tepi

Tepi is a common noun in Indonesian and Malay that denotes the outer edge, border, or margin of something. It can refer to the literal boundary of an object—such as tepi meja (the edge of a table) or tepi kolam (the edge of a pond)—as well as to a broader sense of proximity, such as the tepi sebuah kota or tepi suatu wilayah. In everyday language, tepi appears in many fixed expressions describing location or boundary, including tepi jalan (roadside), tepi sungai (riverbank), and tepi kota (outskirts).

Etymology and usage notes: The word tepi is native to Indonesian and Malay and has cognates across related Austronesian languages. It is closely related to, but distinct from, pinggir; both denote edges or margins, but tepi often implies a defined boundary or boundary line, whereas pinggir can emphasize the outer rim or border area more generally.

In geography, urban planning, and literature, tepi is used to describe peripheral areas or boundary zones, and metaphorically to indicate peripheral or marginal aspects of a topic. The term is neutral and widely understood in Indonesian- and Malay-speaking contexts.