Kembang

Kembang is a word in Indonesian and Malay that primarily means flower or bloom. As a noun, it refers to a blossom, while as a verb stem it appears in forms such as berkembang ('to blossom, to develop'). The term is common across Malay-speaking communities in Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, and Singapore, and it appears in everyday speech, literature, and place names.

In everyday language, kembang is used in compound expressions and to name flowers or flowering phenomena. A well-known term is kembang api, meaning fireworks, literally 'flower of fire,' reflecting a visual metaphor of blooming lights. The word also occurs in poetic and ceremonial language to evoke beauty, growth, and natural imagery.

Linguistically, kembang is native to Malay and Indonesian and has cognates in related languages such as Javanese. In modern Indonesian, the verb berkembang means to grow or flourish, showing the word's semantic reach beyond a simple noun.

Cultural usage: Flowers hold symbolic significance in Southeast Asian culture, and kembang appears in poetry, songs, weddings, and horticultural terminology. The term thus functions as both a concrete noun for blossoms and a figurative marker of vitality and renewal.