Malay can surround a reduplicated adjective base with ke-...-an to express resemblance or an incomplete approximation: kemerah-merahan “reddish,” keputih-putihan “whitish.” With cultural or behavioural descriptions such as kebarat-baratan “Westernized/imitatively Western,” the construction often also signals that the speaker sees the resemblance as excessive, affected, or not fully authentic.
Langit di ufuk sudah kemerah-merahan ketika kami tiba di pantai.
The sky at the horizon was already reddish when we arrived at the beach. (neutral)
This is not a general equivalent of English like or somewhat. Its productivity has lexical limits, and its evaluative force depends on the base and context. Plain reduplication such as malu-malu belongs to a different structure and does not automatically carry the same approximation.
Form: one affixed reduplicated construction
The approximate pattern can be represented as ke- + REDUPLICATED BASE + -an. In the written word, the first element carries ke-, the second carries -an, and a hyphen links the copies:
| Base | Approximate form | Typical meaning |
|---|---|---|
| merah “red” | kemerah-merahan | reddish |
| putih “white” | keputih-putihan | whitish |
| barat “West/Western” | kebarat-baratan | Westernized, affectedly Western |
| kanak-kanak “children” | kekanak-kanakan | childish |
Air sungai itu kelihatan kehitam-hitaman selepas hujan lebat.
The river water looked blackish after the heavy rain. (neutral)
Dinding lama itu sudah keputih-putihan kerana catnya pudar.
The old wall had become whitish because its paint had faded. (neutral)
The forms are written kemerah-merahan and kebarat-baratan, not ke merah merahan, ke-merah-merah-an, or digit shorthand. The circumfix and the reduplicated base form one grammatical word, but the internal copies remain joined by a hyphen. For the wider formation system, see ke-...-an formation.
Colour and appearance: an incomplete match
With many perceptual adjectives, the construction locates something near a category without presenting it as a clear, pure member. Kemerah-merahan is not fully merah; lighting, mixture, fading, or uncertainty makes “reddish” more accurate.
Ruam pada tangannya masih kemerah-merahan, tetapi sudah tidak gatal.
The rash on her hand is still reddish, but it no longer itches. (neutral)
Daun muda pokok itu berwarna kekuning-kuningan sebelum menjadi hijau.
The young leaves of that tree are yellowish before turning green. (neutral)
Cahaya kebiru-biruan dari skrin memenuhi bilik yang gelap itu.
A bluish light from the screen filled the dark room. (neutral/literary description)
The speaker does not simply weaken the adjective by a fixed amount. The construction expresses resemblance to a prototype. Context decides whether that resemblance is a slight tint, mixed appearance, or uncertain categorization.
English freely creates -ish forms in conversation—even sevenish or smallish. Malay ke-...-an around reduplication is not equally free. Speakers rely on established or interpretable combinations, especially colour, appearance, and evaluative resemblance. When a form is not conventional, use agak, sedikit, lebih kurang, or a comparison instead of inventing it.
Human resemblance often carries criticism
With social style or behaviour, the construction can mark distance between an authentic category and behaviour merely resembling it. Kebarat-baratan often criticizes conduct, clothing, taste, or values as excessively or affectedly Western (evaluative; often critical).
Pengulas itu menyifatkan hiasan restoran tersebut sebagai kebarat-baratan dan kurang mencerminkan identiti tempatan.
The reviewer described the restaurant's decor as Westernized and as insufficiently reflecting local identity. (formal/evaluative)
Jangan bersikap kekanak-kanakan hanya kerana cadangan awak tidak diterima.
Don't behave childishly just because your proposal wasn't accepted. (neutral/critical)
Pelajar baharu itu masih kelihatan kemalu-maluan ketika diperkenalkan kepada tetamu.
The new student still looked very bashful when introduced to the guests. (neutral)
Forms such as kebarat-baratan and kekanak-kanakan do more than make barat or kanak-kanak weaker. They present a likeness from the speaker's vantage point, often implying imitation, excess, inappropriateness, or failure to meet the genuine category. Kemalu-maluan is lexicalized differently: it normally means “very shy/bashful,” not “somewhat shy.” That contrast is a reminder that the visible form does not guarantee one uniform degree meaning.
