akal

Indonesian

Etymology

From Malay akal, from Classical Malay عقل (akal), from Arabic عَقْل (ʕaql, “understanding, intellect”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈa.kal/
• Rhymes: -kal
• Hyphenation: a‧kal

Noun

akal (plural akal-akal)

1. mind

   Synonyms: akal pikiran, pikiran

   1. the capability for rational thought
   2. the ability to be aware of things
   3. the ability to remember things
   4. the ability to focus the thoughts
2. way (a method or manner of doing something)

   Synonyms: jalan, cara

3. trick; deception (an instance of actions and/or schemes fabricated to mislead someone into believing a lie or inaccuracy)

   Synonyms: akal-akalan, tipu daya

4. reason (rational thinking (or the capacity for it); the cognitive faculties, collectively, of conception, judgment, deduction and intuition)

Conjugation

Conjugation of akal (ber-, intransitive)

root	akal
	active	passive		basic imperative	emphatic jussive
		reflective1	ordinary
	ordinary
nominative	berakal	–	–	–	–
accusative / dative / locative	mengakali	terakali	diakali	akali	akalilah
perfective causative / applicative2	mengakalkan	–	diakalkan	akalkan	akalkanlah
	causative
nominative	–	–	–	–	–
accusative / dative / locative	memperakali	–	diperakali	perakali	perakalilah
perfective causative / applicative2	memperakalkan	–	diperakalkan	–	–

¹ There is another form of reflective passive verb with affixation of ke- -an which is not included in the table. This form is only attested in active voice without causative affixation of per-.
² The -kan row is either causative or applicative. With transitive roots it mostly has applicative meaning.
Some of these forms do not normally exist or are rarely used in standard Indonesian. Some forms may also change meaning.

Derived terms

• akal-akal
• akal-akalan
• berakal
• mengakali
• mengakalkan
• pengakalan
• seakal
• seakal-akal

• akal awal
• akal buaya
• akal budi
• akal bulus
• akal busuk
• akal dua jengkal
• akal geladak
• akal imitasi
• akal kancil
• akal keling
• akal laba-laba
• akal melintas
• akal pikiran
• akal sehat
• akal sejengkal
• akal tiga jengkal
• akal ubi

Further reading

• “akal”, in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia [Great Dictionary of the Indonesian Language] (in Indonesian), Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation – Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, 2016

Javanese

Romanization

akal

1. romanization of ꦲꦏꦭ꧀

Malay

Etymology

From Arabic عَقْل (ʕaql, “understanding, intellect”).

Noun

akal (Jawi spelling عقل or اکل, plural akal-akal or akal²)

1. thought, mind

   Manusia ialah makhluk yang berakal.

   Humans are beings with minds.

2. idea, way, solution

   Aku ada satu akal.

   I have an idea.

3. trick, deception

   Sang Harimau terperdaya lagi oleh akal Sang Kancil.

   Tiger has yet again fallen for Mousedeer's tricks.

Descendants

• > Indonesian: akal (inherited)
• → Javanese: ꦲꦏꦭ꧀ (akal)
• → Ternate: akal

Further reading

• "akal" in Pusat Rujukan Persuratan Melayu (PRPM) [Malay Literary Reference Centre (PRPM)] (in Malay), Kuala Lumpur: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, 2017

Senhaja de Srair

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /akal/

Noun

akal m (Tifinagh spelling ⴰⴽⴰⵍ)

1. Zerqet form of akay

Tashelhit

Etymology

Inherited from Medieval Tashelhit اَكَالْ (akal, “earth, soil”), from Proto-Berber *a-ʔḱal (“earth”), ultimately from Proto-Afroasiatic *ʔ-k-l (“earth”).

Cognate with Senhaja de Srair akay (“earth”), Tarifit cař (“earth, soil, sand”), Zenaga aʔgäy (“earth, country”), Ghadames ōkăl (“earth”), Tuareg ăkall (“earth, land, country”); Proto-Chadic *kal (“field”); and Egyptian ꜣkr (“earth-god Aker, earth”)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /akal/

Noun

akal m (plural ikaliwn, Tifinagh spelling ⴰⴽⴰⵍ, Arabic spelling آكال)

1. earth, soil

   آكال ا اغ يتّستارن، ايغ ور سول اغ يري يان.

   akal a ʸaġ ittstarn, iġ ur sul aġ iri yan.

   The earth will give us protection, when we are abandoned by all.

2. land, territory

   آكال ور يڭي ن وفڭان، آفڭان ا يڭان وينّس.

   akal ur igi n ufgan, afgan a igan win-nns.

   The land does not belong to humans, it is the humans who belong to it.

3. continent, world

Inflection

Inflection of akal

	singular	plural
free state	akal	ikalln, ikaliwn, ikaln
annexed state	wakal	ikalln, ikaliwn, ikaln

Derived terms

• akal n ljmaʕt (“collective or community lands”)
• ayt ddu wakal (“earth genies”)
• ayt wakal (“earthlings”)
• ddu wakal (“grave”)
• iggi n wakal (“the lower world”)
• ġr ikalln (“limit”)

See also

• amlal (“sand”)
• ayyur (“moon”)
• itri (“star”)
• tafukt (“sun”)
• tamazirt (“country, homeland”)

References

• Stroomer, Harry (2025), Dictionnaire berbère tachelḥiyt-français — Tome 1 a—e (Handbook of Oriental Studies – Handbuch der Orientalistik; 188/1) (in French), Leiden, The Netherlands: Brill, →DOI, →ISBN, page 209b

Ternate

Etymology

Ultimately from Arabic عَقْل (ʕaql)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈa.kal]
• Rhymes: -al

Noun

akal

1. the mind

References

• Rika Hayami-Allen (2001), A descriptive study of the language of Ternate, the northern Moluccas, Indonesia, University of Pittsburgh

Veps

Noun

akal

1. adessive singular of ak