kau-

See also: Appendix:Variations of "kau"

Indonesian

Etymology

From Malay kau-, from kau, shortened form of engkau, from Proto-Malayic *kau, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *(i-)kahu, from Proto-Austronesian *(i-)kaSu.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kau̯/

Prefix

kau-

1. you

Malay

Etymology

From kau, shortened form of engkau, from Proto-Malayic *kau, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *(i-)kahu, from Proto-Austronesian *(i-)kaSu.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kau̯/

Prefix

kau- (Jawi spelling کاو-)

1. Alternative form of kau when used in the passive voice.

   Siapa yang kautanya?

   Who did you ask?

Usage notes

• Usage not allowed when the audience is anyone who is elder or in higher status.

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.

Further reading

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

Tocharian B

Etymology

From Proto-Tocharian *kāu- (whence also Tocharian A ko-), from Proto-Indo-European *kewh₂- (“to hit, strike”). Cognate with kaut-, English hew, Latin cudo, Lithuanian kaujėti, etc.

Verb

kau-

1. to kill, strike down, destroy
2. chop up

Derived terms

• kaute (past participle)
  • ekaute (“unkilled”)
• kāwälñe (“killing”) (noun)

Further reading

• Adams, Douglas Q. (2013), “kau-”, in A Dictionary of Tocharian B: Revised and Greatly Enlarged (Leiden Studies in Indo-European; 10), Amsterdam, New York: Rodopi, →ISBN, page 222

Tokelauan

Etymology

From Proto-Polynesian *kau. Cognates include Hawaiian ʻau and Samoan ʻau.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ka.u-]

Prefix

kau-

1. Forms compounds denoting a group of people.
2. Forms compounds denoting a handle of something.

Derived terms

Tokelauan terms prefixed with kau-

kaufakatahi

References

• R. Simona, editor (1986), Tokelau Dictionary‎^[1], Auckland: Office of Tokelau Affairs, page 145