tuhan (Indonesian)
Where does "tuhan" come from?
The Indonesian word 'tuhan' originates from the Proto-Malayo-Polynesian term *qatuan, a root shared with words for deity across many Pacific languages like Hawaiian and Maori. As it evolved through Proto-Malayic into Malay and finally Indonesian, it became a doublet of 'tuan', meaning master or lord. This shared ancestry reflects how the concept of a divine lord emerged from older linguistic roots denoting authority and reverence.
Full etymology tree
- tuhan (Indonesian), 'god (deity)'
- inherited tuhan (Malay), 'god (deity)'
- inherited *tuhan (Proto-Malayic), 'god'
- inherited *qatuan (Proto-Malayo-Polynesian)
- inherited *tuhan (Proto-Malayic), 'god'
- inherited tuhan (Malay), 'god (deity)'
Ancestors
- tuhan (Malay)
- *tuhan (Proto-Malayic)
Cognates and doublets
- tuan (Indonesian)
Descendants and derived words
- bertuhan (Indonesian)
- ketuhanan (Indonesian)
Updated June 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris