Mantoe
Definition & Context
Noun
A word that functions as the name of a specific object or set of objects, such as living creatures, places, actions, qualities, states of existence, or ideas.
Husband or wife of one's child. Informal/slang variant of “menantu”, often reflecting the colloquial mantu form and historically spelled as “mantoe”.
Synonyms & Variants
anak mantu
A descriptive term often used in Betawi or Jakarta Malay dialects.
mantoe
The old spelling (Van Ophuijsen) used during the Dutch East Indies era before the standardization of modern Indonesian spelling.
mantu
A very common colloquial variant used in daily conversation, influenced by Javanese.
menantu
The standard and formal form in modern Indonesian.
minantu
Sundanese dialect variant for child-in-law, frequently used by speakers in the West Java region.
Usage Notes or Etymology
The form “mantoe” is a slang variant of menantu. It arises from phonological reduction and dialectal pronunciation: the standard menantu may surface colloquially as manantu or mantu, and 19th–early 20th-century Dutch-era orthography (Van Ophuijsen) rendered the /u/ sound as “oe”, hence the spelling “mantoe”. The form appears in colonial newspapers and literature to represent everyday speech or regional logat, and carries informal or rustic connotations; It is non-standard in contemporary Indonesian.
Real-world Usage
Saja poenja anak mantoe, si Amat, soedah kawin. (Saya sudah punya anak menantu, si Amat, sudah kawin.)
English Translation
Representative of real-world usage and contextual accuracy.
Verified Evidence1
Boekoe Soerat-Soerat (TH. A. Du Mosch) Boekoe Soerat-Soerat (TH. A. Du Mosch)
ImageliteratureVerify Context
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