memohon

Memohon is an Indonesian word meaning to request, to apply for, or to beg. It is a formal, polite verb often used when the requester seeks permission or a grant from an authority or another person. In religious or ceremonial contexts, memohon can mean to beseech or to supplicate, as in memohon kepada Tuhan. The word reflects a sense of formal appeal rather than casual asking.

Etymology and usage notes: Memohon is formed from the root mohon with the prefix me-, a common Indo-European morphological pattern in Indonesian and Malay for active verbs. The root mohon expresses a plea or request, and memohon denotes the act of making that plea toward a recipient. It is typically more formal and respectful than meminta, which covers a broader, more neutral sense of asking.

Grammatical function and common phrases: Memohon is transitive and usually followed by a recipient or purpose, such as memohon izin kepada atasan (to seek permission from the supervisor), memohon maaf (to ask for forgiveness), or memohon bantuan (to request assistance). In everyday speech, the shorter form mohon is also used as a polite imperative to begin a request, for example, “Mohon bantuan Anda” or “Saya mohon maaf,” though this usage is somewhat less formal than memohon.

Examples: Saya memohon izin untuk meninggalkan rapat. Dia memohon maaf atas keterlambatan. Perusahaan itu memohon persetujuan dewan. Mereka memohon bantuan pemerintah. Dia memohon kepada Tuhan untuk petunjuk.

See also: meminta; memohon maaf; memohon izin; memohon bantuan; berdoa.