seorang

Seorang is a determiner used in Indonesian and Malay to indicate a single person. It is formed by the prefix se- attached to orang, the word for person, and roughly translates to "a" or "one [person]" when referring to an individual. The term functions before a singular, countable noun denoting a person.

In use, seorang precedes a noun such as guru, siswa, or pria, for example "seorang guru" (a teacher), "seorang siswa" (a student), or "seorang pria" (a man). It is not used for plural reference; to talk about more than one person, Indonesian typically uses phrases like beberapa orang (several people) or orang-orang. Seorang is common in formal writing, journalism, and everyday speech, especially when introducing or highlighting a specific, unidentified person.

There are related forms in the language, including seseorang, which functions as a pronoun meaning "someone" or "a certain person." Another note is the phrase seorang diri, which uses the word to mean "by oneself" or "alone." These variations illustrate how the prefix se- modifies orang in different grammatical roles to convey specificity or indefiniteness about people.

Overall, seorang is a fixed, productive element in Indonesian and Malay grammar that marks a single, indefinite person without implying number beyond one. It contrasts with the plural orang-orang and with specific person references that use proper nouns or other determiners.