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| Jangan bikin awak palak (Don't annoy me) |
Have you heard about Medan? Maybe yes, maybe no. It is not so famous as Bali or Jakarta, however, this city and the culinary is worth to explore.
This capital city of North Sumatera province is the third largest city and fourth most populous city in Indonesia. Apart from that, it is also the largest city in Sumatera Island and outside of Java Island, where the capital city is located. Located just less than one hour by flight from Penang (Malaysia) and about one and a half hour from Singapore, has made Medan a favorite tourism and business destination by both countries.
The ethnic diversity in Medan has contributed numerous tasty dishes – from sweet Javanese cuisine, hot Padang dishes, delicious Batak grilled pork, spicy Indian curry, to savory Chinese noodles. Medan is also called the melting pot of Indonesia.
Apart from the exotic dishes, local slang has caught much of attention too. It does not matter how good your Indonesian language is, you may still be confused if you do not recognize the local slang. Several of Medanese slang are listed, but not limited to, the following:
#
|
Medanese
|
Indonesian
|
English
|
1
|
Amburadul
|
Berantakan
|
Untidy
|
2
|
Aqua
|
Air mineral
|
Mineral water
|
3
|
Belanggar
|
Tabrakan
|
Crash; collision
|
4
|
Berabe
|
Kacau
|
Disorderly
|
5
|
Berantem
|
Berkelahi
|
To fight
|
6
|
Bini
|
Istri
|
Wife
|
7
|
BK
|
Plat nomor
|
Vehicle registration plate
|
8
|
Congok
|
Rakus
|
Greedy
|
9
|
Kelen
|
Kalian
|
You (plural)
|
10
|
Kereta; Honda
|
Sepeda motor
|
Motorcycle
|
11
|
Lagak; Kreak
|
Sombong
|
Cocky
|
12
|
Lasak
|
Tidak bisa diam (gerakan)
|
Restless
|
13
|
Libas; Gibal; Hantam; Kipas
|
Pukul
|
To beat (fight)
|
14
|
Macam; Kayak
|
Seperti
|
As; like
|
15
|
Mengkek
|
Manja
|
Spoiled (person)
|
16
|
Mentel
|
Genit
|
Flirty
|
17
|
Motor
|
Mobil
|
Car
|
18
|
Pajak
|
Pasar
|
(Traditional) Market
|
19
|
Palak
|
Kesal
|
Annoyed
|
20
|
Paret
|
Selokan
|
Ditch
|
21
|
Pauk; Bengak
|
Bodoh
|
Stupid
|
22
|
Pulak
|
Rupanya
|
Apparently
|
23
|
Raun-raun
|
Jalan-jalan
|
To stroll
|
24
|
Senget
|
Gila
|
Crazy
|
25
|
Siap + kata kerja
|
Selesai + kata kerja
|
Has/ Have + verb (Perfect Tense)
|
26
|
Silap
|
Salah
|
Mistaken
|
27
|
Sor
|
Sangat tertarik
|
Very interested in
|
28
|
Tekongan
|
Tikungan
|
Junction
|
29
|
Tengok
|
Lihat
|
To see
|
30
|
Titun
|
Tidur
|
To sleep
|
Have you heard or been to Medan? What do you think? Do you know Medanese slang that is not on the list? Thanks for reading. Feel free to share this article if you like. If you have any opinions, please leave a comment. I love reading them.
Photo credit
Tauko Medan
Photo credit
Tauko Medan