anak kunci

Indonesian

Etymology

inherited from Malay anak kunci, from Classical Malay انق كونچي (anak kunci). By surface analysis, anak +‎ kunci. Compare to Khmer កូនសោ (koun sao, “key”, literally “child + lock”).

Pronunciation

• (Standard Indonesian) IPA^(key): /ˌanak ˈkunt͡ʃi/ [ˌa.nak̚ ˈkuɲ.t͡ʃi]
• Rhymes: -unt͡ʃi
• Syllabification: a‧nak kun‧ci

Noun

anak kunci (plural anak-anak kunci)

1. (dated) key, an object designed to open and close a lock

   Synonyms: kunci, sogok, sosi

Further reading

• “anak kunci”, 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

Malay

Etymology

Compound of anak (“child”) +‎ kunci (“lock”). Literally, “child's key”.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˌanak ˈkunt͡ʃi/ [ˌʔa.naʔ ˈkuɲ.t͡ʃi]
• Hyphenation: a‧nak kun‧ci

Noun

anak kunci (Jawi spelling انق کونچي, plural anak-anak kunci or anak² kunci)

1. key

   Synonym: kunci

   Synonyms: (Indonesia) sogok, (Indonesia) sosi

Descendants

• > Indonesian: anak kunci (inherited)

Further reading

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