pokok

Pokok is a word used in Malay and Indonesian that carries several related meanings. It primarily denotes a tree or a plant, especially its trunk or main stem. In everyday speech you may encounter examples such as pokok kelapa for a coconut tree or pokok getah for a rubber tree. In Indonesian, pohon is the more common general term for tree, while pokok tends to refer to the trunk or to a plant in a narrower or more formal sense.

Beyond its botanical sense, pokok also appears in figurative or structural uses to express something fundamental or essential. Common compounds include pokok pangkal, meaning the root cause or fundamental principle, and pokok bahasan or pokok persoalan, referring to the main topic or issue under discussion. These phrases are widely understood in both Malay and Indonesian contexts.

Regional usage varies. In Malay-speaking communities, pokok is frequently used to mean tree as well as its structural parts, and it appears in a broad range of expressions. In Indonesian, while pohon is the standard term for a tree, pokok remains productive in formal language and idiomatic expressions, especially when emphasizing core concepts such as pokok masalah or pokok permasalahan.

Etymology traces pokok to historical Malay vocabulary and it remains a common, productive word in contemporary Malay and Indonesian. Its versatility—covering both natural and abstract meanings—reflects the close relationship between language, culture, and the natural world in the region.