klien

Klien is a term used in Indonesian to denote a client or customer, especially in professional services such as law, consulting, advertising, and information technology. It is a loanword from the English word client that has been integrated into Indonesian vocabulary. In everyday Indonesian, klien is a common noun and is not inflected for number; speakers say dua klien (two clients) and klien kami (our client) without changing the word. The term is used across formal and informal contexts and appears in contracts, proposals, and client statements.

In usage, klien often appears in compounds or modifiers such as klien utama (main client) or dokumen klien (client documents). In professional writing, the English term client is sometimes retained for emphasis or in bilingual contexts, but klien remains the standard Indonesian form in most domestic contexts.

Beyond Indonesian, Klien may appear as a surname or part of a proper name in some European or international contexts, though such uses are uncommon and not related to the Indonesian business sense. The word’s recognition is largely confined to Indonesian-speaking environments; in English-language contexts, the native term client or customer is used.

See also: client, customer.