Kategorikategori

Kategorikategori is a coined term used in discussions of categorization and taxonomy to refer to a recursive or meta-level system in which categories themselves are subject to categorization. The word blends the Indonesian term kategori with reduplication to signal nesting or self-reference, and it appears mainly in academic writing, data architecture discussions, and online discourse about tagging systems as a convenient label rather than a formal standard.

Conceptually, kategorikategori describes structures where a top-level set of categories contains subcategories that are themselves categorized, creating multiple layers of classification. This can occur in metadata schemas, ontologies, and folksonomies that seek to map user-generated tags onto a coherent scheme. In practice, it helps describe situations where categories operate at more than one level, enabling meta-categorization or nested navigation cues.

Examples can be found in digital libraries that organize genres and subgenres, e-commerce taxonomies that classify products into categories and subcategories of categories, and content platforms that structure channels, topics, and subtopics. Recognizing recursive categorization can aid in navigation, search refinement, and the design of persistent navigation aids within complex catalogs.

Limitations include increased complexity and potential inconsistency between category layers, as well as higher cognitive load for users when multiple nested levels are present. Critics also caution that deeply nested schemes can hinder clarity and retrieval if not carefully managed. Related concepts include taxonomy, ontology, metadata, and folksonomy.