Sepadan

Sepadan is a Malay-Indonesian adjective meaning suitable, fitting, or commensurate with something else. It is commonly used to express that one thing matches or is appropriate for another in terms of quality, value, or purpose. In everyday and formal language, sepadan is often combined with dengan to indicate agreement or proportionality, as in harga sepadan dengan kualitasnya (the price is commensurate with its quality) or gaji sepadan dengan tanggung jawab pekerjaan (the salary is commensurate with the job’s responsibilities). It can also convey that something is worthy or deserved, such as penghargaan itu sepadan dengan usaha mereka (the award is deserved for their effort).

Etymology and usage notes: sepadan derives from the root padan, meaning to fit or align, with the prefix se- forming a sense of totality, similarity, or equivalence. The term is widely used in both formal and informal Indonesian and Malay, though in some contexts it carries a slightly formal tone. It is common to see sepadan paired with nouns describing value, effort, or outcome, such as harga, gaji, hadiah, usaha, or kualitas, to express proportionality or adequacy.

Related terms include sesuaI (appropriate), setara (equal or equivalent), and layak (worthy or eligible). Antonyms include tidak sepadan or tidak layak, indicating a lack of correspondence or adequacy. Se padan is typically used to evaluate relationships between two factors, such as cost and quality, effort and reward, or outcome and expectation.