silau

Silau is a word used in Indonesian and Malay to describe the effect of strong light on vision. As an adjective, it means dazzled or blinded by brightness, such as the sun, headlights, or studio lights. It can also refer to something that causes glare, for example lampu silau or cahaya silau. The related verb forms are menyilaukan or menyilau, meaning to dazzle or to cause glare, and the noun forms silau or silauan denote glare or dazzle.

In everyday language, people say mata silau when their eyes feel dazzled, or cahaya silau to describe glare from a bright light. The term is also used in more technical contexts, such as photography and road safety, to describe undesirable reflections or temporary visual impairment caused by bright light. Measures to reduce silau include wearing sunglasses with UV protection, adjusting the angle of light, or using visors.

Regionally, silau is widely understood in Indonesia and Malaysia, and is recognized in other Malay-speaking communities. While synonyms include menyilaukan or membut mata silau, the term remains distinct for its literal sense of glare as well as its commonplace usage.

See also: glare, dazzling, photophobia, light.