tidak

Indonesian

Alternative forms

• tak
• dak (chiefly dialectal)

Etymology

From Malay tidak, from earlier tida, tiada with a vocative glottal stop, from Proto-Malayic *ti (“basic negator”) + *ada (“to exist”).

Pronunciation

• (Standard Indonesian) IPA^(key): /ˈtidaʔ/ [ˈt̪i.daʔ]

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -idaʔ
• Syllabification: ti‧dak

Adverb

tidak

1. a negative marker used for negating the meanings of verbs, adverbs, and adjectives: not

   Kami tidak tahu.

   We do not know.

   Buku itu tidak mahal.

   That book is not expensive.

Particle

tidak

1. no; used to show disagreement, negation, denial, refusal, or prohibition

Usage notes

For negating nouns, the word bukan is used instead.

Synonyms

• gak (colloquial, chiefly Jakarta)
• tiada (emphatic)

Derived terms

• setidaknya (“at least”)
• tak ada (“there is/are no; nothing”)
• tiada (“there is/are no; nothing; not”)
• tidak ada (“there is/are no; nothing”)

Further reading

• “tidak” 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

Alternative forms

• tak, dak, tdk

Etymology

From earlier tida, tiada with a vocative glottal stop, from Proto-Malayic *ti (“basic negator”) + *ada (“to exist”). Compare Malagasy tsy (“no”), tsiary (“no, not once”) and Musi tî', katî' (“to not have, there be no, nothing”). First attested in the Telaga Batu inscription, 683 AD, as Old Malay [script needed] (tīda).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /tidak/, [tidaʔ]
• Rhymes: -idak

Adverb

tidak (Jawi spelling تيدق)

1. not (negates meaning of verb)

   Saya tidak mahu makan.

   I don't want to eat.

2. not (To no degree)

   Buku itu tidak mahal.

   That book is not expensive.

Usage notes

Tidak is used to negate verbs and adjectives. For negating nouns the word bukan must be used.

Synonyms

• tadak, ndak (Pontianak), endah (Sarawak), ndak (Sabah)

Derived terms

• tidak ada
• tidak pernah

See also

• bukan

Further reading

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