dulu

See also: du lú and dūlu

Indonesian

Alternative forms

• doeloe (1901–1947, 1947–1972)

Etymology

Inherited from Malay dulu, a contraction of dahulu.

Pronunciation

• (Standard Indonesian) IPA^(key): /ˈdulu/ [ˈdu.lu]
• Rhymes: -ulu
• Syllabification: du‧lu

Adverb

dulu

1. before, formerly, previously

Adjective

dulu (comparative lebih dulu, superlative paling dulu)

1. early, former, previous

Further reading

• “dulu”, 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

Contraction of dahulu.

Pronunciation

• (schwa-variety, Baku, /a/-variety) IPA^(key): /ˈdulu/ [ˈdu.lu]
• Rhymes: -lu, -u
• Hyphenation: du‧lu

Adverb

dulu (Jawi spelling دولو)

1. before, earlier, previously

   Saya tinggal di London dulu.

   I lived in London before.

2. first (prioritising an action)

   Makan dulu, baru pergi.

   Eat first, then go.

Adjective

dulu (Jawi spelling دولو, comparative lebih dulu, superlative paling dulu)

1. early, former, previous

Descendants

• > Indonesian: dulu (inherited)

Further reading

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