Jakarta (ANTARA) – Recently, social media was abuzz with the news of the inclusion of the new vocabulary “galgah” in the Big Indonesian Dictionary (KBBI).
This word came into limelight after it immediately went viral on the TikTok platform via the singer’s upload influencers Reyza flower.
Based on the official website of the KBBI VI edition, the word “galgah” is defined as the opposite or antonym of “haus”, which means “(has) given relief or refreshed the throat because he has been drinking or is not thirsty”.
Although it has been officially included in the KBBI since October 2025, the word “galgah” is classified as onomatopoeia or sound imitation. This means that this word has no etymological roots because it derives from the creativity of the creator himself.
Also Read: What does the saying “Marhaban Ya Ramadhan” mean? This is the explanation
The new word “galgah” is informal or non-standard. The standard form of the opposite word “haus” actually existed before, i.e. “palum”.
In the KBBI, “palum” means “you have drunk enough” or “you have lost your thirst.” This word comes from the Batak language and is the result of a vocabulary inventory of regional languages carried out in 2024.
This program is part of the Language Agency’s efforts to enrich Indonesian vocabulary by taking inspiration from the country’s various regional languages.
Therefore, “palum” remains the officially recognized standard form in the KBBI, while “galgah” is used popularly or informally.
The beginning of the word “galgah”
Bunga Reyza first introduced the word “galgah” through a video uploaded to his personal TikTok account @bungareyzaa, on May 11, 2025. In the video, he stated that there was no word that was the opposite of the word “thirsty”.
“You want to drink it? No, why? That’s why we just do it,” Bunga said in the video.
Then he explained the meaning of the word he had created. “Do you want to drink it? Not yet, it’s already finished. Galgah is as if the throat is already cool,” he continued.
Read also: Linguistics expert: Vocabulary changes are common
Unexpectedly, the word initially born from a spontaneous idea was finally recognized and included in the KBBI by the Agency for Language Development and Development.
Even the inclusion of the word “galgah” shows that there is a contradictionmother towards the creativity of young generations in enriching Indonesian words.
This phenomenon also indicates that language development continues in line with the social and cultural dynamics of society.
How to propose new vocabulary to KBBI
For people who wish to submit new words for inclusion in the KBBI, the Language Agency provides an official online method. Here are the steps:
- Open the official KBBI website online via the kbbi.kemdikbud.go.id page.
- If you don’t have an account, create a user account first.
- Once you have verified your account via email, log in and select the “Suggest new vocabulary” feature.
- Fill out a form that includes the proposed word, meaning, word class (verb, noun, etc.), as well as evidence of use such as documents or media references.
- Submit a proposal and wait for the editing process by the editor and editor of the Language Agency.
- The status of the proposal can be tracked via the user account. If approved, the word will be included in the next KBBI update.
Read also: Ministry of Basic Education: KBBI management system already uses artificial intelligence
Read also: Know the word “palum” and 19 new official terms in the KBBI
Read also: What does impeachment mean? This is the meaning and application in Indonesia
Reporter: Putri Atika Chairulia
Publisher: Maria Rosari Dwi Putri
Copyright © ANTARA 2025
Automatic retrieval of content, crawling or indexing by artificial intelligence on this website is strictly prohibited without written permission from ANTARA news agency.
About The Author
