Tantang

Tantang is a word in Malay and Indonesian that functions primarily as a verb meaning to challenge or to dare someone to undertake a task or contest. In Indonesian, the more common finite verb form is menantang, while tantang appears as the base form in dictionaries and in certain syntactic constructions; the related noun tantangan means a challenge or difficult task. In Malay usage, tantang also conveys urging someone to meet or face a test, and tantangan is the common noun for “challenge.” The exact etymology is native to the Malayic languages, and the term has cognates across the broader Austronesian language family.

The term is found across everyday speech, sports reports, debates, and political discourse, where individuals or groups issue challenges or defy rivals. The concept can carry neutral, competitive, or provocative connotations depending on context.