percubaan

Percubaan is a Malay-language noun that signifies an attempt, a trial, or an experiment. It can refer to a conscious effort to achieve something, a tentative undertaking, or a formal test of a method, process, or hypothesis. In everyday language, it appears in phrases like “percubaan membaiki mesin” (an attempt to repair the machine) or “percubaan pertama” (the first attempt). In scientific or technical writing, percubaan commonly denotes experiments or trials, such as “percubaan klinikal” (clinical trial) or “percubaan kimia.”

Etymology and regional use: The word derives from the verb cuba, meaning to try. The prefix per- plus the suffix -an forms a noun that denotes the act, process, or result of trying. Percubaan is widely used across Malay-speaking communities in Malaysia, Singapore, and Brunei, and it is the standard form of the concept in Malay. In Indonesian, the closest equivalent is percobaan, which serves a similar meaning.

Usage notes: Percubaan tends to be formal or semi-formal and appears in education, journalism, and official documents. In everyday speech, speakers might opt for simpler terms such as usaha (effort) or cuba (to try) in verb forms. In legal or statutory language, percubaan can refer to the act of attempting to commit a crime, as in phrases describing an attempted wrongdoing.

See also: attempt, trial, experiment. In Indonesian, the corresponding term is percobaan.