betul

See also: Betül

Indonesian

Etymology

Inherited from Malay betul, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian * batuql.

Pronunciation

• (Standard Indonesian) IPA^(key): /bəˈtul/ [bəˈt̪ʊl]
• Rhymes: -ul
• Syllabification: be‧tul

Adjective

betul

1. true:
   1. conforming to the actual state of reality or fact; factually correct

      Synonyms: benar, sesungguhnya

   2. genuine; legitimate

      Synonyms: tulen, sejati

2. correct: free from error; true; accurate

   Synonym: benar

3. right, straight

   Synonym: tegak

Adverb

betul

1. aright: rightly, correctly; in the right way or form

   Synonyms: tepat, persis

2. directly

   Synonym: langsung

3. very, really

   Synonyms: sangat, sekali, sungguh

Interjection

betul

1. Used to express affirmation; yes.

   Synonyms: iya, ya, haah

   Betul, itulah jawabannya.

   Yes, that's the answer.

Derived terms

• berbetul
• berbetulan
• berkebetulan
• betul-betul
• betulan
• kebetulan
• membetuli
• membetulkan
• pembetulan
• sebetulnya

Further reading

• “betul”, 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

Alternative forms

• betol (1924-1972, Sambas, Pontianak)
• tul, tol (colloquial)

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *batqul.

Pronunciation

• (/a/-variety, schwa-variety) IPA^(key): /bəˈtol/ [bəˈt̪ol]
  • Rhymes: -tol, -ol

  • Audio (Malaysia):

    (file)

• (Literary Standard) IPA^(key): /bəˈtul/ [bəˈt̪ul]
  • Rhymes: -tul, -ul
• Hyphenation: be‧tul

Adjective

betul (Jawi spelling بتول, comparative lebih betul, superlative paling betul)

1. Not wrong; correct (free from error).

   Synonym: tepat

   Antonym: salah

   Jawapan betul ialah A.

   The correct answer is A.

2. True (concurring with a given set of facts).

   Synonym: benar

   Antonym: salah

   Betul ke cerita tu? Macam tak boleh percaya je...

   Is that story really true? Sounds kind of suspicious...

3. Authentic, genuine, pure.

   Synonyms: sejati, tulen

   aksen Kedah betul ― genuine Kedah accent

Derived terms

Affixations

• berbetul (archaic)
• berbetulan (“to coincide; coincidentally matching”)
• berkebetulan
• betul-betul (“truly; really; earnestly”)
• betuli
• betulkan (“to correct; to fix”)
• kebetulan (“coincidence; by chance”)
• membetulkan (“to correct; to rectify; to adjust”)
• memperbetulkan (“to correct (intensified)”)
• pembetulan (“correction”)
• sebetulnya (“actually; in fact; truly”)

Compounds

• biar betul (“are you serious?; no way”)

Descendants

• Indonesian: betul
• Petjo: betoel
• → Kendayan: batol

Adverb

betul (Jawi spelling بتول)

1. Exactly.
2. Very, really.

Interjection

betul (Jawi spelling بتول)

1. Used to express affirmation; yes.

   Synonyms: ia, ya, haah

   Betul, itulah jawapannya.

   Yes, that's the answer.

Further reading

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