Mendung

Mendung is an Indonesian word meaning overcast or cloudy weather. It describes a sky dominated by gray clouds and muted light, and it is commonly used in everyday speech as well as in meteorological contexts to indicate that rain may be imminent. The term is also used in Malay and Indonesian to convey a similar sense of cloudiness.

In meteorology, mendung denotes substantial cloud cover that shades the sun, without specifying rain by itself. In Indonesia’s tropical climate, mendung can reflect humidity patterns and seasonal shifts associated with transitions between dry and wet periods, or the approach of weather fronts from surrounding seas. The duration of mendung can range from a few hours to most of the day, depending on atmospheric conditions.

Culturally, mendung appears in Indonesian literature and music as a symbol of mood and change. The phrase langit mendung is frequently used in poetry and songs to evoke atmosphere, melancholy, or anticipation, linking weather imagery to human emotions and experiences.