Tabung

Tabung is a term in Malay and Indonesian that denotes a hollow cylindrical container or vessel. Its primary sense is a cylinder that stores or transports gases or liquids. In everyday language, tabung gas refers to LPG cylinders used for cooking, while tabung oksigen denotes oxygen cylinders used in medical settings and industry. The containers are typically made from steel or aluminum and are designed to withstand high pressure; they are used with regulators and hoses.

Beyond small cylinders, tabung can refer more generally to any cylindrical reservoir or storage tank in industrial contexts, though regional terms such as tangki or reservoir may be used for non-cylindrical shapes or larger volumes.

In addition to physical containers, tabung is also used metaphorically or institutionally to mean a fund or savings pool. In Malaysia and Indonesia, many funds and organizations use tabung in their titles, for example Tabung Haji (the Pilgrims' Fund) and other charitable or educational funds such as tabung sekolah or tabung derma.

Etymology and usage notes: The word originates in Malay and Indonesian and denotes a container or vessel; it is widely used across Malay-speaking regions and often forms part of compound terms describing the contents or purpose of the container. The sense of tabung as a fund-related term reflects broader usage of the word to denote a pooled resource or repository.