dunia (Indonesian)
Where does "dunia" come from?
The Indonesian word 'dunia,' meaning 'world,' traces its roots back to the Arabic term 'dunyā.' It entered the Indonesian language through Malay, maintaining its core sense of human existence and the physical world throughout its journey.
Full etymology tree
- dunia (Indonesian), 'world'
- inherited dunia (Malay), 'world (human existence)'
- borrowed دُنْيَا (dunyā) (Arabic), 'this mortal life; life in this world'
- derived أَدْنَى (ʔadnā) (Arabic)
- derived دَنِيّ (daniyy) (Arabic), 'near, neighboring'
- derived أَدْنَى (ʔadnā) (Arabic)
- borrowed دُنْيَا (dunyā) (Arabic), 'this mortal life; life in this world'
- inherited dunia (Malay), 'world (human existence)'
Ancestors
- dunia (Malay)
Cognates and doublets
- donya (Indonesian)
Updated July 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris