Nusantara

N1U1S1A1N1T1A1R1A1

proper noun

A region of Southeast Asia: generally used to refer to Maritime Southeast Asia, which includes Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, and the Philippines.

OriginMalay Nusantara ← Old Javanese nūsāntara →
UncommonScrabble 9
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Meanings

proper noun
  1. A region of Southeast Asia: generally used to refer to Maritime Southeast Asia, which includes Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, and the Philippines.
  2. BruneiMalaysiaSingaporeAn archipelago of Southeast Asia: Malay Archipelago or the Malay world.
  3. IndonesiaIndonesian Archipelago, the islands comprising the country of Indonesia or to the geographical groups which include its islands.
  4. IndonesiaA country in Southeast Asia: Endonym for the Republic of Indonesia, including everything contained within it (i.e., covering the regions, people, cultures, languages, etc.).
  5. The planned capital city of Indonesia in East Kalimantan, on Borneo.

    The de jure capital city of Indonesia is Nusantara, located in the eastern coast of Kalimantan island.

  6. archaichistoricalA region of Southeast Asia. The conquered territories of the Majapahit empire, corresponding to present-day Indonesia (main) and several Southeast Asian countries.

Origin

  1. Old Javanesenūsāntara“the outer islands”
  2. MalayNusantara
  3. EnglishNusantara

From Indonesian and Malay Nusantara, ultimately from Old Javanese nūsāntara (“the outer islands”).

More words from Malay, Old Javanese

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

Nusantara. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Nusantara

MLA

“Nusantara.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Nusantara. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Nusantara,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Nusantara.

Source: Nusantara on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.