tiga (Indonesian)
Where does "tiga" come from?
The Indonesian word "tiga" traces its roots back to the Sanskrit "trika," meaning “triad.” Through Prakrit and various stages of Old and Classical Malay, it eventually replaced the older native terms for the number three to become the standard word used today.
Full etymology tree
- tiga (Indonesian), 'three'
- inherited tiga (Malay), 'three'
- inherited *tiga (Proto-Malayic)
- inherited 𑀢𑀺𑀕 (tiga) (Prakrit)
- derived त्रिक (trika) (Sanskrit)
- inherited 𑀢𑀺𑀕 (tiga) (Prakrit)
- inherited *tiga (Proto-Malayic)
- inherited tiga (Malay), 'three'
Ancestors
- tiga (Malay)
Descendants and derived words
- pertigaan (Indonesian)
Updated July 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris