kakitangan

See also: kaki tangan

Malay

Etymology

From kaki (“foot”) +‎ tangan (“hand”), i.e. “hands and feet” - in contrast to kepala, meaning "head" (both in anatomical and social sense) but also "leader".

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ka.ki.ta.ŋan/
• Rhymes: -taŋan, -aŋan, -ŋan, -an

Noun

kakitangan (plural kakitangan-kakitangan, informal 1st possessive kakitanganku, 2nd possessive kakitanganmu, 3rd possessive kakitangannya)

1. staff, personnel

Usage notes

The word is part of false friends between Standard Malay and Indonesian due to shared etymology. The Indonesian usage can be seen in Indonesian kaki tangan.

Further reading

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