Harfiah

Harfiah is a term used in Malay and Indonesian to denote literal meaning or a word-for-word reading. It derives from the Malay/Indonesian use of harf, meaning letter, with the suffix -iah to form an adjective or noun. In linguistic and translation contexts, harfiah describes interpretations that stick closely to the surface sense of a statement, avoiding irony, metaphor, or implied meaning. The opposite approaches are figurative, idiomatic, or contextual interpretations.

In translation, terjemahan harfiah (literal translation) aims to reproduce the wording and sentence structure of the source text, often at the expense of natural flow in the target language. In religious discourse, tafsir harfiah or pendekatan harfiah refers to interpreting sacred texts, such as the Qur’an, by their apparent, literal sense. Proponents argue that this preserves the text’s explicit statements, while critics note that language frequently relies on metaphor, idiom, or historical context, which a strict literal reading may overlook.

Outside theology, harfiah is used to distinguish the direct, denotative meaning of words from their broader connotations. It appears in discussions of semantics, language teaching, and cross-language translation, where awareness of literal versus figurative meaning helps prevent misinterpretation.

Overall, harfiah functions as a descriptive label for approaches that prioritize the explicit, surface meaning of language, contrasted with more interpretive, contextual, or metaphorical readings.