Ukiran ini diukir pada tembikar.

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Breakdown of Ukiran ini diukir pada tembikar.

• pada: in
• tembikar: pottery
• ukiran: a carving

Questions & Answers about Ukiran ini diukir pada tembikar.

What does ukiran mean here, and how is it different from diukir?

They come from the same root, ukir, which is related to carving or engraving.

• ukiran = a carving, engraving, or carved design
  This is a noun.
• diukir = is carved / was carved
  This is a passive verb.

So in this sentence:

• Ukiran ini = this carving / this carved design
• diukir = is carved / was carved

Malay often builds related words from the same root like this.

Why does the sentence use the root ukir twice? Doesn’t that sound repetitive?

To an English speaker, it can sound a bit repetitive, because English usually would not say something like This carving is carved... unless there is a special reason.

In Malay, this kind of repetition is more acceptable because:

• ukiran names the object/design
• diukir describes the action/process

So the sentence is grammatical. Still, depending on context, it may feel slightly repetitive stylistically. A speaker might also choose a different wording if they wanted to sound more natural or less repetitive.

What does the prefix di- do in diukir?