pipih

Pipih is an adjective in Malay and Indonesian languages meaning flat, level, smooth, or thin. It describes surfaces such as a table top, a plate, a floor, or any shape that lacks curvature, as well as describing objects that are flattened or even in profile. In reference to people or living beings, pipih can be used to convey a slender or flat feature in a neutral descriptive sense, though its use varies by dialect and context.

Etymology and usage context: The word is native to Malay and Indonesian vocabularies and belongs to the broader Austronesian language family. It is used across Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, and Singapore in standard Malay and Indonesian, and is commonly encountered in everyday speech as well as in literature. Pipih appears in various compounds and phrases to emphasize flatness or evenness, such as descriptions of surfaces or shapes with straight, even edges, and can also appear in metaphorical uses that denote straightforwardness or simplicity.

Cultural notes: In aesthetics and beauty language, pipih features may be described as characteristic of certain regional expressions of beauty, sometimes contrasted with terms meaning round or plump (bulat) in some contexts. The term is generally neutral, though its connotations can shift with region and speaker.

See also: Malay language, Indonesian language, Austronesian languages, shape descriptors.