setan

Setan is a term used in Indonesian and Malay to designate a devil or demon, broadly referring to malevolent supernatural beings in religious, folklore, and popular contexts. The word derives from the Arabic shaytan, and entered Malay and Indonesian through long-standing Islamic influence. In everyday language, setan functions as a general noun for demons or evil spirits.

In religious usage, the term often appears alongside more specific references to the devil; in formal or religious Malay and Indonesian, syaitan or shaitan is also common and closer to the theological term Shaytan. In Islamic belief, the distinct figure Iblis (often equated with Satan in other traditions) is a jinn who refused to bow to Adam. Iblis is not considered a fallen angel in Islam, and the broader concept of setan can denote various malevolent beings or temptations, rather than a single defined entity.

In folklore and popular culture, setan appears as a motif in tales, proverbs, horror stories, and media across Indonesia and Malaysia. These depictions range from trickster or deceptive beings to dangerous spirits associated with misfortune or moral testing. The term is also used metaphorically to describe evildoing or temptations in everyday speech, not only supernatural phenomena.

Overall, setan functions as a flexible cultural label for evil forces, with distinctions between its folkloric uses, everyday metaphorical use, and formal religious concepts varying by context and region.