pelat merah

Indonesian

pelat merah (2)

Etymology

Compound of pelat (“plate”) +‎ merah (“red”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [pəˈlat̚ ˈmɛrah]

Noun

pelat merah (first-person possessive pelat merahku, second-person possessive pelat merahmu, third-person possessive pelat merahnya)

1. (literal) red plate
2. license plate with red background for government motor vehicle in Indonesia

   Pelat merah adalah nomor pelat kendaraan yang berdasar merah sebagai tanda kendaraan pemerintah. ― Red plate is license plate with red background for government motor vehicle.

Adjective

pelat merah

1. (figurative) governmental

   Motor plat merah dipakai untuk kerja sampingan. ― Government motorcycle used for sidekick.

   Bank pelat merah kuasai pangsa pasar kredit perbankan. ― State-owned banks control banking credit marketshare.

Further reading

• “pelat merah” in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia, Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation — Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic Indonesia, 2016.