jabatan

Indonesian

Alternative forms

• djabatan (1901–1947, 1947–1972)

Etymology

Inherited from Malay jabatan (“office”), from jabat +‎ -an. Doublet of jawatan.

Pronunciation

• (Standard Indonesian) IPA^(key): /d͡ʒaˈbatan/ [d͡ʒaˈba.t̪an]
• Rhymes: -atan
• Syllabification: ja‧ba‧tan

Noun

jabatan (plural jabatan-jabatan)

1. position, post, function

   Synonyms: fungsi, pekerjaan, posisi

2. office (a position within an organization with specific duties and rights attached)

   Menteri meminta untuk tidak memberikan jabatan kepada para aparatur sipil negara (ASN) yang terpapar radikalisme, narkoba, serta korupsi ― The minister asked to not appoint civil servant who exposed to radicalism, narcotics and corruption into the office.

3. tenure, incumbency (a status of possessing a thing or an office; an incumbency)
4. (education) tenure (a status of having a permanent post with enhanced job security within an academic institution)
5. (obsolete) office, service

   Synonyms: dinas, jawatan

Usage notes

The word is part of false friends between Standard Malay and Indonesian due to shared etymology. The Brunei, Malaysia and Singapore usage can be seen in Malay jabatan.

Compounds

• jabatan administrasi
• jabatan akademik
• jabatan fungsional
• jabatan karier
• jabatan manajerial
• jabatan negeri
• jabatan organik
• jabatan pelaksana
• jabatan rangkap
• jabatan struktural

• naik jabatan
• sumpah jabatan

Further reading

• “jabatan”, 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

jabat +‎ -an.

Noun

jabatan (Jawi spelling جابتن, plural jabatan-jabatan)

1. office, service.

   Synonyms: pejabat, (Riau, Indonesian Malay, Standard Indonesian) kantor

   Jabatan Perdana Menteri ― Prime Minister's Office

2. department

   Synonym: departemen (Indonesian)

Usage notes

The word is part of false friends between Standard Malay and Indonesian due to shared etymology. The Indonesian usage can be seen in Indonesian jabatan.

Further reading

• "jabatan" in Pusat Rujukan Persuratan Melayu (PRPM) [Malay Literary Reference Centre (PRPM)] (in Malay), Kuala Lumpur: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, 2017
  (also see "jabatan" at PRPM first version)