persoalan

Persoalan is an Indonesian and Malay noun meaning a problem, issue, matter, or question that needs consideration or resolution. It is used in everyday speech and in formal writing to describe a subject of debate, a troublesome situation, or an area requiring inquiry.

The word derives from the base soal meaning problem or question, with the prefix per- forming a nominalized noun that denotes the set of issues or questions.

Common collocations include persolahan hukum (legal issue), persolahan sosial (social problem), and persolahan identitas (identity issue). In academic discourse, synonyms such as permasalahan are used; persolahan often emphasizes ongoing matters rather than a single question.

In literature and media, the term may be used to denote themes about human dilemmas and ethical questions. Related terms include masalah and soal, while permasalahan refers more to a problem to be solved.