Lesson 60 Penjodoh bilangan (Classifiers)
The use of penjodoh bilangan (numerical coefficient or classifier) is very widespread in the Malay language. Just as we say in English "one tube of glue" and not just "one glue" the same principle is present in Malay but to a much larger extent than in English as the following examples will show:
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A second reading (by Muhammad Nor Ismat, a native speaker)
seorang anak dua orang bini sebuah rumah tiga buah kereta seekor anjing |
one child two wives one house three cars one dog |
empat ekor kucing enam biji telur tiga biji durian sepuluh batang rokok dua pucuk surat |
four cats six eggs three durians ten cigarettes two letters |
Enam ekor kucing (= 6 cats) |
orang is used for people. The word itself means "person, people".
ekor is used for animals. The word itself means "tail".
buah is used for most objects eg. books, tables, cars, houses, schools. The word itself means "fruit".
biji is used for small, round objects such as eggs, sweets and fruits. The word itself means "seed".
batang is used for long, slim items such as pencils, pens, or sticks.
keping is used for a piece/pieces of paper, bread, cake, cheques, photographs.
pucuk is used for letters and arms.
More sentences:
Anda ada anak?* Ya, saya ada tiga orang anak. Tidak, saya tidak ada anak. Dia menghisap** lima batang rokok tiap hari. Dia ada dua buah kereta. Saya ada seekor anjing. Jiran saya ada dua ekor kucing. |
Do you have any children? Yes, I've got three children. No, I do not have any children. He smokes five cigarettes a day. He has got two cars. I have a dog. My neighbour has two cats. |
Also, as it is a question, remember to raise your voice at the last syllable (or add the suffix -kah).
**menghisap is also spelt mengisap
ENGLISH | INDONESIAN | MALAY |
---|---|---|
three cars | tiga buah mobil | tiga buah kereta |
to smoke | merokok | menghisap |
He has got two cars. | Dia ada dua buah mobil. | Dia ada dua buah kereta. |
My neighbour has two cats. | Tetangga saya ada dua ekor kucing. | Jiran saya ada dua ekor kucing. |