‘Kamar’, ‘Ruang’ or ‘Ruangan’
There are three words in Indonesian that mean room. They are ‘kamar’, ‘ruang’ and ‘ruangan’. The three words are used in quite a distinguished manner and it’s important to know the difference.
‘Kamar’ means room and it’s usually used to refer to rooms in which we conduct private/personal matters such as sleeping, cleaning, showering etc.
Example 1: Kamar tidur Bedroom (‘tidur’ means to sleep)
Example 2: Kamar mandi Shower room (‘mandi’ means to take a bath)
Example 3: Kamar tamu Guest room (‘tamu’ means guest)
‘Ruang’ means space and it does not translate to room straight away. Only when it’s combined with a relevant verb that it can be used to refer to a particular space/room that is usually used to perform such activity. It’s important to note that activities performed in rooms called ‘ruang’ are usually less personal/private.
Ruang as room
Example 4: Ruang makan Dining room (‘makan’ means to eat)
Example 5: Ruang rapat Meeting room (‘rapat’ means meeting)
Example 6: Ruang pasien Patient room (‘pasien’ means patient)
Ruang as space
Example 7: Ruang dan waktu Space and time (equivalent to time and space in English)
Example 8: Tidak ada ruang untuk saya bergerak. There’s no room for me to move
The word ‘ruang’ can be combined with suffix ‘-an’ to form a new noun called ‘Ruangan’ that also means room. This word is often used refer to nameless, non-specific rooms or rooms that belong to a particular person. It’s important to note that similar to its root word, activities performed in rooms called ‘ruangan’ are usually less personal/private.
Example 9: Ruangan Pak Budi Mr Budi’s Room/Office
Example 10: Ada beberapa tipe ruangan di rumah sakit. There are several types of room in (a) hospital
Example 11: Ruangan itu That room
Cultural Note
Lastly, it is important to note that because the word ‘kamar’ tends to refer to rooms in which personal/private activities are performed, such term will not be used in an office context. If it’s used to refer to a room in an office, it probably has a negative connotation (such as the room being used for indecent activities).
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