langkah

Langkah is a common noun in Indonesian and Malay that denotes a step or stride. It can refer to a physical action—one step taken with the foot—or to figurative steps in a process, plan, or sequence of actions. The related verb melangkah means "to step" or "to move by stepping," while the plural form langkah-langkah is widely used to talk about multiple steps or measures.

In everyday usage, Langkah appears in many fixed expressions. Langkah kaki literally means a footstep or pace. Langkah demi langkah or langkah-langkah describes doing something gradually or in stages, and mengambil langkah means to take a step or to make progress. In formal or policy contexts, langkah denotes deliberate measures or actions, such as langkah-langkah reformasi or langkah strategis.

The word is native to Indonesian and Malay and shares cognates across Malay-speaking regions. It is typically written as a single word in modern Indonesian orthography, though compounds and reduplications are common in usage.

Langkah functions as a flexible, neutral term in discourse about movement, progress, and change, spanning everyday conversation, journalism, education, and governance. It is often encountered in titles, slogans, and guidance that emphasize measured, incremental action rather than leaps. In translation, it is commonly rendered as "step" or "move" depending on context.