halus

Halus is an adjective used in Indonesian and Malay meaning smooth, fine, or delicate in texture, feel, or quality. It can describe physical surfaces such as skin or wood, substances like powders or grains, and abstract qualities such as taste, style, or refinement. For example, kulitt halus means smooth skin, tepung halus refers to finely ground flour, and garam halus denotes fine salt. The term is also used metaphorically to express subtlety or delicacy in speech, behavior, or art, as in bahasa halus (polite language) or selera halus (refined palate).

In linguistic and cultural contexts, halus conveys contrast with kasar, which means rough or coarse. The word emphasizes refinement and smoothness, whether in a tangible material or in an intangible attribute. It is common across Malay-speaking regions, including Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, and Singapore, and appears in a wide range of expressions from everyday conversation to culinary, cosmetic, and construction terminology.

Etymologically, halus derives from the Malay and Indonesian languages and has cognates across the broader Malay-speaking world. The form remains stable as an adjective, with related noun and verb forms used to describe fineness or to indicate the act of making something smoother. Related constructions include halusan (the fineness or delicacy of something), menghaluskan (to smooth or refine), and dihaluskan (smoothed or refined).

See also: kasar; halusan; menghaluskan. The term may also appear in proper nouns or place names in some regions, but its core meaning in lexicons concerns texture, quality, and refinement.