Puluh

Puluh is a native Indonesian and Malay numeral meaning ten, and it serves as the basis for forming the tens in counting. In standard Indonesian, the tens are constructed by placing a numeral before puluh, with the exception of ten itself, which is expressed as sepuluh. For example, dua puluh bukan* twenty, tiga puluh thirty, and so on up to sembilan puluh ninety. Numbers 21 through 99 are formed as a combination of the tens and the ones, such as dua puluh satu (21), empat puluh dua (42), and sembilan puluh sembilan (99). The word belasan (11–19) uses a different pattern: eleven is sebelas, twelve as dua belas, etc., rather than using puluh.

Puluh also functions as a quantifier in phrases indicating approximate multiples of ten. Puluhan, a plural form, means tens or dozens and is commonly used to express rough quantities, such as puluhan orang (dozens of people), puluhan ribu (tens of thousands), or puluhan tahun (tens of years). This usage conveys an unspecified but sizable amount.

Etymology and regional use: puluh is a core unit in Indonesian and Malay numerals, shared across Malay-speaking and Indonesian-speaking communities. It is part of a broader numerical system that includes belas for the 11–19 range and ratus for hundreds, with seratus for one hundred and sepuluh for ten.

In summary, puluh denotes ten and forms the basis of the tens in Indonesian and Malay counting, while puluhan serves as a flexible measure for approximate tens in quantities.