maksudmu

Maksudmu is an Indonesian phrase that literally combines maksud (“intention” or “meaning”) with mu, the informal second-person possessive pronoun meaning “your.” As a whole, it is most often used to ask for clarification or to challenge what someone is saying, roughly translating to “what do you mean?” or “your meaning?”

The expression belongs to casual spoken Indonesian. In formal contexts, speakers typically use lengkap forms such as apa maksud Anda? or maksud Anda apa? to maintain politeness and clarity. The related word maksudnya or the expression maksudnya... can be used to rephrase or explain what one means, roughly “what I mean is…” or “that is to say.”

Usage notes and variants:

- Maksudmu? is common in everyday conversation and can express surprise, skepticism, or a request for further explanation.

- Apa maksudmu? is a straightforward, neutral question asking for the speaker’s intent.

- Maksudnya is used to introduce a clarification or restatement, e.g., “Maksudnya, kita meeting besok, bukan hari ini.”

Etymology:

- Maksud originates from Indonesian/Malay for “intention” or “meaning.”

- Mu is the informal second-person possessive pronoun “your.”

Together, maksudmu forms a compact, mainly spoken construction for seeking or challenging meaning in dialogue.