nonok

Usage examples

• Jangan cakap pasal nonok depan budak-budak.
  Don't talk about the pussy in front of the children.
• Dia kata nonok — memang kurang ajar.
  He said 'nonok' — that's really rude.

Etymology

"Nonok" derives from the Malay word "nonek" or "nunuk," a vulgar term for female genitalia widespread across Malay-speaking communities in Southeast Asia and the Indian Ocean. Cocos Malay is a creole that developed on the Cocos (Keeling) Islands, an Australian territory settled in the early 19th century by Malay-speaking laborers, and it retains core Malay anatomical vocabulary. The reduplication or near-reduplication pattern (no-nok) reflects a phonological feature common in Malay-based creoles for emphasis or familiarity.

Cultural notes

Cocos Malay speakers are a predominantly Muslim community, and public use of sexual vocabulary like "nonok" is considered very offensive and disrespectful, especially in mixed company. The term is understood by speakers of standard Malay and Indonesian as well, given shared lexical roots. On the Cocos Islands, the word belongs firmly to private or coarse speech among intimates. Its use as an insult or in anger carries the same shock value as its English equivalent.

Same meaning, other languages

Accuracy

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