dikau

Indonesian

Etymology

From Malay dikau, variant of engkau, from Proto-Malayic *kau(ʔ), from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *(i-)kahu, from Proto-Austronesian *(i-)kaSu.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /dikau̯/

Pronoun

dikau

  1. (poetic) you, your

Usage notes

Used in poetry, songs and similar prose.

Synonyms

Indonesian informal second-person pronouns:

  • anta (informal, mainly used by Muslim community)
  • antum (informal, mainly used by Muslim community)
  • coen (slang, East Java)
  • ente (informal, mainly used by Betawi ethnic group)
  • kamu (intimate)
  • ko, kowe (informal, Java)
  • kon, koen (colloquial, East Java)
  • lu, lo, loe, elu (informal, mainly used by Betawi ethnic group)
  • mika, mike (informal, Eastern Sumatra)

Malay

Etymology

Variant of engkau, from Proto-Malayic *kau(ʔ), from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *(i-)kahu, from Proto-Austronesian *(i-)kaSu.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈdikaw/ [ˈdi.kau̯]
    • Audio (Malaysia):(file)
  • Rhymes: -ikau̯, -kau̯, -au̯
  • Hyphenation: di‧kau

Pronoun

dikau (Jawi spelling ديکاو)

  1. (poetic) you, your

Usage notes

Used in poetry, songs and similar prose.

See also

Malay personal pronouns
Singular Plural
1st person

saya1
aku3

kita4
kami2 & 5
kita orang3 & 5

2nd person

awak1
anda2
awda8
(eng)kau3
kamu3

(2nd person) + semua6
kalian2
(eng)kau orang3

3rd person

dia
ia
beliau7
-nya2

mereka2
dia orang3

1 Polite.
2 Formal.
3 Informal.
4 Includes the listener (inclusive).
5 Excludes the listener (exclusive).
6 Formality depends on the second person pronoun used.
7 Honorific.
8 Formal (Brunei).

Notes:
  • This table mostly only shows personal pronouns that are commonly used in the standard language and within the Klang Valley area.
  • The second person pronouns are often replaced by kinship terms, titles, or the like.
  • The enclitic -nya is only used obliquely (as an object or possessor).
  • The second person pronoun kamu is usually only used when speaking with younger speakers.
See each entry for more information.

Further reading