sungai

See also: သူငယ်

Brunei Malay

Etymology

From Proto-Malayic *suŋay.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /suŋaj/
• Hyphenation: su‧ngai

Noun

sungai

1. river (large stream which drains a landmass)

Iban

Etymology

From Proto-Malayic *suŋay.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /suŋai̯/

Noun

sungai

1. river (large stream which drains a landmass)

Indonesian

Etymology

Inherited from Malay sungai, from Proto-Malayic *suŋay.

Pronunciation

• (Standard Indonesian) IPA^(key): /ˈsuŋai̯/ [ˈsu.ŋai̯]
• Rhymes: -uŋai̯
• Syllabification: su‧ngai

Noun

sungai (plural sungai-sungai)

1. river (a large and often winding stream which drains a land mass)

   Sungai Ciliwung ― Ciliwung River

2. river (any large flow of a liquid in a single body)

Usage notes

• It is usually capitalised when preceding a proper noun (Sungai Kapuas, Sungai Musi, etc.)
• Multiple place names contain Sungai, but they are not referring to the name of an actual river, but rather pointing to its existence. Examples include Sungai Penuh in Jambi, or Sungai Kunjang and Sungai Pinang in Samarinda, East Kalimantan.
• Usage of synonyms below to refer individual rivers, is arbitrary.

Synonyms

• batang
• kali

Derived terms

• bersungai (“rivered”)

Further reading

• “sungai”, 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

sungai

Alternative forms

• sungei
• sg. (abbreviation)

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Malayic *suŋay.

Pronunciation

• (schwa-variety, /a/-variety, Baku) IPA^(key): /ˈsuŋaj/ [ˈsu.ŋai̯]

• Audio (Malaysia):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -uŋai̯, -ai̯
• Hyphenation: su‧ngai

Noun

sungai (Jawi spelling سوڠاي or سوڠي, plural sungai-sungai or sungai²)

1. river (large stream which drains a landmass)

   Synonyms: alir, alur

   Sungai Klang ― Klang River

Descendants

• > Indonesian: sungai (inherited)
• → Chinese: 雙溪 / 双溪

Further reading

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