Learning Indonesian - Measure Words

Have you ever heard about "Measure Word"  ?

If Your mother tongue is english or other Germanic language then you probably never heard about Measure Word.

On this article we're not only going to learn what Measure Word is in bahasa indonesia, but also other subjects related to, i.e

1) Types of Measure Word
2) The Differences Between "se and satu"
3) The Reasons Why Measure Words Are important in Bahasa Indonesia (indonesian language)

1. Measure Words 

indonesian has a unique feature for classifying nouns, especially countable nouns should take what's called measure words, Measure words are also found in English such as two head of cattle, a loaf of bread, this sheet of paper,  a bunch of banana and so on.

Measure words are also called classifiers (or Kata penggolong). In this way, it is similar to Mandarin language. so if you know mandarin language you would be easy to get used to this feature, it's similar to liàngcí （量词）in Mandarin. 

Measure words in Indonesian are predictable, they are divided into three groups :

1.1 - MW for measuring human beings.

: orang

orang is used for measuring : human being

the literal meaning of this measure word is "person"

example :

seorang kesatria (a knight)

dua orang pelajar (two students)

sembilan orang wali (nine saints)

1.2 - MW for measuring animals : ekor

it is used for measuring "animals and/or insects"

the literal meaning of this measure word is "tail"

example :

seekor lebah (a bee)

dua ekor gajah (two elephants)
seratus ekor unta (one hundred camels)

ratusan ekor harimau  (hundreds of tigers)

1.3 - Measure Words for measuring things or inanimate nouns are divided into many categories, there are 11 types of measure words for measuring different things :

buah, keping, utas, carik, bilah, butir, batang, helai, pucuk, bidang, petak.

But if you are not sure about which noun takes which MW, for now you can use "buah" for any kind of things.

for example, you can either say :

sebuah koin emas
a golden coin

or

sekeping koin emas
a golden coin

 
another example 

sebuah pedang kuno
an ancient sword
                            

or

sebilah pedang kuno (means the same)
an ancient sword

Here are the measure words (of group number 3) for inanimate nouns :

a) buah

it is used for measuring :

things (in general), large things, abstract nouns

such as houses, cars, ships, mountains; books, rivers, chairs, some fruits, thoughts, etc.

the literal meaning of this measure word is "fruit"

example :

dua buah meja

two tables

lima buah rumah

five houses

sebuah cinta

love

sebuah ide

an idea

b) carik 

it is used for measuring :

things easily torn, like paper.

literal meaning of this measure word is "shred"

example :

secarik kertas 

a piece of paper

c) utas

it is used for measuring :

nets, cords, ribbons.

literal meaning of this measure word is "thread"

example :

seutas tali
a rope

d) potong

it is used for measuring :

bread, cake, pizza and something like that

literal meaning of this measure word is "cut/piece"

example :

sepotong roti
a piece of bread

e) bilah

it is used for measuring :
things which cut lengthwise and thicker.

literal meaning of this measure word is "blade".

example :

sebilah kayu
a piece of wood 

dua bilah kapak
two axes      

f) bidang / petak

either bidang or petak is used for measuring :
the surface of the earth.

literal meaning of this measure word is "field"

example :

sebidang tanah
an area of land

dua petak sawah
two fields of rice

g) keping :

it is used for measuring :
flat fragments slabs of stone, pieces of wood, pieces of bread, land, coins, paper.

literal meaning of this measure word is "chip"

example:

sekeping uang logam
a coin

sekeping batu
a piece of stone

h) pucuk

it is used for measuring :
letters, firearms, needles.

literal meaning of this measure word is "sprout".

example :

sepucuk senjata
a weapon

sepucuk senjata api
a gun

i) helai

it is used for measuring :
things in thin layers or sheets.

such as paper, cloth, feathers, hair.

literal meaning of this mw is
"leaf".

example :

sepuluh helai pakaian
ten pieces of clothes

j) batang

it is used for measuring :
long stiff things

like trees, walking sticks, pencils.

literal meaning of this Measure Word is
"trunk, rod"

example :

sebatang tongkat
a stick

k) biji/ butir

it is used for measuring :
smaller rounded objects

most fruits, cups, nuts.

literal meaning of this mw is
"grain".

example :

se/satu biji telur /
sebutir telur
an egg

sebutir beras
a grain of rice

2. The Differences Between "se and satu"

the prefix "se" on the measure words are equal to the indefinite article a/an.

while "satu" is used for emphasis to mean ‘a singleʼ or ‘just oneʼ

example :

seorang teman baik itu adalah saudara
a best friend is a brother

satu orang teman baik lebih baik dari pada sepuluh penjilat
one best friend is better than ten bootlickers

Bakri melihat seekor ikan yang indah di danau itu
Bakri saw a beautiful fish in the lake

Tadi sore Bakri menangkap satu ekor ikan
Bakri caught one fish this afternoon

3. The Reasons Why Measure Words Are important in Bahasa Indonesia

As you have learned that human, animal, and inanimate noun, each of them takes different measure word.

So if you take wrong measure word, it could sound weird or even insulting.

for example you say :

seekor guru yang baik
a good teacher

you know that "ekor" is not the correct measure word for human being whereas "guru/teacher" is human being, so this phrase would be considered as insulting or making a joke of somebody.

Remember that you must use "orang" for measuring "human being" and "ekor" for animal.

As for inanimate noun, you can use "buah" for measuring any types of inanimate noun. well, it is not correct. but it still sounds ok to say :

sebuah telor  ❌  but  🆗
sebutir telor  ✅
an egg

sebuah pedang   ❌  but  🆗
sebilah pedang   ✅
a sword

sebuah beras    ❌  but  🆗
sebutir beras    ✅
a grain of rice

      For now dont worry too much about this rule, even some native Indonesians sometimes can make mistake too.

so the point is You can learn languages in your own way and at your own pace.

Remember one important thing, to learn a foreign language without interacting with native speaker is not enough.

I suggest you to find Indonesian native speaker on any Indonesian forum on the internet to communicate with, and you're also welcome to speak with me on whatsapp. I will be so glad to help you speak Indonesian.

P.S : You can find my whatsapp number on my YouTube Channel Here