Indonesian Prefixes

Figure 1 a screenshot of a news article about Indonesian politics. The word kinerja caught my eye and it was fairly obvious from the context that it meant performance and the word's similarity to the word kerja is another clue.

Figure 1

I thought I'd ask ChatGPT about it. The question and answer are shown below:

What is the etymology of the Indonesian word "kinerja". It looks similar to "kerja". Are the two words related?

Yes, the Indonesian word "kinerja" is derived from the root word "kerja", which means "work" or "job" in Indonesian. The prefix "ki-" in "kinerja" functions to intensify the meaning of the root word, similar to the function of the English prefix "re-" in words like "redo" or "rebuild".

The word "kerja" itself has its origins in the Malay language, which is closely related to Indonesian. The Malay language has borrowed words from various sources, including Sanskrit, Arabic, Chinese, and Portuguese, among others. However, "kerja" is believed to have originated from the Old Javanese language, which was spoken on the island of Java in Indonesia from the 9th to the 16th century.

In Old Javanese, "kerja" meant "action" or "activity". Over time, the meaning of the word shifted to refer specifically to work or labor. Today, "kinerja" is used in Indonesian to refer to performance, productivity, or work output, particularly in a professional or organizational context.

The reference to the prefix ki interested me so I investigated further:

Can you provide five examples of how the prefix "ki" in Indonesian is used to intensify the meaning of the root word?

Yes, here are five examples of how the prefix "ki" in Indonesian is used to intensify the meaning of the root word:

Kicir-kicir: This word refers to a lively and cheerful atmosphere. The root word "cir" means "dance," so "kicir-kicir" intensifies the meaning to convey a sense of a very active and vibrant dancing scene or party.

Kikir-kikir: This word means to be excessively stingy or miserly. The root word "kir" means "to cut," so "kikir-kikir" intensifies the meaning to convey a sense of someone who is cutting every penny, even to an excessive degree.

Kihajar: This word means to punish severely. The root word "hajar" means "to hit," so "kihajar" intensifies the meaning to convey a sense of a very harsh or severe punishment.

Kicau: This word means to sing or chirp. The root word "cua" means "bird sound," so "kicau" intensifies the meaning to convey a sense of a very lively and melodious bird song.

Kikuk: This word means to be very nervous or jittery. The root word "kuk" means "to be shaky," so "kikuk" intensifies the meaning to convey a sense of someone who is very shaky, jittery, and nervous.

On the more general topic of suffixes, I investigated the following:

Can you list five other prefixes that are used in the Indonesian language to modify the meaning of the root words to which they are attached?

Yes, here are five other prefixes that are commonly used in the Indonesian language to modify the meaning of the root words:

Me-: This prefix is used to indicate the action of the verb in the present tense. For example, "makan" means "to eat," while "memakan" means "is eating."

Di-: This prefix is used to indicate passive voice, to show that the subject of the sentence receives the action. For example, "dia makan" means "he eats," while "dimakan" means "is being eaten."

Ter-: This prefix is used to indicate that something has happened unexpectedly or unintentionally. For example, "jatuh" means "to fall," while "terjatuh" means "to fall accidentally."

Ber-: This prefix is used to indicate that an action is happening continuously or repeatedly. For example, "lari" means "to run," while "berlari" means "to keep running."

Se-: This prefix is used to indicate that something is equal or similar in quality or quantity. For example, "mata" means "eye," while "sejuta" means "a million (of something, usually money)."

In the fifth example, ChatGPT's "neurons" clearly misfired and so I asked:

Your reference to "mata" and "sejuta" in the fifth example that you provided don't seem related. Can you clarify? 

I apologize for the confusion. You are correct that the example I provided for the prefix "se-" may not have been the most accurate. Allow me to provide a better example:

The prefix "se-" can also be used to indicate that something is singular or one of a kind. For example, "orang" means "person," while "seorang" means "one person" or "a single person."

As for the example I provided earlier, "mata" means "eye," while "sejuta" means "a million." While "se-" is indeed used in the word "sejuta," it is not used to modify the meaning of the root word "mata." I apologize for any confusion this may have caused.