Halo semuanya, ketemu lagi sama saya, Iman Prabawa. This time, I want to talk to you about the meaning of the Indonesian phrase [pulang kampung]. As always, we are also going to be watching examples from movies, YouTube videos, and other sources where Indonesians use the phrase.
Meaning of Pulang Kampung
[Pulang] means “to go back home” or “to return to the place where you belong.” [Kampung] means “village.” So, literally, [pulang kampung] means “going back to your native village” or “returning to your hometown.”
[Pulang kampung] is something people who work in big cities in Indonesia often do when major holidays come around, such as Eid al-Fitr and Christmas. They return to their hometowns, usually for about a week, to spend time with their families and relatives.
[Pulang kampung] has basically the same meaning as [mudik]. For example, about a week before Eid al-Fitr, many people leave the big cities and head back to their hometowns for [mudik], or [pulang kampung].
That’s why big cities like Jakarta can become surprisingly quiet during major holidays. Many people have left the city to celebrate the holiday with their families back home.
If you want to experience a much quieter side of Jakarta, try visiting during Lebaran (Eid al-Fitr). The city can feel almost empty compared with normal days, and traffic jams are much less common because so many people have gone [mudik] and returned to their hometowns to celebrate the holiday with their families.
How to Pronounce Pulang Kampung
Here is how you pronounce [pulang kampung] in Bahasa Indonesia.
Next, let’s look at examples where Indonesians use the phrase [pulang kampung].
Examples of Pulang Kampung In Use
The first example we’re going to watch is from Di Bulan Suci Ini..., Episode 1 (2023). Let’s look at the clip below.
Below is the transcript from the clip, along with the English translation:
Wisnu: Kita ngga pulang kampung tahun ini. (We’re not going back to our hometown this year.)
Mbok: Kita tu udah lama sekali Nu, ngga pulang kampung. (It’s been such a long time, Nu, since we last went back home.)
Wisnu: Ngga bisa, mbok. Makin deket Lebaran. Tu lho! Makin banyak paket yang mesti dikirim. (We can’t, Mbok. The closer it gets to Eid, the more packages there are to deliver. Look at all those packages!)
Ajeng: Emangnya kirim-kirim itu laku, ya? Bukannya.. (Is the delivery business really doing that well? I mean...)
Sri: Ngga usah ikut-ikutan! (Hey, don’t butt in!)
Mbok: Terakhir kan kita pulang kampung saat Faisal kecil banget. Ajeng juga belum dititip di sini, kan? (The last time we went back home was when Faisal was really little. Ajeng wasn’t even living here yet, was she?)
Wisnu: Iya. Mbok, mbok. (Yeah, Mbok. Mbok...)
Mbok: He? (Huh?)
Wisnu: Ngga tahun ini, ya? Beneran ngga bisa. (Not this year, okay? I really can’t.)
In this clip, Mbok wants to go back to their hometown because it has been a long time since they last went home. However, Wisnu says he can’t go because he has a lot of packages to deliver.
Vocabulary From the Clip
[Kita] = we.
[Ngga] = [tidak] = no.
[Tahun] = year.
[Ini] = this.
[Tu] is informal for [itu] = that. For more on this, you can read this article:
Itu, Tu, and Tuh in Indonesian
Halo semuanya, ketemu lagi sama saya, Iman Prabawa. In this article, I want to talk about the meaning of [itu], [tu], and [tuh] in Indonesian. And as always, we are going to be watching examples from movie scenes and whatnot where the word is spoken by Indonesians.
[Deket] is informal for [dekat] = near, close to.
[Lebaran] = Eid al-Fitr.
[Emangnya] is a common reduction of [memangnya], and you usually use it when you want to ask about something.
[Laku] = saleable, in demand.
[Kecil] = small.
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That’s gonna be it for today. If you have any questions, just leave them in the comments below, and I’ll be happy to answer them.
Thank you for reading this article, and I’ll see you soon.