abu-abu

Indonesian

Etymology

Reduplication of abu.

Pronunciation

• Audio:

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Noun

abu-abu

1. grey (colour)

Synonyms

• kelabu

Adjective

abu-abu

1. grey (colour)

See also

Colors in Indonesian · warna (layout · text)

putih	abu-abu, kelabu	hitam
merah; kirmizi	jingga; cokelat, pirang tua	kuning; krem
hijau pupus, hijau limau	hijau	hijau pudina; hijau tua
nilangsuka, sian; hijau laut	biru langit, nilakandi	biru
lembayung; nila	patma; ungu	merah jambu, merah muda

Malay

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a.buˈa.bu/
• Rhymes: -abu

Etymology 1

Reduplication of abu (“ash”).

Adjective

abu-abu (Jawi spelling ابو٢)

1. (Indonesia) grey (colour)

Synonyms

• kelabu / کلابو (Malaysia, Brunei)
• pirau / ڤيراو

Noun

abu-abu (Jawi spelling ابو٢)

1. (Indonesia) grey (colour)

Etymology 2

From (Western) Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *qabu qabu.

Noun

abu-abu (Jawi spelling ابو٢, informal 1st possessive abu-abuku, 2nd possessive abu-abumu, 3rd possessive abu-abunya)

1. (Jakarta) A kind of fish, Thunnus tonggol

Further reading

• “abu-abu” in Pusat Rujukan Persuratan Melayu | Malay Literary Reference Centre, Kuala Lumpur: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, 2017.