The ke- -an abstract noun

By Speak Indo, from the Speak Indo Indonesian course.

Wrapping a root with ke- and -an often forms an abstract noun.

How it works

The circumfix ke-...-an turns a word into an abstract noun or a state. It's one of Indonesian's most productive patterns. • baik (good) → kebaikan (goodness, kindness) • sehat (healthy) → kesehatan (health) • bahagia (happy) → kebahagiaan (happiness) • aman (safe) → keamanan (safety, security) • cepat (fast) → kecepatan (speed) The pattern can also indicate an accidental/unwanted state: • dingin (cold) → kedinginan = being cold (unintentionally) • hujan (rain) → kehujanan = caught in the rain

Examples

• Kesehatan paling penting.
  Health is most important.
• Saya kedinginan di ruangan ini.
  I'm cold in this room.
• Keamanan di sini bagus.
  Security here is good.