sungai

See also: သူငယ်

Brunei Malay

Etymology

From Proto-Malayic *suŋay.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /suŋaj/
• Hyphenation: su‧ngai

Noun

sungai

1. river (large stream which drains a landmass)

Iban

Etymology

From Proto-Malayic *suŋay.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /suŋai̯/

Noun

sungai

1. river (large stream which drains a landmass)

Indonesian

Etymology

Inherited from Malay sungai, from Proto-Malayic *suŋay.

Pronunciation

• (Standard Indonesian) IPA^(key): /ˈsuŋai̯/ [ˈsu.ŋai̯]
• Rhymes: -uŋai̯
• Syllabification: su‧ngai

Noun

sungai (plural sungai-sungai)

1. river (a large and often winding stream which drains a land mass)
2. river (any large flow of a liquid in a single body)

Usage notes

• It is usually capitalised when preceding a proper noun (Sungai Kapuas, Sungai Musi, etc.)
• Some place names contain Sungai, but they do not refer to the name of an actual river. Examples include Sungai Penuh in Jambi, or Sungai Kunjang and Sungai Pinang in Samarinda, East Kalimantan.

Synonyms

• batang
• kali

Derived terms

• bersungai (“rivered”)

Further reading

• “sungai” 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

sungai

Alternative forms

• sungei
• sg. (abbreviation)

Etymology

From Proto-Malayic *suŋay.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /suŋai̯/

• Audio (Malaysia):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -uŋai̯

Noun

sungai (Jawi spelling سوڠاي or سوڠي, plural sungai-sungai)

1. river (large stream which drains a landmass)

   Synonyms: alir, alur

Descendants

• Indonesian: sungai
• → Chinese: 雙溪／双溪

Further reading

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