pria

Pria is a common noun in Indonesian and Malay that denotes an adult male or man. It is used to refer to male persons in general as well as in specific contexts, without implying any particular age beyond adulthood.

In Indonesian, the language has no grammatical gender, so nouns like pria do not change form to reflect gender. Plural references are made with a determiner or quantifier, most commonly para pria meaning “the men,” or by context. The word can appear in compound phrases such as pria tua (an older man) or pria muda (a young man).

Usage and nuance vary by register. Pria tends to be considered more formal, neutral, or literary compared with laki-laki, which is the more common everyday term for “man.” Lelaki is another synonym found in Malay-speaking areas and in more formal or traditional contexts; its use can carry regional or stylistic associations.

In everyday language, pria is widely used in media, official discourse, and formal writing, as well as in descriptive phrases about men (for example, usia pria 35 tahun, “a 35-year-old man”). Like other Indonesian nouns, it can be qualified by adjectives or modifiers to specify age, status, or characteristics.

Cross-linguistically, the Malay word pria has a closely related meaning in both Indonesia and Malaysia, reflecting shared linguistic heritage in the broader Austronesian language family.