kereta

Kereta is a term used in Malay and Indonesian to refer to a wheeled vehicle. The word can denote a carriage or wagon in historical contexts and is also used for modern transport, depending on regional usage and the specific compound it forms. The meaning is often clarified by accompanying words such as keretapi (train) or kereta api and kereta penumpang (passenger car).

Regional usage varies. In many Malay-speaking areas, kereta commonly means automobile, similar to the English word car. In Indonesian, mobil is the standard word for a car, while kereta often retains a broader sense of vehicle or carriage and is frequently seen in railway terms. The railway term is spelled kereta api in Indonesian and keretapi in Malay, the latter often appearing as a single word in standard Malay, keretapi.

Common compounds illustrate the range of meanings: kereta api refers to rail transport; kereta penumpang denotes passenger cars on a train; kereta motor can refer to a rail vehicle powered by a motor. The generic term kereta can also appear in phrases describing horse-drawn or early mechanized vehicles in historical contexts.

Etymology traces the word to Malay and Indonesian roots for a wheeled vehicle, with regional developments shaping its current usage. Today, kereta remains a versatile term whose precise meaning depends on context, region, and the accompanying qualifiers.