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Who is ‘Akang’?

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The word akang [a ka NG] is a term of address for an elder brother or anyone on the same line (see Hardjadibrata’s Sundanese-English Dictionary, p. 11). The same word, which has the same meaning, is also found in John M. Echols and Hassan Shadily’s Kamus Indonesia-Inggris/An Indonesian-English Dictionary. The later dictionary recognizes it as a Sundanese and Jakarta dialect (see Echols and Shadily’s dictionary, 3rd ed., p. 9).

There is also a shorter form of this word: kang. It usually precedes a man's name, e.g. Kang Godi.

Those who use this term of address may be a woman to her husband or someone to his/her elder brother. A man usually uses the word akang to refer to himself when he speaks to younger ones or to his wife.

Here is an example quoted from a dialogue in a novel by Abdullah Mustappa entitled Cihaliwung Nunjang Ngidul (1997):

Dina hiji poé geus liwat lohor, sabot Haji Dahlan keur aya di pabrik, Ajengan Cikaso semu rurusuhan nyampeurkeun. Ku Haji Dahlan buru-buru ditepungan.

“Aya naon, Kang? Aya wartos téa?”

“Ih, sanés. Akang téh katatamuan, cenah tentara nu baralik hijrah ti Yogya, rék ngadon reureuh. Meureun aya kana dua tilu poéna, da mani geus lalimpeu pisan. Akang rék ménta bantuan ka Jang Haji. Da ku Akang téh dibagi-bagi wé di sababaraha imah anu katimbang bisa kaéndongan. Jang Haji di antarana.”

One day, in the afternoon, when Haji Dahlan was at the factory, the Cleric of Cikaso appeared in a hurry. Haji Dahlan welcomed him at once.

“What’s happened, Kang? Have you got the news?”

“No, it’s something else. Akang have some visitors, saying that they are soldiers returning from Yogya, and need some rests. It may take two or three days, for they looked so exhausted. Akang need your help, Brother Haji. Akang shall divide them into several houses, which are proper enough to be lodged. Your house is one of them.”