sekumpulan

Sekumpulan is an Indonesian and Malay determiner formed with the prefix se- attached to kumpulan, meaning a group, collection, or aggregation. The term functions to refer to a number of items or persons considered as a unit or cluster, rather than specifying an exact count. It is commonly used in both formal and everyday language to indicate “a number of …” or “a group of …” before a noun.

Etymology and usage context

Sekumpulan derives from kumpulan (group or collection) with the universal prefix se-, which in many Indonesian and Malay words signals totality, entirety, or a unitary sense. The construction is used before a noun to convey a sense of collective presence or composition without naming each member. It can describe both animate and inanimate referents, such as sekumpulan orang (a group of people), sekumpulan buku (a collection of books), or sekumpulan data (a set of data).

Nuances and comparison

Sekumpulan often emphasizes the existence of a cluster or collection rather than a precise quantity. It can overlap with sekelompok and sejumlah, but there are subtle distinctions: sekumpulan tends to stress the assembled whole as a unit, while sekelompok more explicitly refers to a small organized group of individuals, and sejumlah focuses on an amount or number. In some contexts, sekumpulan data may be preferred over sekelompok data, depending on whether the focus is on the data as a set or on an organized group of people.

Grammar and style

Sekumpulan functions as a determiner or modifier preceding a noun, as in sekumpulan orang or sekumpulan bukti. It is not a verb and does not stand alone; it modifies the noun that follows. Its use is versatile across genres, including journalism, academia, and everyday writing.