mangsa

Mangsa is a noun in Malay and Indonesian that means prey or victim. It is used for both animals that are hunted and humans who suffer harm. In wildlife contexts, mangsa refers to the prey of a predator; in human contexts, it refers to a person who experiences harm, danger, or loss.

In human contexts, mangsa describes someone who endures harm, such as a victim of crime or a victim of a disaster. In wildlife discussions, mangsa is part of predator–prey dynamics, with predators (pemangsa) hunting or pursuing mangsa. In everyday speech, the phrase menjadi mangsa means “to become a victim.” When referring to multiple individuals or prey, mangsa-mangsa may be used to indicate plurality.

The term carries a nuance different from korban, another word for victim in Malay and Indonesian. Mangsa often emphasizes being targeted or endangered, while korban is more general for someone harmed. The word is widely understood across Indonesia and Malaysia and appears in news reporting, conservation discourse, and everyday language. In linguistic usage, Indonesian and Malay typically do not mark number on mangsa; plurality is shown through context or the reduplication mangsa-mangsa.