tahu

See also: tahů, tahʉ, tāhū, and Tahu

Czech

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈtaɦu]

Noun

tahu

1. genitive/dative/vocative/locative singular of tah

Estonian

Noun

tahu

1. genitive singular of tahk

Hopi

Etymology

From Proto-Uto-Aztecan *tap.

Noun

tahu (plural tathu)

1. tendon
2. muscle
3. (slang) Navajo

Derived terms

• tahulena
• tahuqpu

Indonesian

Etymology 1

Inherited from Malay tahu, from Proto-Malayic *tahu(ʔ), from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *taqu, from Proto-Austronesian *Caqu.

Alternative forms

• tau (colloquial)

Pronunciation

• (Standard Indonesian)
  • IPA^(key): /ˈtahu/ [ˈt̪a.hu]
    • Rhymes: -ahu
    • Syllabification: ta‧hu
  • IPA^(key): /ˈtau̯/ [ˈt̪au̯]
    • Rhymes: -au̯
    • Syllabification: tahu
• Note: The /h/ is often silent (except in its derivations) to differentiate it with the word of the etymology 2.

Verb

tahu

1. to know (to be justifiably certain or sure about)

   Aku belum tahu ujiannya kapan.

   I don't know when the exam is yet.

2. to know (to have the knowledge of; to understand)

   Kakaknya tahu bahasa Jawa.

   His sister knows Javanese.

3. to know (to be acquainted or familiar with)

   Synonym: kenal

   Kamu tahu Andi dari siapa?

   You know Andi from whom?

Adverb

tahu

1. (colloquial, figurative, used in a negative phrase) once, yet

   Dia tidak tahu bolos.

   He never skips school.

   (literally, “He doesn't know (how to) skip school.”)

Usage notes

• This verb is defective, since it doesn't have active and passive forms, except in its transitive derivations ketahui and (less commonly) tahui.
• tahu is used with the meaning "to know, grasp, understand, be acquainted". While ketahui is used with the meaning "to know, find out about".

Derived terms

• berpengetahuan (“knowledgeable”)
• (rare) bertahu-tahu (“to pretend to know; to one's knowledge”)
• (rare) bertahuan (“to know each other”)
• (rare) ketahu (“to know”)
• ketahuan (“to get caught”)
• (transitive) ketahui (“to know, find out about”)
• pengetahuan (“knowledge”)
• sepengetahuan (“to one's knowledge”)
• setahu (“as far as one knows”)
• (usually of a secret) tahu-menahu (“to know”)
• tahu-tahu (“suddenly”)
• (transitive, rare) tahui (“to know”)

Compounds

• beri tahu (“to tell”)

• tahu adat (“to be polite”)
• (of appearance, behaviour, etc.) tahu diri (“to be self-aware”)

Etymology 2

From Malay tauhu, from Hokkien 豆腐 (tāu-hū, “tofu, bean curd”), from Middle Chinese 豆 (dùw, “bean”) + 腐 (bjú, “rotten, fermented”). Doublet of tofu.

Pronunciation

• (Standard Indonesian) IPA^(key): /ˈtahu/ [ˈt̪a.hu]
• Rhymes: -ahu
• Syllabification: ta‧hu

Noun

tahu (plural tahu)

1. tofu

   Ibu sedang membuat tahu bacem.

   Mother is making braised tofu.

Usage notes

While tahu is a general word for the food, tofu is used to described tofu that has very soft texture.

Descendants

• → Ternate: tahu

References

• Blust, Robert; Trussel, Stephen; et al. (2023) “*Caqu”, in the CLDF dataset from The Austronesian Comparative Dictionary (2010–), →DOI

Further reading

• “tahu” 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

Alternative forms

• tau (colloquial)

Etymology

From Proto-Malayic *tahu(ʔ), from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *taqu, from Proto-Austronesian *Caqu.

First attested in the Talang Tuo inscription, 684 AD, as Old Malay [script needed] (tāhu).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /tahu/

• Audio (Malaysia):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ahu

Verb

tahu (Jawi spelling تاهو)

1. to know (be certain or sure about something)
2. to know (have knowledge of)

   Aku tidak tahu.

   I do not know.

Derived terms

Affixed terms and other derivations

Regular affixed derivations:

• diketahui [passive + causative (locative) benefactive + patient focus] (ke- + -i + di-)
• ketahuan [resemblance / passive] (ke-an)

Irregular affixed derivations, other derivations and compound words:

• ketahuilah
• mengetahui (“to find out”)
• pengetahuan (“knowledge”)
• tahu-menahu

Descendants

• Indonesian: tahu

Further reading

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

Maori

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Noun

tahu

1. husband, lover
2. near relative

References

• “tahu” in John C. Moorfield, Te Aka: Maori–English, English–Maori Dictionary and Index, 3rd edition, Longman/Pearson Education New Zealand, 2011, →ISBN.

Mori Bawah

Verb

tahu

1. (stative) to be over there, somewhere remote and at a higher elevation then the speaker and hearer

References

• The Austronesian Languages of Asia and Madagascar (2013, →ISBN, page 695-6

Ternate

Etymology

From Indonesian tahu, from Hokkien 豆腐 (tāu-hū).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈta.hu]

Noun

tahu

1. tofu (a protein-rich food made from curdled soy milk)

References

• Rika Hayami-Allen (2001) A descriptive study of the language of Ternate, the northern Moluccas, Indonesia, University of Pittsburgh