bunga api

Indonesian

Etymology

Compound of bunga (“flower”) ‎ api (“fire”), probably from

• calque from Chinese 火花 (huǒhuā, “spark”, literally “fire flower”) or
• calque from Japanese 火花(ひばな) (hibana, “spark”, literally “fire flower”).

Noun

bunga api

1. spark.

   Synonyms: kilatan api, lelatu

Usage notes

The word is part of false friends between Standard Malay and Indonesian due to shared etymology. The Brunei, Malaysia and Singapore usage can be seen in Malay bunga api.

Related terms

• kembang api

 

Further reading

• “bunga api” 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-Riau) IPA^(key): [bu.ŋə ʔa.pi]
• (Baku) IPA^(key): [bu.ŋa ʔa.pi]

Etymology 1

Compound of bunga (“flower”) ‎ api (“fire”), probably from

• calque from Chinese 火花 (huǒhuā, “spark”, literally “fire flower”), or
• calque from Japanese 火花(ひばな) (hibana, “spark”, literally “fire flower”).

Noun

bunga api (Jawi spelling بوڠا اڤي, plural bunga-bunga api, informal 1st possessive bunga apiku, 2nd possessive bunga apimu, 3rd possessive bunga apinya)

1. A spark.

Etymology 2

Compound of bunga (“flower”) ‎ api (“fire”), literally “fire flower”, from

• calque from Chinese 花火 (“fireworks”, literally “flower fire”), or
• calque from Japanese 花火(はなび) (hanabi, “fireworks”, literally “flower fire”).

Noun

bunga api (Jawi spelling بوڠا اڤي, plural bunga-bunga api, informal 1st possessive bunga apiku, 2nd possessive bunga apimu, 3rd possessive bunga apinya)

1. A firework.

   Synonym: kembang api (rare)

Usage notes

The word is part of false friends between Standard Malay and Indonesian due to shared etymology. The Indonesian usage can be seen in Indonesian bunga api.

Further reading

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