wajah

Indonesian

Etymology

Inherited from Malay wajah (“face”), from Classical Malay wajah, from Arabic وَجْه (wajh, “face”).

Pronunciation

• (Standard Indonesian) IPA^(key): /ˈwad͡ʒah/ [ˈwa.d͡ʒah]

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ad͡ʒah
• Syllabification: wa‧jah

Noun

wajah (plural wajah-wajah)

1. face
   1. the front part of the head, featuring the eyes, nose, and mouth and the surrounding area.

      Synonym: muka

   2. (figurative) the frontal aspect of something.

      Synonym: muka

   3. (figurative) image, appearance

      Synonyms: gambaran, corak

2. character, personality

   Synonym: tokoh

Derived terms

• berwajah
• perwajahan

• wajah bentuk hati
• wajah buku
• wajah bulat
• wajah oval
• wajah panjang
• wajah persegi

Further reading

• “wajah” 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 Arabic وَجْه (wajh, “face”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /wad͡ʒah/
• Rhymes: -d͡ʒah

• Audio (Malaysia):

  (file)

Noun

wajah (Jawi spelling واجه, plural wajah-wajah, informal 1st possessive wajahku, 2nd possessive wajahmu, 3rd possessive wajahnya)

1. face

   Synonym: muka

2. facade, surface

Derived terms

Affixed terms and other derivations

Regular affixed derivations:

• kewajahan [abstract / locative] (ke-an)
• sewajah [comparability] (se-)
• perwajah [causative passive] (peR-)
• wajahkan [causative benefactive] (-kan)
• mewajahi [agent focus + causative (locative) benefactive] (meN- + -i)
• berwajah [stative / habitual] (beR-)
• berwajahkan [stative / habitual + causative benefactive] (beR- + -kan)

Further reading

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