [aku] in bahasa Indonesia.
Next, let's watch clips where the word [aku] is spoken by Indonesians.
Examples of Aku In-Use
The first clip we are about to watch is taken from Perahu Kertas 1 (2012). Let's watch the clip below.
Below is the conversation from the clip above with English translations.
Keenan: Berarti kamu berubah jadi orang lain dulu baru balik lagi jadi diri kamu lagi. Gitu? (So, it means first, you become another person, and then you come back and become you again. Is that what you are trying to say?)
Kugy: Aku ngga tahu ya selama ini kamu tinggal di gua mana. Tapi cita-cita jadi pendongeng itu ngga realistis. Dikit banget yang bisa survive cuma nulis doang. (I have no idea where you have lived all this time. But becoming a writer is really not a realistic dream. Only a few can survive as writers.)
In this scene, they are friends, so they use the informal words [aku] and [kamu] to speak to each other.
Vocabulary From the Clip
[Berarti] is used when you arrive at a judgment or opinion by reasoning, and then you start to make a point.
[Kamu] = you.
[Berubah] = change.
[Gua] = cave.
[Pendongeng] = a person who tells stories.
[Dikit] is short for [sedikit] = a few, a little.
[Nulis] is short for [menulis] = to write.
[Doang] = just.
The second clip is taken from a movie on BRI's YouTube channel called Pakai Hati, Season 2, Episode 1 (2020). Let's watch the clip below.
There are two characters in this clip: a man named Bagas, who is from Jakarta, and a woman named Indah, who is from Jogja. In Jogja, they never use [gue] and [loe]. For the informal version of [saya], they use [aku]. In Jakarta, most men use [gue] instead of [aku] in daily conversation.
Below is the conversation from the clip with English translations.
Indah: Halo, mas. Mas Bagas, ya? (Hello. You are Bagas, right?)
Bagas: Iya. (Yes, I am.)
Indah: Halo, saya Indah. Mantri BRI unit Sewon. Kebetulan saya ditugaskan kantor cabang untuk nemenin mas Bagas di sini. (Hello, I'm Indah. I'm a banking associate of the BRI unit Sewon. I happened to be assigned by the branch office to accompany you in this city.)
Bagas: Iya, panggil Bagas aja. Ngga usah pake mas. (Just call me Bagas. You don't need to use mas.)
Indah: Oh gitu? Oke. Oke, Bagas. (Is that so? Okay then. Okay, Bagas.)
Bagas: Sekarang? Yuk! (Now? Let's go!)
Indah: Ke pak Dimas langsung? (Are we’re gonna go to Mr. Dimas right away?)
Bagas: Eh, kita keliling-keliling dulu aja kali ya? Ngelihat pengrajin setempat. (How about if we take a look around first? I want to see the local craftsmen here.)
Indah: Oh. (Okay.)
Bagas: Masih ada waktu, kan? (We still have time for it, right?)
Indah: Masih bisa sih, mas. Tapi naik motor, ngga papa? (Yes, I think so. Is it okay with you if we go by motorcycle?)
Bagas: Ngga papa. (It's okay.)
Indah: Biar saya aja yang bonceng ya, mas? (Let me ride the motorcyle.)
Bagas: Eh, jangan! Gue aja. (No, no, no! Let me!)
Indah: Ha? Ngga papa? (What? Is it okay with you?)
Bagas: Ngga papa lah. Gue aja yang bawa. Yah? (Yeah, it's okay with me. Let me ride the motorcycle.)
Indah: Oh gitu? Ini mas helmnya. (Is that so? Here's your helmet.)
Bagas: Iya. (Okay.)
Indah: Bu, mari ya. (Ma'am, I'm leaving.)
Ibu: Iya. (Okay.)
Indah: Monggo. (Take care.)
Ibu: Enggih. Makasih. (Yeah. Thank you.)
Bagas: Loe udah kaya orang sini, ya? (You're just like a local.)
Indah: Ngga juga sih, mas. Ibuku yang asli Jogja. Almarhum bapak yang asli Jepara. Makanya aku apal banget lah tentang industri kayu. (Not really actually. My mom was from this place, Jogja. My late father was from Jepara. That's why I know a lot about the wood industries.)
As you can see, Indah first used the formal word [saya], and then when Bagas started using [gue], Indah switched from using [saya] to using [aku]. She didn't use [gue] like Bagas did because she was from Jogja, and in Jogja, as far as I know, they never use [gue] or [loe] in their daily conversation.
Bagas here did not use the word [aku] but [gue] instead because, as I've said to you, [aku] is commonly used by women in Jakarta (and only in Jakarta) and not by men. This is my observation because I've lived in Jakarta for almost 30 years.
From what I've seen in Jakarta, [aku] is used mostly by women, shemale, or by people outside Jakarta. But if a man talks to a woman and then the woman uses [aku] and [kamu], then the man usually will follow using the word [aku] [kamu].
Also, a couple in love uses [aku] [kamu] when talking to each other. This [aku], which is mostly used by women, only happens in Jakarta, not in other cities.
You can also see this in this clip, which I embedded below. Watch at minute 3:00, when the woman starts talking. She uses the word [aku] instead of [gue] or [saya].
Watch minute 4:23. When the host (Desta) asks the guest who is a man, he uses the words [gue] and [loe] instead of [aku] and [kamu]. The guest (Andika) also uses the word [gue] instead of [aku] in minute 5:05. Once again, this is only applied in Jakarta.
The third clip is taken from a movie on Airwalk Indonesia's YouTube channel - Airwalk Indonesia Web Series, Episode 1 (2019).
In this clip, the two of them don't know each other's names. They just met. Actually, the woman who happened to have a cafe watched the man outside her cafe. At that moment, he was drawing something. Then, the woman brought tea to him and gave him tea. And just like that, they knew each other, but they still didn't know each other's names.
Let's watch the clip below.
Below is the conversation from the clip with English translations.
Dira: Ya udah. Aku duluan ya. Aku ke arah sana. (Okay. I'm off. I'm headed this way.)
Adinata: Gue ke sana. (Me, that way.)
Dira: Dah. (Bye.)
Adinata: Aa, eit! Tunggu, tunggu, tunggu, tunggu. (Hey! Wait up.)
Dira: Ini kafe aku? (Is this my cafe?)
Adinata: Gue punya kebiasaan kalau kaya ada momen sama tempat yang menarik gue langsung fast sketch. Itu hasilnya. (I have a habit. When I found an interesting moment or a fascinating place, I would make a rough sketch. And here it is.)
Dira: Aku juga gitu sih biasanya. (So do I.)
As you can see, the woman uses [aku], while the man uses [gue] instead of [aku].
Vocabulary From the Clip
[Ya udah] is usually used when you are ending a conversation.
[Duluan ya] is used when you are about to part with someone that day. For more about this, you can read my article here: Duluan Ya In Indonesian.
[Tunggu] = wait.
[Kebiasaan] = habit.
[Ada] = there is. For more about this, you can read my article here: Ada In Indonesian.
Read also: Halu Meaning In Indonesian
That's going to be it for today's article. If I find another example, Insha Allah, I will update this article again. Thank you and I'll see you soon. Bye now.
Comments
Post a Comment