mata pelajaran

Indonesian

Etymology

Compound of mata (“eye”) +‎ pelajaran (“lesson”), from Malay mata pelajaran (“a particular area of study”), likely a calque from Chinese 科目 (“subject (in a curriculum, or at a school); course”), from 科 (“branch (of study)”) +‎ 目 (mù, “eye”). Similar to Indonesian mata kuliah.

Noun

mata pelajaran (uncountable)

1. subject; an area of knowledge that is taught or studied in learning institutions.

   Synonym: subjek

Alternative forms

• mapel
• (colloquial) matpel

Further reading

• “mata pelajaran” in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia, Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation – Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, 2016.

Malay

Etymology

From mata (“eye”) +‎ pelajaran (“lesson”), likely a calque from Chinese 科目 (“subject (in a curriculum, or at a school); course”), from 科 (“branch (of study)”) +‎ 目 (mù, “eye”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /mä.tə pə.lä.d͡ʒä.rän/, /mä.tä pə.lä.d͡ʒä.rän/

Noun

mata pelajaran (Jawi spelling مات ڤلاجرن, plural mata-mata pelajaran, informal 1st possessive mata pelajaranku, 2nd possessive mata pelajaranmu, 3rd possessive mata pelajarannya)

1. subject; an area of knowledge that is taught or studied in learning institutions.

Synonyms

• subjek / سوبجيک

Descendants

• Indonesian: mata pelajaran

Further reading

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