minum

Minum is a verb in Indonesian and Malay that means "to drink." It is a basic and widely used word in everyday speech across Indonesia, Malaysia, and other Malay-speaking communities, employed to describe the act of ingesting liquids.

In both languages, minum typically takes a direct object naming the liquid. Examples include saya minum air (I am drinking water), dia minum teh (he/she is drinking tea), and mereka minum kopi (they are drinking coffee). The imperative form minum! can be used to tell someone to drink, while negation is formed with tidak: saya tidak minum (I do not drink).

The related noun minuman designates a beverage. Common expressions include minuman beralkohol (alcoholic beverage) and minuman ringan (soft drink). The noun is formed from the verb stem by adding the suffix -an, reflecting a standard Indonesian pattern of deriving nouns from verbs.

Usage notes: Minum appears in health and hospitality contexts, such as minum air putih (drink plain water) or phrases describing menus and routines. It also integrates into numerous collocations related to drinking and hydration, and remains the standard term for describing the act of consuming liquids in everyday communication.

See also: In discussions of beverages, you will encounter related terms such as teh (tea), kopi (coffee), and minuman overall, which together with minum form core vocabulary for describing drinking and drinks in Indonesian and Malay.