“INDONESIA” means “Indian Island” while “MALAYSIA” means “Land of the Malays”
Malaysia and Indonesia are two modern countries in Southeast Asia with similar-sounding names, but totally different meaning behind it.
What’s the meaning of these names? Check it out.
Meaning of Malaysia
The name Malaysia is a combination of two words; (English exonym for Melayu) + (a Latin-Greek suffix added to create a noun denoting a country or land). The name thus carries the meaning " ".⁽¹⁾
While the etymology of Malaysia is clear, the origin of the word 'Malays' or specifically its endonym '' remains unknown, and subject to many theories.
One notable theory points its origin to the Malay word "", a combination of verbal prefix "-" and the root word "" meaning " ",⁽²⁾ thought to be a term to describe the lifestyle of ancient Malayic peoples, who were known as coastal dwellers and seafarers.⁽³⁾
On the other hand, several theorists attempted to attribute the name to Tamil word - ('hill town'),⁽⁴⁾ or Sanskrit word ('abode of snow'),⁽⁵⁾ and other similar-sounding terms. However no credible references that can support these claims.⁽⁶⁾
Nevertheless, terms identical to '' or Malay have been used as toponyms since ancient times, to refer to various places within the Malacca Straits region in general.⁽⁷⁾ One of the oldest recorded, being the word "-" mentioned in Ptolemy’s from the 2nd century, referring to a place in the (modern ).⁽⁸⁾
The term '' was first established as an ethnonym beginning from the 15th century, to refer to the people of ,⁽⁹⁾ an important Malay sultanate based in the Malay peninsula. Several succeeding Malay sultanates, that were directly influenced by the former Melaka, would evolved into the constituent states of modern Malaysia.
Meaning of Indonesia
The name Indonesia derives from the Greek words Indos (Ἰνδός) and nesos (νῆσος), meaning "Indian islands". The reason being that Indonesia was originally called the Indian Archipelago or East Indies Islands. Because both are quite long, English ethnologist George Windsor Earl, proposed the terms Indunesians for the inhabitants of the Indian Archipelago.
In a published paper one of his students, James Richardson Logan, used Indonesia as a synonym for Indian Archipelago. The name dates back to the 19th century, far predating the formation of independent Indonesia.
While Malaysia’s name is based on the largest ethnicity of a country, and the official language (Malay) also based on the the country’s main demographic, Indonesia’s largest ethnic group - Javanese, is an ethnicity heavily influenced with Hindu-Buddhist cultures. Many elements from the ancient Hindu kingdoms subsequently influenced Javanese culture and also shaping Indonesia today.
The ties between Indonesia and India date back to the times of the Ramayana, "Yawadvipa" (Java) is mentioned in India's earliest epic, the Ramayana. Sugriva, the chief of Rama's army dispatched his men to Yawadvipa, the island of Java, in search of Sita.
The island of Bali in Indonesia is the island with the largest Hindu population in the world. So, it’s not a suprise to see why Indonesia is called Indonesia meaning “Indian islands”.
Additional fact : Indonesia’s national language “Bahasa Indonesia” is among the youngest language in the world. It was rebranded from Malay language (Bahasa Melayu), a language developed from the court of Malacca & Johor.
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ℎ - ℎ
⁽¹⁾ Room (2004), p.221
⁽²⁾ Faridah Abdul Rashid (2012), p. 927
⁽³⁾ Collins (1989), p. 248
⁽⁴⁾ Tiwary (2009), p. 37
⁽⁵⁾ Abdul Rashid Melebek; Amat Juhari Moain (2006), pp. 9-10
⁽⁶⁾ Barnard (2004), p. 272
⁽⁷⁾ Barnard (2004), p. 3
⁽⁸⁾ Barnard (2004), p. 3
⁽⁹⁾ Barnard (2004), p. 4
Faridah Abdul Rashid (2012). ℎ ℎ 1900-1957: . United States: Xlibris Corporation. ISBN: 9781477159941
Room, Adrian (2004). ℎ : ℎ 5000 , , , , . McFarland & Company. ISBN 978-0-7864-1814-5.
Abdul Rashid Melebek; Amat Juhari Moain (2006), ℎ ℎ (" ℎ "), Utusan Publications & Distributors, ISBN 978-967-61-1809-7
Collins, James Thomas (1989). ℎ : ℎ (PDF). Bijdragen tot de Taal-, Land- en Volkenkunde. 145 (2): 235–264. doi:10.1163/22134379-90003253.
Tiwary, Shanker Shiv (2009). ℎ ( 3 .). Anmol Publications Pvt. Ltd. ISBN 978-81-261-3837-1.
