undang

Undang is a word found in Malay and Indonesian with several related meanings centered on calling someone to participate in an event or action. The basic verb form is mengundang, meaning to invite or to summon. In everyday speech, the shorter form undang may appear in casual contexts, though mengundang is the standard form in formal writing and speech.

As a noun, undangan denotes an invitation, typically a written notice or card inviting someone to a gathering, ceremony, or event. The term is commonly used in social, professional, and ceremonial contexts to refer to the invitation itself.

In legal and governmental language, undang-undang means law or legislation. It is used to refer to statutes and the body of laws enacted by a country or jurisdiction. The related term undang-undangan can be used to describe statutory law or the system of laws and regulations as a whole.

Usage notes: While undang can appear in casual dialogue, formal Indonesian and Malay prose commonly uses mengundang for the act of inviting and undangan for invitations. For legal contexts, undang-undang is the standard term for law, with undang-undangan covering statutory law more broadly.

See also: Indonesian language, Malay language, invitation, law, statute.