hidup

Hidup is a native Indonesian word that generally means life or to live. It functions as a verb, an adjective, and, in its related forms, as a noun. As a verb, it denotes the act of living or being alive, for example: Dia masih hidup (He is still alive) or Mereka hidup di kota ini (They live in this city). As an adjective, hidup describes something that is alive or living, such as makhluk hidup (living beings) or organisme hidup.

As a noun, the simple form hidup is less common in abstract use; the related noun kehidupan is more widely used to refer to the condition or quality of life, existence, or a lifestyle. The term hidupan or hidupan sometimes appears in compounds such as hidup sehari-hari (daily life) and penghidupan (livelihood). Hidupan liar is a conventional expression for wildlife, indicating living organisms in the wild.

Morphological derivatives expand its range: menghidupkan means to turn on or enliven something; menghidupi means to support or sustain someone’s life; penghidupan denotes livelihood, while kehiduupan (less common) appears in broader discussions of existence. The word also appears in culturally and philosophically oriented expressions about the nature of existence, value of life, and ethical considerations toward living beings.

In Indonesian usage, hidup is a core term found across everyday speech, education, media, and literature. It is closely related to its semantic partner mati (dead) and to the broader concept of kehidupan (life as condition, duration, and style). The term is used similarly in Malay, reflecting a shared linguistic heritage.