Barnard, Timothy P. (2004), : , Singapore: Singapore University press, ISBN 978-9971-69-279-7
Malaysia and Indonesia are two modern countries in Southeast Asia with similar-sounding names, but totally different meaning behind it.
What’s the meaning of these names? Check it out.
Meaning of Malaysia
The name Malaysia is a combination of two words; (English exonym for Melayu) + (a Latin-Greek suffix added to create a noun denoting a country or land). The name thus carries the meaning " ".⁽¹⁾
While the etymology of Malaysia is clear, the origin of the word 'Malays' or specifically its endonym '' remains unknown, and subject to many theories.
One notable theory points its origin to the Malay word "", a combination of verbal prefix "-" and the root word "" meaning " ",⁽²⁾ thought to be a term to describe the lifestyle of ancient Malayic peoples, who were known as coastal dwellers and seafarers.⁽³⁾
On the other hand, several theorists attempted to attribute the name to Tamil word - ('hill town'),⁽⁴⁾ or Sanskrit word ('abode of snow'),⁽⁵⁾ and other similar-sounding terms. However no credible references that can support these claims.⁽⁶⁾
Nevertheless, terms identical to '' or Malay have been used as toponyms since ancient times, to refer to various places within the Malacca Straits region in general.⁽⁷⁾ One of the oldest recorded, being the word "-" mentioned in Ptolemy’s from the 2nd century, referring to a place in the (modern ).⁽⁸⁾
The term '' was first established as an ethnonym beginning from the 15th century, to refer to the people of ,⁽⁹⁾ an important Malay sultanate based in the Malay peninsula. Several succeeding Malay sultanates, that were directly influenced by the former Melaka, would evolved into the constituent states of modern Malaysia.
Meaning of Indonesia
The name Indonesia derives from the Greek words Indos (Ἰνδός) and nesos (νῆσος), meaning "Indian islands". The reason being that Indonesia was originally called the Indian Archipelago or East Indies Islands. Because both are quite long, English ethnologist George Windsor Earl, proposed the terms Indunesians for the inhabitants of the Indian Archipelago.
In a published paper one of his students, James Richardson Logan, used Indonesia as a synonym for Indian Archipelago. The name dates back to the 19th century, far predating the formation of independent Indonesia.
While Malaysia’s name is based on the largest ethnicity of a country, and the official language (Malay) also based on the the country’s main demographic, Indonesia’s largest ethnic group - Javanese, is an ethnicity heavily influenced with Hindu-Buddhist cultures. Many elements from the ancient Hindu kingdoms subsequently influenced Javanese culture and also shaping Indonesia today.
The ties between Indonesia and India date back to the times of the Ramayana, "Yawadvipa" (Java) is mentioned in India's earliest epic, the Ramayana. Sugriva, the chief of Rama's army dispatched his men to Yawadvipa, the island of Java, in search of Sita.
The island of Bali in Indonesia is the island with the largest Hindu population in the world. So, it’s not a suprise to see why Indonesia is called Indonesia meaning “Indian islands”.
Additional fact : Indonesia’s national language “Bahasa Indonesia” is among the youngest language in the world. It was rebranded from Malay language (Bahasa Melayu), a language developed from the court of Malacca & Johor.
-
-
-
ℎ - ℎ
⁽¹⁾ Room (2004), p.221
⁽²⁾ Faridah Abdul Rashid (2012), p. 927
⁽³⁾ Collins (1989), p. 248
⁽⁴⁾ Tiwary (2009), p. 37
⁽⁵⁾ Abdul Rashid Melebek; Amat Juhari Moain (2006), pp. 9-10
⁽⁶⁾ Barnard (2004), p. 272
⁽⁷⁾ Barnard (2004), p. 3
⁽⁸⁾ Barnard (2004), p. 3
⁽⁹⁾ Barnard (2004), p. 4
Faridah Abdul Rashid (2012). ℎ ℎ 1900-1957: . United States: Xlibris Corporation. ISBN: 9781477159941
Room, Adrian (2004). ℎ : ℎ 5000 , , , , . McFarland & Company. ISBN 978-0-7864-1814-5.
Abdul Rashid Melebek; Amat Juhari Moain (2006), ℎ ℎ (" ℎ "), Utusan Publications & Distributors, ISBN 978-967-61-1809-7
Collins, James Thomas (1989). ℎ : ℎ (PDF). Bijdragen tot de Taal-, Land- en Volkenkunde. 145 (2): 235–264. doi:10.1163/22134379-90003253.
Tiwary, Shanker Shiv (2009). ℎ ( 3 .). Anmol Publications Pvt. Ltd. ISBN 978-81-261-3837-1.
Barnard, Timothy P. (2004), : , Singapore: Singapore University press, ISBN 978-9971-69-279-7
