nyawa

Nyawa is a word in Indonesian and Malay that denotes life, breath, or the vital force sustaining a living being. It is used to speak of the life of humans and animals, and more broadly of existence itself. The term can also convey the sense of vitality or essential being of a thing, as in maintaining the nyawa of a process or system.

In everyday use, nyawa appears in phrases such as menyelamatkan nyawa (to save a life) and kehilangan nyawa (to lose one's life). It is common in emergency reports, medical contexts, and legal language where life and its protection are at stake.

Culturally and linguistically, nyawa is sometimes distinguished from jiwa (soul) or ruh (spirit). Nyawa more often refers to physical life or breath, whereas jiwa tends to denote inner essence or personality.

One well-known idiom is nyawa-nyawa ikan, used to describe someone in critical condition or a situation where life is hanging by a thread.

Nyawa is primarily a modern Indonesian-Malay term, but it features in literature, religious discourse, and popular speech across Southeast Asia.

See also: Jiwa, Ruh, Mencabut nyawa, Nyawa-nyawa ikan.