merasa

Merasa is a common Indonesian verb meaning to feel, sense, or perceive. It can refer to physical sensations such as lapar or sakit, as well as emotional states like senang or sedih, and also to impressions about people or situations. The word is formed from the noun rasa (sense, feeling, taste) with the prefix me- to create a verb. Indonesian verbs do not inflect for tense; instead, aspect and time are indicated by adverbs or context, so phrases like saya merasa lapar can refer to present or past contexts when paired with words like sudah or sedang.

Usage of merasa typically describes the subject’s internal state and can take adjectives, nouns, or clauses. Examples: Saya merasa lapar (I feel hungry); Dia merasa panas (She feels hot); Kami merasa senang dengan hasilnya (We are pleased with the result). Merasa can also express beliefs or impressions about others: Saya merasa dia jujur (I feel that he is honest). For more explicit experience, the related verb merasakan meaning “to experience” or “to feel something tangible”: merasakan kegembiraan (to experience joy), merasakan rasa pahit (to taste bitterness).

Related forms include perasaan, the noun for a feeling or emotion, and terasa, an adjective/participle meaning “can be felt” or “seems.” Merasakan is the transitive counterpart meaning “to experience” something directly. Etymologically, merasa derives from rasa with the me- prefix, and is cognate with related Malay forms used across the Malay-speaking world.