Poenja
Definition & Context
Verb
A word used to describe an action, state, or occurrence.
An archaic spelling variant of punya, meaning to have or indicating “possession” of something; commonly found in colonial-era Malay texts.
Synonyms & Variants
kepunyaan
The state of having something; an owned item.
memiliki
A more formal synonym in modern Indonesian.
milik
The root word indicating the concept of ownership.
poenja
Old spelling of the word 'punya', used during the Dutch colonial era.
punya
To have or possess something; indicates ownership.
Usage Notes or Etymology
The word poenja is the Van Ophuijsen orthographic form of punya, rooted in classical Malay. The Van Ophuijsen spelling system, standardized in 1901 by Charles van Ophuijsen under the Dutch colonial government, replaced the vowel sound “u” with the digraph “oe”. This form was widely used in newspapers, official documents, and Malay literary works from the late 19th century to the mid-20th century. It was officially replaced by the Soewandi Spelling in 1947, and later by the “Ejaan Yang Disempurnakan” (EYD) in 1972.
Real-world Usage
...jang sobat poenja anak lelaki soedah berangkat ke negeri Belanda... (…yang sahabat punya anak lelaki sudah berangkat ke negeri Belanda…)
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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