KW Meaning in Indonesian

Halo semuanya, ketemu lagi dengan saya, Iman Prabawa. This time, I want to talk to you about the meaning of the word [kw] in the Indonesian language, and as always, we will watch scenes from movies where the word [kw] is spoken.

If you want to ask me about a specific topic or have difficulties with something in the Indonesian language, you can just ask me. You can check it out on the About Me page.

     Read Also: How to Say Your Name in the Indonesian Language

So, without further ado, let's dive in.

Meaning of KW in the Indonesian Language

KW is an informal term. It stands for KWalitas. It defines the quality of a product. KW1 is the best quality, KW2 is the second-best quality, and KW3 is the third.

But we usually use the word KW to refer to fake goods. For example, if you see someone in Indonesia selling Nike shoes, he gives information that the product he sells is [barang KW]. It means that he shells fake Nike shoes and not the original Nike shoes. And if he gives information like, these shoes are [KW super], it means that the shoes he sells are fake Nike but have good quality even though it is fake Nike shoes.

How to Pronounce KW

Here is how you pronounce KW in the Indonesian language.

Here is how you pronounce KW 1.

Here is how you pronounce KW 2.

Here is how you pronounce KW 3.

And here is how you pronounce KW super.

Moving on, we will see examples, mostly from movies, where those words [KW] are used by Indonesians.

Examples of KW in Use

In this section, I will gather examples from movies, youtube videos, comics, and whatnot where the word [KW] is being used.

The first example is taken from a movie called Cek Toko Sebelah, Season 1, Episode 1 (2018). Let's watch the scene below.

Conversation from the scene with English translations is as follows.

Pak Nandar: Kata kang Maman kamu orang Papua. Hehe. Tapi kaya orang Timur Tengah. (Mr. Maman said that you are Papuan. Haha. But you look like people from Middle Eastern.)

Martin: Kebetulan bapak saya turunan Turki, pak. (My father is of Turkish descent, sir.)

Tini: Ooo, Elif? (Oh. Elif, right?)

Martin: Aaa! Sapa itu? (Yeah! Who is Elif?)

Tini: Itu lho sinetron Turki. Tau ga? (It's a Turkish soap opera. Don't you know?)

Martin: Oh, mungkin, mungkin. (Oh, maybe, maybe.)

Tini: Ah! Turki KW nih! (You're a fake Turkish then.)

Martin: Iya, kayanya. (Yeah, I guess.)

In this scene, Martin said that his father was of Turkish descent, and then Tini replied that if he were of Turkish descent, he must have known Elif, the famous Turkish soap opera. But Martin didn't know about Elif, so Tini said, "KW nih!" to him.

Vocabulary From the Scene

[Kang] in kang Maman. [Kang] is an honorific title to address men in the Indonesian language. It comes from the Sundanese language, one of the vernacular languages in Indonesia. It has the same meaning as [mas]. The difference is that [mas] comes from the Javanese language.

[Kamu] = you.

[Orang] = people.

[Kaya] can mean [rich] and can also mean [like]. In this context, [kaya] means like.

[Turunan] is short for [keturunan] = descent.

[Sapa] is the colloquial way of saying [siapa] = who.

[Sinetron] = soap opera.

[Tau ga?] is usually said if you want to know whether the person that you are asking knows about something or not.

[Kayanya] is said when you are uncertain about the truth of something.

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The second clip is from a movie called Kukira Kau Rumah (2021). Let's watch the scene below.

For the conversation from the scene above with English translations and vocabulary explanations, you can read my article, Anjrit Meaning In Bahasa.

In this scene, Niskala calls Pram Chicco Jerikho KW2, which means that Pram looks like Chiccho Jerikho. Chicco Jeriko is an Indonesian actor. If you type his name in Google Search, then you will get this.

So, as you can see, Niskala sees Pram looks like Chicco Jerikho, but because Chicco Jerikho is a handsome guy, if she calls Pram just Chiccho Jerikho, then it would be a compliment to Pram. Niskala wants to mock Pram, and that's why she adds the word KW, which in this context means, "Yeah, you look like Chicco Jerikho but not in his best. You look like, kind of, Chiccho Jerikho but the bad version of him."

As I mentioned earlier about the level of KW, whereas KW super is the best quality which is like the original quality of the goods being pirated. Niskala uses KW 2 here to mock Pram, who looks like Chiccho Jerikho but is the bad version of him. And when she says, "Chicco Jerikho KW 2," all of a sudden, her friend, Dinda, is kind of laughing and says, "Anjrit, KW! (Dang! Fake goods! Fake goods level 2)."  So, the word [KW 2] here is used by Niskala to mock Pram. 

The third clip is still from the same movie, Kukira Kau Rumah (2021). Let's watch the clip below.

Below is the conversation from the scene with English translations.

Niskala: By the way, lo udah naik kelas jadi Chicco Jerikho KW satu. (By the way, you've leveled up as fake Chicco Jerikho low-quality 1.)

Pram: Waah. Woi! Gue KW super! (Damn! Hey! I'm a fake high-quality Chicco Jerikho!)

It is really hard for me to translate this into English, and I just came up with that translation, and I will explain it to you.

In this scene, Niskala and Pram are getting closer. They hang out at the library together and kind of like a date, and when Niskala says that Pram has now leveled up into a better KW. Earlier, she called Pram Chicco Jerikho KW 2, which is lower in terms of quality than KW 1. And now, Niskala calls Pram Chicco Jerikho KW 1.

Maybe next time, when Niskala gets closer to Pram, she can say to Pram just Chicco Jerikho with no KW attached to it. Chicco Jerikho is a handsome guy, so if she calls Pram Chicco Jerikho, it means a compliment to him.

I hope you can understand this. When Niskala still messes around with him, saying he is a Chicco Jerikho KW 1, Pram replies with, "Gue KW super!" which, in this case, means Pram just responding to her making a joke about him.

Vocabulary From the Scene

[Lo] is informal for [Anda] = you. For more about this, you can read my article, Lo Meaning In Bahasa.

[Udah] is a common reduction for [sudah] = already.

[Naik kelas] = level up.

[Waah] here is just Pram's reaction to Niskala's words. It's like saying [oh my God] or [damn].

[Woi!] is when you yell to attract someone's attention. For more about this, you can read my article, Woi Meaning In Bahasa.

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So, I think this will wrap up this article, and if I find another example where the word [kw] is spoken, Insha Allah, I will update this article again.

Thank you very much for reading this article, and I'll see you soon. Bye now.