Woi In Indonesian
An Indonesian Word
Halo semuanya. Apa kabar? Ketemu lagi dengan saya, Iman Prabawa. In this article, I want to talk to you about the meaning of the word [woi] in the Indonesian language. As always, we will watch examples from movie scenes where the word [woi] is spoken to better understand the meaning and how the Indonesian people use it.
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Meaning of Woi
[Woi] is the word used to attract someone’s attention. This word is usually said out loud.
How to Pronounce Woi
Here is how you pronounce the word [woi] in bahasa Indonesia.
Next, let’s watch examples from movies where the word [woi] is spoken.
Examples of Woi In Use
The first example is from a movie called Kukira Kau Rumah (2021). Let’s watch the clip below.
Conversation from the clip with English translations.
Niskala: Woi! (Hey!)
Pram: Uh. (Ugh.)
Niskala: Lo denger ngga sih dari tadi gue ngomong apa? (Did you hear what I just said?)
Pram: Ngomong apaan sih? Gue ngga denger apa-apa. Wow! Oke. (What did you say? I heard nothing. Wow! Okay then.)
You can see that the word [woi] is being yelled at. In this scene, Pram makes a bet with Niskala. He said that if she ever got an A for her assignment paper, then he would give her a treat. After she got the point for her assignment paper, which was an A, she rushed to meet Pram to show him that she got an A for her assignment paper.
The word [woi] here is used by Niskala to get Pram’s attention because, at that time, Pram was listening to music.
Vocabulary From the Clip
[Lo] = [loe] = [lu] is an informal word for [Anda] = you. For a more detailed explanation, you read my article here:
[Denger] is informal for [dengar] = listen.
[Ngga] = no.
[Sih] is a phatic expression. It has no meaning at all. It functions only to emphasize.
[Dari tadi] in literal meaning means from earlier.
[Gue] = [gw] = [gua] is an informal word for [saya] = I. For a more detailed explanation, you can read my article here:
[Ngomong] is the informal way of saying [berbicara] = to speak.
[Ngomong apaan sih?] is used when you don’t hear what someone has said to you, or it can also be used when someone is talking about something nonsensical. In this case, it’s like saying, “What are you talking about?” Pram, in this scene, didn’t hear what Niskala had just said. That’s why he said [ngomong apaan sih] to Niskala.
[Gue ngga denger apa-apa] is used when you don’t hear anything. [Gue ngga denger apa-apa], if translated literally, is [I don’t hear anything].
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That wraps up this article. If you have any questions, feel free to leave them in the comments below. Thank you for reading my article, and I’ll see you soon.