The evaluation is not identical in every token. A colour description may be neutral, and a writer can discuss ciri kebarat-baratan analytically (academic/formal). Nevertheless, learners should not erase the common distancing potential.
Why malu-malu is different
Malu-malu is plain full reduplication without the circumfix. In expressions such as tersenyum malu-malu, it conventionalizes a shy, hesitant, or coy manner (neutral/informal). It does not mean “resembling red” or “not quite genuinely shy” through the approximate ke-...-an pattern.
Dia tersenyum malu-malu apabila namanya disebut.
She smiled shyly when her name was mentioned. (neutral)
Jangan malu-malu; ambillah kuih itu kalau awak mahu.
Don't be shy; take the cake if you want it. (informal)
Pada mulanya dia malu-malu hendak bertanya, kemudian dia mengangkat tangan.
At first he was hesitant to ask, then he raised his hand. (neutral)
Here copying shapes stance or manner. It can suggest restrained or hesitant behaviour over an interval, but dictionary definitions also allow a strongly shy reading. It does not itself instantiate ke-[BASE-BASE]-an. Established kemalu-maluan is a separate circumfixed adjective meaning “very shy/bashful”; it describes a property, whereas tersenyum malu-malu presents the shy manner in which someone smiles. The meanings can overlap in a real situation, but the constructions are not identical.
The distinction matters because reduplication has several constructions. Similar visible copying does not guarantee identical semantics.
Approximation versus degree and comparison
Use agak merah for “rather red,” sangat merah for “very red,” and merah seperti darah for an explicit comparison. Kemerah-merahan instead categorizes the appearance as leaning toward red.
Kain ini agak merah, tetapi kain di sebelahnya hanya kemerah-merahan.
This cloth is rather red, but the cloth beside it is only reddish. (neutral contrast)
Warna cecair itu merah seperti darah, bukan sekadar kemerah-merahan.
The liquid is red like blood, not merely reddish. (neutral)
These choices can overlap in a real visual judgment, but they organize it differently: degree on a red scale, explicit likeness to another object, or partial membership in the colour category.
Lexical limits
Not every adjective licenses a natural approximate derivative, and established forms may develop specialized meanings. Kekanak-kanakan is conventional and critical “childish,” not a neutral label for children. Dictionaries and real collocations are therefore important. There is no honest rule that lets a learner generate the full inventory from any adjective.
This page focuses on the approximation and resemblance construction. Abstract and experiential ke-...-an forms such as kebaikan and kehilangan have different derivations and argument structures.
Common Mistakes
1. Reading kebarat-baratan as a neutral origin label
❌ Dia orang kebarat-baratan kerana dilahirkan di London.
Incorrect category and potentially judgmental—kebarat-baratan describes perceived Westernized traits, not place of birth.
✅ Dia orang Britain yang dilahirkan di London.
He is a British person born in London. (neutral)
2. Treating approximation as high intensity
❌ Langit itu sangat kemerah-merahan sekali.
Overloaded and misleading—the form means reddish, not automatically extremely red.
✅ Langit itu kemerah-merahan menjelang senja.
The sky was reddish toward dusk. (neutral)
3. Mixing the spelling of malu-malu and kemalu-maluan
❌ Dia tersenyum malu-malu-an.
Incorrect mixed spelling—plain malu-malu has no final -an.
✅ Dia tersenyum malu-malu.
She smiled shyly. (neutral)
4. Splitting the affixes into free words
❌ Daun itu ke kuning-kuning an.
Incorrect spelling—the circumfix attaches around the reduplicated base.
✅ Daun itu kekuning-kuningan.
The leaf is yellowish. (neutral)
5. Using digit shorthand
❌ Dinding itu keputih2an.
Nonstandard in edited prose; write the reduplicated base in full.
✅ Dinding itu keputih-putihan.
The wall is whitish. (neutral)
Key Takeaways
Approximate ke-...-an around a reduplicated base expresses resemblance or incomplete category membership: kemerah-merahan “reddish.” Human descriptions such as kebarat-baratan and kekanak-kanakan often add criticism or speaker distance. Plain malu-malu expresses a conventional shy or hesitant manner; established kemalu-maluan is the distinct, lexicalized circumfixed adjective “very bashful.”
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