didahulukan

didahulukan is an Indonesian term that means “to be given precedence” or “to be prioritized.” The word is a causative form derived from the root verb hulukan, which itself comes from the Malay root hulu, meaning “to lead” or “to head,” combined with a causative prefix di- and the marker a-. Consequently, didahulukan literally denotes the act of making something or someone take the lead in an order or sequence.

In everyday Indonesian usage, didahulukan is employed in many contexts: it can refer to giving priority to a person in a queue, ensuring that a particular item receives attention before others, or granting preferential treatment in case planning. The phrase is often used in administrative texts, ceremonial proceedings, and common speech.

Typical examples include: “Pelamar yang berpengalaman didahulukan dalam proses seleksi karyawan” (Applicants with experience are given priority in the hiring process) and “Perhatian kepada pasien kritis didahulukan di rumah sakit” (Attention to critical patients is prioritized in the hospital). These sentences show that didahulukan signifies a systematic prioritization in decision‑making or allocation.

The form didahulukan is a passive causative construction, so it implies that some agent (not always explicitly stated) has decided to make a certain entity take precedence.

Because of its neutrality and versatility, the term is widely used across Indonesian media, official documents, and in everyday conversation, making it a staple of the language for expressing hierarchy and order.