kosong

English

Etymology

From Malay kosong (“zero, empty”).

Pronunciation

• (Singapore, Malaysia) IPA^(key): [ˈk˭osɔŋ], [-oŋ], [ˈk˭o˧.sɔŋ˦]

Adjective

kosong (not comparable)

1. (Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, postpositive, of food or drink) Not having additional ingredients, such as milk or sugar; plain.

   Kopi O Kosong ― Black coffee, with no sugar added

   Prata Kosong ― Roti prata, plain.

Related terms

• C
• di lo
• gah dai
• gau
• O
• peng
• po
• siew dai

Indonesian

Etymology

Inherited from Malay kosong.

Pronunciation

• (Standard Indonesian) IPA^(key): /ˈkosoŋ/ [ˈko.sɔŋ]
• Rhymes: -osoŋ
• Syllabification: ko‧song

Adjective

kosong

1. empty (literally or figuratively)

   Synonym: hampa

   Antonym: berisi

2. vacant (containing nothing)

   Synonym: hampa

3. (of residential) vacant (not occupied)

   Antonym: berpenghuni

4. empty, meaningless

   Antonym: berarti

5. unavailable
6. (uncommon) hollow (having an empty space or cavity inside)

   Synonyms: berongga, kopong

7. unimportant

   Antonym: penting

Numeral

kosong

1. (colloquial) zero

   Synonym: nol

Derived terms

• kekosongan (“emptiness”)
• kosongkan (“to make empty”)
• pengosongan (“the act of emptying”)
• sekosong-kosongnya (“as empty as possible”)

• kosong melompong (“very empty”)

Further reading

• “kosong” 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

Malay numbers ^(edit)

		0	1  → [a], [b], [c], [d], [e]	10  → [a], [b], [c], [d]
Cardinal: (informal) kosong, (formal) sifar, nol, nihil

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ko.soŋ]
• Rhymes: -osoŋ, -oŋ
• Hyphenation: ko‧song

Adjective

kosong (Jawi spelling کوسوڠ)

1. Not containing anything; empty.

   Synonyms: hampa, lompong

2. Vacant:
   1. Not filled.

      jawatan kosong ― vacant position

   2. Not occupied.

      rumah kosong ― vacant house

3. Having an empty space or cavity inside; hollow.

   Synonym: berongga

4. Having no importance; unimportant.

   Antonym: penting

   cakap kosong ― unimportant talk

5. (figurative) Having no flavour; bland.

   Synonym: tawar

   Minuman ini rasa kosong.

   This drink tastes bland.

Affixations

• kekosongan
• kosongkan (“to empty”)
• pengosongan (“act of emptying”)

Compounds

• air kosong (“plain water”)
• cakap kosong, omong kosong
• jawatan kosong, kerja kosong
• kertas kosong (“blank paper”)
• kosong melompong
• teh kosong (“sugarless tea”)

Numeral

kosong (Jawi spelling کوسوڠ)

1. (informal) The number zero or 0.

   Synonyms: sifar (formal), nol (Indonesian), nihil

Descendants

• Indonesian: kosong
• → English: kosong
• → Tausug: kusung

Further reading

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