dunia

Dunia is a term used in Indonesian and Malay to mean "the world" or "the Earth," and more broadly, life in its worldly sense. The word comes from the Arabic dunya (دُنْيا), meaning the present or the near, and it has traveled into various languages through Islamic and cultural exchanges. Cognates appear in Urdu, Hindi (duniya/duniya), and Turkish (dünya), among others.

In religious and cultural contexts, dunya often contrasts with the hereafter or the spiritual realm. In Islam, it is common to speak of the balance between dunya (this world) and akhirat (the afterlife), highlighting the temporary nature of worldly concerns. Beyond theology, dunya also denotes the sociocultural sphere of human life—society, material existence, and everyday affairs.

In Indonesian and Malay usage, dunya appears in everyday speech, literature, and media as the world or life as experienced by people. Phrases such as dunya dan akhirat or dunia tanpa batas are widely understood, reflecting attitudes toward worldly responsibilities, material pursuits, and the transience of life. The term is also found in proverbs and poetry, where it can evoke both vitality and caution about worldly attachments.

Cognates and variants across languages show the semantic core of the word: in Urdu and Hindi it means the world or mankind; in Turkish it appears as dünya with a related sense of the whole world. The term is sometimes used as a given name in various cultures and can appear in modern branding or titles, underscoring its broad cultural resonance.