ribuan

Ribuan is an Indonesian quantifier and noun meaning thousands. It signals a large, approximate quantity, typically in the range of several thousand, without specifying an exact figure. The form is derived from the word ribu (thousand) with the suffix -an, producing ribuan, which can modify nouns or stand as a noun phrase referring to a large number of items.

In use, ribuan commonly appears with countable nouns to express a non-specific large amount: ribuan orang (thousands of people), ribuan kilometer (thousands of kilometers), or ribuan hektar (thousands of hectares). In formal writing or journalism, ribuan is used when precise numbers are unknown or unnecessary; for precise counts, numbers like dua ribu (2,000) are used instead. For emphasis, Indonesian speakers may also say ribu-ribu to convey “thousands upon thousands.”

Ribuan is part of a broader system of Indonesian numerical expressions that include ratusan (hundreds) and jutaan (millions). These terms provide scalable ways to describe large quantities without listing exact figures. The word ribuan thus functions as a common linguistic tool for conveying scale in everyday language, reporting, and discourse.

See also: Indonesian language, number words in Indonesian, ratusan, jutaan.