engkau

Indonesian

Etymology

From Malay engkau, from Proto-Malayic *kau, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *(i-)kahu, from Proto-Austronesian *(i-)kaSu. The eng- component is epenthetical to avoid a monosyllabic pronunciation.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /əŋkau̯/

• Audio:

  (file)

Pronoun

engkau

1. (Borneo, Medan, informal, poetic) Second-person singular pronoun: you, your, yours

Synonyms

Indonesian informal second-person pronouns:

• anta (informal, mainly used by Muslim community)
• antum (informal, mainly used by Muslim community)
• coen (slang, East Java)
• ente (informal, mainly used by Betawi ethnic group)
• kamu (intimate)
• ko, kowe (informal, Java)
• kon, koen (colloquial, East Java)
• lu, lo, loe, elu (informal, mainly used by Betawi ethnic group)
• mika, mike (informal, Eastern Sumatra)

Malay

Alternative forms

• kau, kau-, -kau, dikau

Etymology

From Proto-Malayic *kau, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *i-kahu, from Proto-Austronesian *i-kaSu. The eng- component is epenthetical to avoid a monosyllabic pronunciation.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /əŋkau̯/
• Rhymes: -əŋkau̯, -kau̯, -au̯

Pronoun

engkau (Jawi spelling اڠکاو)

1. you, your

Usage notes

• Largely used in poetry and songs, and informally between contemporary speakers, especially of the same gender, or with a tone of disapproval. Also used to address God (capitalized i.e. Engkau).

See also

Malay personal pronouns

	Singular	Plural
1st person	saya1 aku3	kita4 kami2 & 5 kita orang3 & 5
2nd person	awak1 anda2 awda8 (eng)kau3 kamu3	(2nd person) + semua6 kalian2 (eng)kau orang3
3rd person	dia ia beliau7 -nya2	mereka2 dia orang3

¹ Polite.
² Formal.
³ Informal.
⁴ Includes the listener (inclusive).
⁵ Excludes the listener (exclusive).
⁶ Formality depends on the second person pronoun used.
⁷ Honorific.
⁸ Formal (Brunei).

Notes:

• This table mostly only shows personal pronouns that are commonly used in the standard language and within the Klang Valley area.
• The second person pronouns are often replaced by kinship terms, titles, or the like.
• The enclitic -nya is only used obliquely (as an object or possessor).
• The second person pronoun kamu is usually only used when speaking with younger speakers.

See each entry for more information.