BerI

Beri is a common verb in Indonesian and Malay that means to give. It appears as the base for related forms such as memberi (to give in general), memberikan (to provide or supply), and berikan (the formal imperative). In everyday speech, beri can be used with a recipient indicated by a noun or pronoun and often with a preposition such as kepada or untuk, depending on formality. Examples include saya memberi dia buku (I give him a book) and berilah saya buku itu (Please give me that book).

Beri also participates in a range of everyday phrases and collocations. Common expressions include beri tahu (to inform or tell), beri makan (to feed), beri hadiah (to give a gift), and memberi kesempatan (to give an opportunity). The verb serves as a linguistic core for many actions involving transfer or provision, and its form changes with tense and aspect primarily through surrounding words, affixes, or switches to more formal variants like memberikan or berikan.

Beriberi is a separate term that shares the root sound but denotes a health condition. Beriberi refers to a disease caused by thiamine (vitamin B1) deficiency, historically associated with polished rice diets. The name beriberi is believed to derive from South Asian or Southeast Asian languages meaning weakness, and it is not related to the Indonesian verb beri in usage. Beriberi can present in dry (neurological) and wet (cardiovascular) forms and is treated with thiamine supplementation and dietary adjustment.