Meaning of Bunda In Indonesian

Halo semuanya, apa kabar? Ketemu lagi sama saya, Iman Prabawa. This time, I will talk about the meaning of [bunda] in Indonesian. As always, we will watch scenes from movies where this word [bunda] is spoken to better understand this.

If you have any questions regarding the Indonesian language, you can ask me directly, or you can join my group. You can see it on my About Me page.

Now, let's dive in!

The Meaning of Bunda In the Indonesian Language

Bunda is short for [ibunda], which means [mother]. This term is used when a child calls her mother. In Indonesia, many words exist for [mother], such as ibu, mamak, bunda, mamah, emak, and mami.

The origin of the word [bunda] in modern Indonesia is from Old Malay and Old Javanese words 'Ibu' (mother) and 'ananda' (polite form of 'you'). It's common in the Old Malay and Old Javanese languages to combine double words into one word. 

Thus:

ibu+ananda → ibu+anda → ibunda → bunda

How to Pronounce Bunda

Let's hear how to pronounce bunda in the video below.

Next, let's watch movie scenes where this word [bunda] is spoken.

Example of Bunda In Use

The first scene is taken from a famous movie in Indonesia called Dilan 1990 (2018). Let's watch the clip down below.

The conversation in the scene with English translations is as follows.

Milea: Dilan manggil ibu "Bunda" ya? (Dilan calls you 'bunda'? Am I right?)

Dilan’s Mother: Ehe. Kecuali kalo lagi minta uang. (Yes. Except when he asks for money.)

Milea: Apa manggilnya, bu? (What did he call you?)

Dilan’s Mother: Bundahara. (*this is from the word [bendahara], which means treasurer, but then the letter [e] in [bendahara] changes into [bundahara].)

Milea: Kalo aku manggil ibu "bunda," boleh ngga? (May I call you 'bunda'?)

Dilan’s Mother: Boleh dong. (Sure, you can.)

In this scene, Milea just met Dilan's mother. She wanted to make sure because she heard Dilan call her mother [Bunda]. That's why she asked this question,

Dilan manggil ibu "bunda" ya? (Dilan calls you 'bunda'? Am I right?)

And then Dilan's mother says [ehe], which means [yes] in this context. Then Milea asked whether she could also call her [bunda], and Dilan's mother said yes. Milea can call her [bunda].

Vocabulary From the Scene

[Manggil] is short for [memanggil] = to call (someone). The base word is [panggil], and you add the prefix [me] to the base word.

[Boleh ngga?] is used when you ask for permission. In this context, Milea asks Dilan's mother whether she can call her [Bunda].

[Dong] is a phatic expression. It has no meaning. Here, its function is just to emphasize the word [boleh].

     Read also: Nyokap Meaning in Indonesia

So, that's all for now. If I find another scene where this word [bunda] is spoken, Insha Allah, I will update this article again. Thank you for reading this article. If you have any questions, just put them in the comment section below, and I'll be happy to answer them. Bye now.