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Halo semuanya, ketemu lagi sama saya, Iman Prabawa. In this article, I want to talk to you about the meaning of [emak-emak]in Indonesian, and as always, we will watch examples, mostly from movies where the phrase [emak-emak] is spoken by the Indonesian people.
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.
So, without further ado, let's talk about this.
Meaning of Emak-emak In the Indonesian Language
[Emak] means mother, and [emak-emak] is the plural form of [emak]. So, [emak-emak] means mothers. Someone who is called [emak-emak] is usually a person who is married and old, so [emak-emak] has a connotation of an old lady to it.
If a young woman who is not married is called [emak-emak], it can mean her fashion style is so old that she looks like an old lady.
How to Pronounce Emak-emak
Here is how you pronounce [emak-emak]. It has a glottal K in it, and you don't pronounce the word K in that word. Okay, let's just hear how to pronounce it below.
Next, we will watch examples from movies where the phrase [emak-emak] is spoken.
Examples of Emak-emak In Use
The first scene we are about to watch is taken from a movie called Dating Queen, Episode 1 (2022). Let's watch the clip below.
Dina: Sudah hampir 10 tahun aku ngurus villa keluargaku. Teman-temanku semuanya bilang aku udah siap banget jadi emak-emak. (I have been taking care of my family's villa for almost 10 years. All of my friends say I'm really ready to become a mother.)
In this scene, Dina says,
Aku udah siap banget jadi emak-emak. (I'm really ready to become a mother.)
She is still single and young, but because she has taken care of the family villa for so long, she is used to handling the household chores. That's why she is now ready to become a mother.
Imagine this: an old lady who takes care of children and is now in the kitchen cooking in an unfashionable dress. That's kind of a picture of [emak-emak], so that is a connotation of an old lady to it. Young women who are not married yet, usually do not like to be called [emak-emak].
Vocabulary From the Scene
[Sudah hampir 10 tahun] = for almost 10 years.
[Aku] is informal for [saya] = I.
[Ngurus] is a common reduction for [mengurus] = to care for something or someone.
[Keluargaku] = my family.
[Teman-teman] is the plural form of [teman] = friends.
[Bilang] is the word usually used in conversational Indonesian. [Bilang] = [berkata] = say.
[Udah] is a common reduction for [sudah] = already.
[Siap] = ready.
[Banget] is the word usually used in conversational Indonesian. [Banget] = [sekali] = very.
[Jadi ...(noun)...] = to become something. [Jadi presiden] = to become a president, [jadi emak-emak] = to become a mother, [jadi bapak] = to become a father.
The second scene is still from the same movie, Dating Queen, Episode 1 (2022). Let's watch the clip below.
In this scene, Dina says,
Tapi aku ngga masalah dibilang jadi emak-emak. (But I don't mind being called [emak-emak]).
As I explained earlier, most young women who are still single and not married usually don't want to be called [emak-emak], and Dina says here that she doesn't mind being called [emak-emak]. It means she is one of the few young unmarried women who don't mind being called [emak-emak].
The third scene is still from the same movie, Dating Queen, Episode 1 (2022). Let's watch the clip below.
Ratih: Ni ngapain sih dandanan kaya gini? Emak-emak banget! (Why did you dress up like this? You reek of mom!)
Dina: Ya udah deh, ayo ayo ayo. (Yeah, let's go.)
Ratih: Adrian! Dandanin kek! Beliin apa kek. Loe aja dibeliin. (Adrian! You need to dress her up! Buy her clothes. Don't just buy for yourself.)
Dina: Sayang, dipake ya sayang itu ya sayang ya. (Honey, please use that honey.)
Adrian: Iya, sayang. (Okay, honey.)
Ratih: Beliin baju. (Buy her clothes.)
Dinda: He'eh. (Yeah.)
Adrian: Oke. (Okay.)
In this scene, Dina and her boyfriend, Adrian, come to their high school reunion, and they meet their friend, Ratih. When Ratih looks at Dina, she says,
Ni ngapain sih dandanan kaya gini? Emak-emak banget!
Ratih asks her why she dressed up like that because by dressing up like that, Dina really looks like an old lady. As you can see, unmarried young women do not want to be called or seen like moms or old ladies. That's why Ratih said that to Dina.
Vocabulary From the Scene
[Ni] is a common reduction for [ini] = this. For more about this, you can read my article here: Ini, Ni, and Nih In Indonesian.
[Ngapain] in here has the same meaning as [mengapa] = why. [Ni ngapain sih dandanan kaya gini?] <--- if I change this sentence into a formal sentence, it would be [Ini mengapa Anda berdandan seperti ini? (Why did you dress up like this?)]
[Emak-emak banget!] = [emak-emak sekali!] = you really look like an old lady. [Banget] is used in daily conversations, whereas [sekali] is more formal. [Banget] = [sekali] = very.
[Ya udah] is a phrase used when you want to end a conversation. Here, Dina does not want to answer or say something about her look. That's why she said, "Ya udah," to end the conversation. For more about this, you can read my article, Ya Udah Meaning In Bahasa.
[Dandan] = dress up.
[Dandanin] is an imperative word to ask someone to dress up someone else.
[Kek] here doesn't have any meaning. It is just to emphasize the word [dandanin]. Here, Ratih asks Adrian to dress up her friend, Dina, so she doesn't look like an old lady.
[Sayang] = honey.
[Dipake ya sayang] is a phrase used to ask someone to use something. In this scene, Dina asks Adrian to use the crown.
[Beliin] is the colloquial way of saying [belikan] = an order to buy someone something.
[He'eh] means yes. For more about this, you can read my article, He'eh Meaning In Bahasa.
Read also: Woi Meaning In Bahasa
I guess this is all for now. If I find another example, Insha Allah, I will update this article again. Thank you for reading my article, and I'll see you soon. Bye now.
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