Indonesian Lesson: Less is not enough. What does less mean in Indonesian? How do you express it? Let’s find out.
Kurang literary means less. Kurang also means not enough when we attach to adjectives for examples:
- Kurang panas (not hot enough)
- Kurang pedas (not spicy enough)
- Kurang murah (not cheap enough)
To apply kurang in a sentence, it becomes Kopi ini kurang panas (This Coffee is not hot enough).
Some people think that kurang mahal means ‘less expensive’, but in fact it means ‘not expensive enough’. Be careful using this phrase for bargaining in Indonesia, as you might inadvertently be asking for a higher price.
We also use kurang to express our body condition. How do you say I’m not feeling well in Indonesian? A common way of saying that you do not feel well is kurang enak badan, which literally means that your body does not feel too good. (and not ‘does not feel delicious’, even though enak is also used for describing a good taste of food!).
Enough for being polite, “God damn it!”. “Kurang ajar!” most of Indonesians often say it loudly and emotional to show disrespectful to the people who we think they have lack of learning in their lives. People who do not understand about the ethics. Wise man say “Kurang tunjuk kurang ajar” (Pointless is insolent).
See another lesson material here.
This material is supported by guruexpat.com