paham

Paham is a word in Indonesian and Malay that denotes understanding or comprehension. In Indonesian, it can describe someone’s grasp of a subject (as in dia paham arti kata itu), and it is used to indicate understanding in conversation and media. The related verb is memahami, and the noun form is pemahaman.

The term also functions as an adjective in predicative position, as in saya paham, and works in compounds such as paham betul, meaning fully understood. Informal speech often uses paham to express immediate realization, while more formal contexts may prefer memahami for the verb and pemahaman for the noun.

In Malay, the equivalent word is faham, with similar usage, while Indonesian tends to use paham. The two languages share a common semantic field but differ in spelling and standard forms.

Etymology and usage notes: Paham is generally considered a native Malay-Indonesian term; its formal and colloquial uses reflect everyday cognition and communication. It remains a core term in language about learning, understanding, and media, and it forms part of common expressions that indicate levels of comprehension.