hampir

Hampir is an adverb used in Indonesian and Malay meaning almost, nearly, or virtually. It expresses that something is close to a threshold but not quite reached, and it can modify verbs, adjectives, or entire clauses.

Usage examples include: “Saya hampir selesai” (I am almost finished), “Hampir semua orang setuju” (Almost everyone agrees), “Hampir dua puluh orang hadir” (Almost twenty people attended), and “Hampir setiap hari” (Almost every day). The word often precedes the element it modifies, signaling a degree of proximity to an outcome or state.

Negation and intensity: “Hampir tidak ada” means there is almost none, and “Hampir tidak mungkin” means almost impossible. In many contexts, hampIR and nyaris are near synonyms, though usage can vary by speaker or dialect; nyaris may carry slightly different stylistic nuances in some varieties of Indonesian and Malay.

Etymology and regional use: Hampir is native to Malayic languages and is widely used across Indonesian and Malay-speaking regions, including Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, and Singapore. The exact historical origin is not typically detailed in everyday usage, but it is considered a core adverb in the lexicon of both languages.