Gen Z Must Know! It turns out that a lot of vocabulary in Indonesian comes from Dutch

Who would have thought, the words we say every day are actually Dutch heritage

PEKALONGAN PORTAL – Generation Z may be more familiar with the terms viral, FYP, or AI. But did you know that many words used daily in Indonesian actually come from Dutch?

Dutch influence for more than three centuries in the archipelago (it is said that the Dutch Kingdom colonized the Indonesian nation or controlled the archipelago for 3500 years or 3.5 centuries) not only left traces on old buildings, legal systems and government administration, but also on the language we use today.

Interestingly, most Indonesians don’t even realize that these words are actually a loanword from Dutch.

Starting from office, police, towels, to electric shock, everything has its roots in the land of windmills.

Why have so many Dutch words entered Indonesian?

This cannot be separated from the long history of Dutch colonialism in Indonesia.

For hundreds of years, government, education, trade and legal affairs have used Dutch as the official language.

As a result, many Dutch terms were then absorbed and adapted to local people’s pronunciation until they became part of modern Indonesian.

20 Indonesian words that come from Dutch

Here are some examples that you may often use without realizing it:

Some words have even had their spelling and pronunciation changed so they sound very Indonesian.

The word “office” turns out to be not native Indonesian

Many people think the word “office” is native Indonesian vocabulary.

Even though the word comes from Dutch:

Office

Likewise with the words:

• Police (Politie)
• Towel (Handdoek)
• Stove (Komfoor)

Because they have been used from generation to generation for tens or even hundreds of years, these words finally feel like a natural part of the Indonesian language

The automotive world is also full of Dutch loanwords

For automotive lovers, there are many terms that apparently come from Dutch.

For example:

• Exhaust
• Brake
• Jack
• Stun
• Driver

• STANPLAT or STANPLAT.

STANPLAT or STAANPLAAT (Dutch). It seems that this term is rare in Indonesia. But this term exists in Demak (Central Java) and Balikpapan (East Kalimantan) which means public transportation terminal (angkot).

And the term Stanplat in Balikpapan seems to only be for the public transportation terminal in Klandasan, precisely in front of Toko Susana (across from Klandasan Market).

These words entered Indonesia when motorized vehicles began to develop during the colonial period.

Even in the current era of electric cars and hybrid vehicles, this term is still used without significant changes.

Indonesian is rich because it absorbs many cultures

Apart from Dutch, Indonesian also absorbs vocabulary from various other languages ​​such as:

• Arab
• Sanskrit
• Portuguese
• English
• China
• Japan

This is what makes Indonesian very rich and flexible.

Language continues to develop following changes in time, technology and societal culture.

Generation Z Needs to Know the History of Language

Understanding the origins of words is not just a matter of linguistics, but also helps understand the history of the nation.

Every word has a story.

Some were born from trade, education, religion, up to the colonial period.

By knowing the origins of the vocabulary used daily, Generation Z can see that Indonesian is the result of a long journey of civilization that continues to develop.

Conclusion

The Indonesian language used today apparently contains many historical traces, including the strong influence of Dutch.

Words such as office, police, towel, stove, and jack that sound very Indonesian turn out to be the result of absorption that has been used for several generations.

So, next time you say the words “office” or “towel,” remember that there is a piece of long history living in them. For Gen Z, this fact is proof that language is not just a means of communication, but also a reflection of a nation’s journey.***