Punca

Punca is a Malay noun meaning the cause, origin, or source of something. It is used to identify the underlying reason for an event, condition, or phenomenon, and is common in both spoken and written Malay. In everyday language it appears in phrases such as punca masalah (the cause of the problem), punca kejadian (the cause of the incident), or punca perubahan (the source of change). In formal contexts, punca is used in discussions of science, medicine, history, and journalism to denote etiological factors or primary sources.

Etymology and usage context: The word punca is native to the Malay language and is widely used across Malaysia, Brunei, Singapore, and parts of Indonesia where Malay is spoken. It is sometimes used interchangeably with sebab, though punca generally conveys a sense of origin or root cause rather than a casual reason. In historical or genealogical writing, punca can refer to provenance or the origin of a person or family line, but this usage is less common than its everyday meaning of causation.

Usage notes: Punca often enters collocations that emphasize the central or underlying cause, such as punca sebenar (the true/real cause) or punca utama (the main cause). It is suitable for both technical and narrative writing, providing a precise notion of origin rather than a simple rationale. See also sebab, penyebab, asal-usul.