soal

Soal is a common term in Indonesian and Malay that functions as a noun and refers to a question, a problem, or a matter under consideration. In education, soal typically denotes an exercise item in a test or assignment, such as soal matematika or soal ujian nasional. More generally, soal can refer to an issue to be discussed or a topic to be addressed, for example in news or academic discussions about a particular soal.

The plural form is soal-soal. The word can be combined with descriptors to specify the type of item, such as soal ujian, soal latihan, or soal pilihan ganda (multiple-choice questions). In everyday use, it may also appear in phrases like membahas soal ini or menyelesaikan soal, signaling the act of solving or addressing the question or issue.

In addition to its noun usage, soal also exists as the root of a verb in Indonesian and Malay: menyoal means to question or to raise a matter for discussion. A passive form exists as disoal, meaning to be questioned or to be interrogated, commonly found in formal reporting or legal/journalistic contexts.

Soal is closely related to, but distinct from, related terms such as pertanyaan (a specific question) and masalah (a problem or matter that may be more general or serious). Its usage spans educational settings, media, and everyday discourse, where it serves to label questions, problems, or topics that require attention, answer, or discussion.