Usage of the word «kawin» Hei! Kalau boleh saya bertanya? I am reading «Beginning Indonesian Through Self-Instruction» by John U. Wolff. According to him: «The use of the word "kawin" ... offers a chance to discuss a few features of Indonesian of which the student should be aware. Because Indonesian is developing so rapidly and is used by people from a variety of cultural and linguistic backgrounds, words may have varying significance for and frequency of usage by different native speakers. In the case of "kawin" some native speakers claim the word sounds old-fashioned or even rude (som individuals equate the word with 'mate' or 'copulate'). However, "kawin" meaning 'to marry' is nonetheless commonly used by many people and is the indispensable root of words you will learn later in this book.» Of course the book was written in the 1990s, and my tutor agrees with the opinion that the wording might be considered rude today, and I should use «menikah» instead. From a bit of research it seems the term might have kept its original meaning in Bahasa Melayu, but that it has changed in Bahasa Indonesia. Or maybe it depends on region? What are your thoughts? Terima kasih! Helsing Dag