Tertahan

Tertahan is an adjective and participle used in Indonesian and Malay to describe a state of being held back, delayed, or detained. It is formed from the root verb tahan, meaning to hold or endure, with the prefix ter- that marks a resultant state or involuntary condition. The term commonly appears in everyday speech and in media to indicate that progress or movement has been impeded by external factors.

In usage, tertahan describes processes, movements, or plans that do not proceed as expected. For example, kendaraan tertahan di jalan tol karena kecelakaan (vehicles held up on the toll road due to an accident), barang tertahan di pelabuhan akibat kemacetan (goods delayed at the port due to congestion), or rencana tertahan karena kekurangan dana (plans stalled due to lack of funds). It often conveys a temporary constraint rather than a permanent end.

Tertahan is distinct from related terms. Ditahan means detained or held by authorities, terhenti means stopped or halted generally, and tertunda means postponed to a future time. Tertahan emphasizes an impediment caused by external circumstances that restrict ongoing action rather than intentional action by a person or organization.

See also: tahan, ditahan, terhenti, tertunda.