EDIT 2: "Mata Hari" actually means sun, not sunrise. So everywhere that I've written sunrise just replace it with sun. Thanks for the help with that Bingley.

'Mata Hari' means 'sunrise' in Indonesian. It would probably literally translate to something like "eye of the day" or something, 'mata' being the word for 'eye' and 'hari' being the word for 'day'. Just thought people might be interested (sorry about starting a new topic for this, there was no topic on the word at the time as far as I know, unless I am working the forums wrong and it was hiding somewhere).

EDIT: Not sure if this is also relevant, but the word mata is also used to say what subjects are being studied, i.e. "mata pelajaran saya..." I think would translate roughly to "the subjects of my studies..., ("saya meaning "my," "pelajaran," being "studies (I think)". I'm not sure about this one, or how "mata" fits in. Maybe if there's someone who's done more than just high school Indonesian here they will be able clarify?)Just thinking that if there's another meaning of "mata" it could change the literal translation of "sunrise."

This is the perfect place for it and it's nice to hear beyond the simple story. I, for one, always like to hear more about name origins. Welcome aBoard.

Welcome aBoard.

Yep, I agree!
Mata has the same meaning in Cook Island Maori, Eyes. There is another. Mata Can also mean the face. As in: Mataora, 'lively face', or, Happy!

Remembering my Dutch-Indonesian friend, bless his soul.

tanda mata : souvenir , keepsake, remembrance
main mata ( pronounce ma-een mata): to flirt
mata mata moesoeh: the eyes of the enemy

The Indonesians double the word for plural.

Dr Ranginui Walker once listed more than 20 meanings for "mata" in NZ Māori during a discussion on the limitations of a small consonant set.

I have recently met a man from New Zealand, and greet him each time with Kia Ora. Just thought you'd like
to know since you told me the term.

>>'Mata Hari' means 'sunrise' in Indonesian.<<

No, it doesn't, it means 'sun'. Sunrise would be 'terbit matahari', though it's not common. Far more common is 'fajar', meaning 'dawn'(quite a common man's name).

Another meaning of 'mata': point (of a needle, dagger, etc.)

In compounds 'mata' often means something like 'item', e.g., mata acara agenda item, mata belanja budget item, mata pelajaran subject of study.

Some other compounds with 'mata': mata kaki ankle (lit. eye of the foot/leg), mata kayu wood knot (lit. eye of wood/timber), (telur) mata sapi fried egg (lit. bull's/cow's eye), mata susu nipple (lit. milk eye), mata uang currency (lit. money eye)

Oops. Sorry. Like I said, High School Indonesian. I'll edit my post and fix it.

Kia Ora

Meitaki Luke. Thank you

Is meitaki used as thank you in Cook Island Maori? My Rarotongan friends told me it was roughly equivalent to kapai in New Zealand Māori. If I practice my tiny bit of NZ Māori on them with "kei te pehea koe?" They all answer, "meitaki".

Kia orana Latishya,
Us Cookies usually say, Pe'ea koe or pe'ua where the response would be, meitaki ua. We dropped the H a few generations ago. But yes, Meitaki means Fine, good, well, a positive affirmation.

Mataklap is still in use here, of which I'm not sure if it means 'mad'- angry or 'mad'-crazy. Doesn't susu mean sweet in general?

No, sweet as an adjective is manis and sweet as a noun is permen.

I should have known. The ketjap manis is the sweetened one of my two bottles of ketjap. (sorry to end up in the food department, but the Indonesian kitchen is without any doubt the most delicate, delicious, refined and variable kitchen in the world. If only the world knew)

i once had an elderly dutch friend who spent 30 years in the Dutch Merchant Marine based in Jakarta and his rijstafel was heavenly, with a particularly delicious homemade sambal oelek and nasi goreng. as much as i loved his excellent indonesian food, indian food still comes first for me - aloo paratha and saag paneer washed down with chai then fresh kulfi.

I was't thinking of nasi goreng, which is generally a remix of yesterday's left overs, good though it can be, but the real thing, the days-long cooking of all different little dishes and side dishes.
Indian food is wonderful too. Only we have very little good indian food restaurants. But true, your Indian spice mixes are marvellous. ( health food store have many Indian things, even paneer)

as was I which is why I said rijstafel. I know that it took him two days to prepare one. his nasi goreng was definitely not "a remix of leftovers"

OK, the real thing! Got your point.
Back to Mit. It's wonderful you could and did choose Indonesian as a subject in highschool. We never had that free choice even though I'm happy with what I did learn.

Can you choose any language you want?

I made a post about the significance we place in names in light if this week's theme, and one of the girls who I'm in teacher training with has "hari" as part of her spiritual name. It originates from Sanskrit, and is from the root word "har", meaning creative; as in the creative aspect of God, and "hari" is that creation in action.

The Mata Hari we departed from certainly was creative. I tracked down the meaning and origin of her real names:
Margharetha: Babylonian -> daughter of the sea, child of light.
Geertruida: Germanic -> the powerful with spear.
Maybe she knew these meanings and it gave her creative ideas?

Whoa--I have an Aunt Gertrude. Don't know about a spear, but she sure is powerful! (read: gets her way)

Margharetha: Babylonian -> daughter of the sea, child of light.

I doubt that the name is Akkadian or Babylonian in origin. Latin margarita means 'pearl' (which kinda explains why a nickname for Margaret is Peg) from Greek μαργαριτης (margaritēs) < μαργαρος (margaros) 'mother of pearl'.

My mother's name was Gertrude: and she got her way, all the way, all the time.

Did she have a spear?

ZM: My information is cheap wiki stuff so I'm sure you know better.
'mother of pearl' is quite nice too.


I wish someone had taught me how they do that, the Gertrudes.

Then, as the strawberry season is still in full run I'll add some familarities too:
aunt Lien: great, ye' should 've seen
aunt Ien: she was mean
aunt Ans: nicht ganz..
aunt Lane: cute and mundaine
aunt Gre: (oh blye me, that's a derivation of Gertrude)
aunt Co: so so ...
aunt Mies: homely and pleased
aunt Ati: Ha! She was our own Hara Mati

The uncles?

her tongue was sharp and piercing!