encik
English
Etymology
From Malay encik, from Hokkien 引叔 (ín-chek, “uncle”).
Pronunciation
- (Singapore) IPA(key): /ˈɪnt͡ʃek/, [ˈɪn˧.t͡ʃeʔ˦]
Noun
encik (plural enciks)
- (Singapore, informal, military) Informal term of address for a male warrant officer in the Singapore Armed Forces.
Related terms
- cik (female equivalent)
Indonesian
Pronunciation
- (Standard Indonesian)
- IPA(key): /ənˈt͡ʃik/ [əɲˈt͡ʃɪk̚] (term of address for respectable or unknown adult)
- Rhymes: -ik
- IPA(key): /ənˈt͡ʃiʔ/ [əɲˈt͡ʃɪʔ] (elder sister; term of address for female schoolteacher)
- Rhymes: -iʔ
- IPA(key): /ənˈt͡ʃik/ [əɲˈt͡ʃɪk̚] (term of address for respectable or unknown adult)
- Syllabification: en‧cik
Etymology 1
From Malay encik, from Hokkien 引叔 (ín-chek, “uncle”). Cognate of Tagalog Intsik, Cebuano Insik. See also Thai เจ๊ก (jék), Singaporean English Ah Chek.
Noun
êncik (plural encik-encik)
- term of address conferred on a respectable or unknown adult, usually when the name is unknown
Etymology 2
From Malay encik, from Hokkien 阿姊 (a-chí, “elder sister”).
Noun
êncik (plural encik-encik)
- (West Sumatra) term of address conferred on a female schoolteacher
- elder sister
- Synonym: kakak
Derived terms
- berencik
Further reading
- “encik” 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
Pronunciation
- (Johor-Selangor, Riau-Lingga) IPA(key): /ˈənt͡ʃək/ [ˈəɲ.t͡ʃəʔ]
- (Bahasa Baku) IPA(key): /ənˈt͡ʃik/ [əɲˈt͡ʃiʔ]
- Rhymes: -ənt͡ʃəʔ, -t͡ʃəʔ, -iʔ
Etymology 1
Possibly from Hokkien 引叔 (ín-chek, “uncle”).
Noun
encik (Jawi spelling انچيق, plural encik-encik)
- term of address conferred on an adult male of moderate or unknown position, usually when the name is unknown; mister
- term of address used before a man's name, who do not have any titles such as Datuk, Tengku, etc.; Mister
- term of address for a male ethnic Chinese person
Synonyms
Descendants
Etymology 2
Possibly from Hokkien.
Noun
encik (Jawi spelling انچيق, plural encik-encik)
- term of address for a mother
Descendants
- Indonesian: encik
Further reading
- “encik” in Pusat Rujukan Persuratan Melayu | Malay Literary Reference Centre, Kuala Lumpur: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, 2017.