kerajaan

Brunei Malay

Etymology

From raja +‎ ke- -an. Either cognate with or derived from Malay kerajaan.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kə.ra.d͡ʒa.ʔan/
• (contraction) IPA^(key): /kra.d͡ʒa.ʔan/

Noun

kerajaan

1. government of a country or state

Indonesian

Alternative forms

• keradjaän (1901–1947)
• keradjaan (1947–1972)

Etymology

Affixed raja +‎ ke- -an, from Malay kerajaan, from Classical Malay kerajaan (“royal, become king”).

Pronunciation

• (Standard Indonesian) IPA^(key): /kəraˈd͡ʒaan/ [kə.raˈd͡ʒa.(ʔ)an], /kəraˈd͡ʒaʔan/ [kə.raˈd͡ʒa.ʔan]

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -aan, -aʔan
• Syllabification: ke‧ra‧ja‧an

Noun

kêrajaan (plural kerajaan-kerajaan)

1. kingdom
   1. a realm having a king and/or queen as its actual or nominal sovereign

      Synonym: keajian

      soepaja kekal keradjaän Nederland ― so that the kingdom of the Netherlands remains eternal.

   2. (taxonomy) a rank in the classification of organisms, below domain and above phylum; a taxon at that rank

      Synonym: alam (Standard Malay)

2. monarchy: a government in which sovereignty is embodied within a single, today usually hereditary head of state (whether as a figurehead or as a powerful ruler)

   Synonyms: monarki, keberajaan

3. (obsolete) kingship

Coordinate terms

• kedaton
• kedatuan
• kekaisaran (“empire”)
• kekhalifahan (“caliphate”)
• kesultanan (“sultanate”)

Derived terms

• kerajaan absolut
• kerajaan konstitusional
• kerajaan mutlak
• kerajaan parlementer

Adjective

kêrajaan (comparative lebih kerajaan, superlative paling kerajaan)

1. royal: of or relating to a monarch or their family

   Synonym: diraja (Malay, Standard)

Verb

kêrajaan

1. (obsolete) to become a king

   Jika ia kerajaan, tiada akan sempurna negeri ini. ― If he becomes a king, this nation will never be perfect.

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 kerajaan.

Further reading

• “kerajaan”, 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

• k'jaan, krjaan (abbreviation)
• keradjaan (Dutch East Indies and Indonesia, until 1967)

Etymology

Affixation of raja +‎ ke- -an.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [kərad͡ʒaʔan]
• Rhymes: -an

Noun

kerajaan (Jawi spelling کراجاءن, plural kerajaan-kerajaan)

1. (Brunei, Malaysia) government (an organisation which has the power to enact and legislate laws within its area of jurisdiction)

   Synonym: pemerintah

2. kingdom

   Kerajaan Eswatini ― Kingdom of Eswatini

Usage notes

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

• The government sense prevails in Malaysia and Brunei due to the two countries' monarchic governments, even if the government referred by the term is a republic.
• In Singapore, foreign governments can be referred as either kerajaan or pemerintah depending on their form of government. The Singaporean government being a republic is always referred to as pemerintah, which has no monarchic connotations.
• In Indonesia, kerajaan is used in the sense of a kingdom only. Governments are always translated as pemerintah, which has no monarchic connotations.

Descendants

• > Indonesian: kerajaan (inherited)

Further reading

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