Tangisan ibu pelikan dan hutan mangrove yang terbakar
A2 Indonesian listening practice · Standard Indonesian · Curated for beginners
What does 'oknum' mean in Indonesian?
Oknum is a uniquely Indonesian noun for a single bad actor inside an otherwise-respected group. Oknum polisi (a rogue cop), oknum guru (a bad teacher), oknum pejabat (a corrupt official). The word lets a speaker name wrongdoing without smearing the whole institution. Indonesian news editors reach for oknum almost daily, when reporting on a scandal where most of the group is innocent.
In this children’s animation, the mother pelican lays the blame: « pohonpohon mangrove ditebang lalu dibakar oknum manusia untuk dibangun daerah industri » (the mangrove trees were cut and burned by certain bad humans to build an industrial zone). Oknum manusia is the storybook softening: rogue individuals, not humanity itself. The fire is still total.
Vocabulary frequency
How common is the vocabulary in this A2 Indonesian listening practice listening practice?
General Indonesian frequency
Spoken Indonesian frequency
Words above this video’s level
Quick glosses for vocabulary that goes beyond this video’s A2 level.
Source: wordfreq 3.1.1 (general) · OpenSubtitles 2018 (HermitDave) (spoken). Buckets approximate; exact ranks not stored.
- ▸In Indonesian newspaper headlines on Kompas, Tempo, and Detik when reporters write oknum polisi, oknum guru, oknum DPR
- ▸On Indonesian TV news bulletins on Metro TV, Kompas TV, and tvOne when anchors cover police-misconduct or corruption stories
- ▸In Indonesian government press releases from Polri (national police) and ministries when officials distance the institution from a misbehaving member
- ▸In Indonesian school and children’s content on Bobo and in Si Kancil tales where oknum manusia names the villain in environmental fables