Bedeutung
Someone who loves to read books
Kultureller Hintergrund
In Indonesia, being a 'kutu buku' is often linked to the 'Ranking 1' culture in schools, where academic excellence is highly prized by parents. In Jogja, 'kutu buku' are everywhere. The city has a high density of bookstores and 'Taman Bacaan' (Reading Gardens) where this identity is celebrated. The 'kutu buku' aesthetic has merged with 'coffee shop culture'. It's now common to see people identifying as such while working or reading in upscale cafes. Indonesian authors often use 'kutu buku' to describe their characters to show they are thoughtful or introverted.
Use it as a compliment
Most Indonesians take 'kutu buku' as a compliment regarding their intelligence.
Don't flip the words
Never say 'buku kutu'. It sounds like you're talking about a specific insect species rather than the idiom.
Bedeutung
Someone who loves to read books
Use it as a compliment
Most Indonesians take 'kutu buku' as a compliment regarding their intelligence.
Don't flip the words
Never say 'buku kutu'. It sounds like you're talking about a specific insect species rather than the idiom.
Add 'Banget'
To sound like a native, add 'banget' at the end: 'Dia kutu buku banget!'
The 'Kacamata' link
In Indonesia, 'kutu buku' is often visually associated with wearing glasses (kacamata).
Teste dich selbst
Fill in the blank with the correct idiom.
Siska selalu membaca buku di waktu luang. Dia memang seorang ____.
Someone who reads in their spare time is a 'kutu buku'.
Which sentence is the most natural use of the idiom?
Choose the correct sentence:
This correctly uses the idiom to describe a person with many novels.
Match the person to the label.
Budi reads 5 books a week. What is he?
A person who reads a lot is a bookworm.
Complete the dialogue.
A: 'Wah, koleksi bukumu banyak sekali!' B: 'Iya, aku kan ____.'
The person is confirming they are a bookworm because they have many books.
Match the Indonesian idiom to its English equivalent.
Kutu buku
Kutu buku translates directly to bookworm in English.
🎉 Ergebnis: /5
Visuelle Lernhilfen
Types of Kutu Buku
Fiction Lover
- • Novel
- • Cerpen
- • Puisi
Academic
- • Jurnal
- • Buku Teks
- • Riset
Aufgabensammlung
5 AufgabenSiska selalu membaca buku di waktu luang. Dia memang seorang ____.
Someone who reads in their spare time is a 'kutu buku'.
Choose the correct sentence:
This correctly uses the idiom to describe a person with many novels.
Budi reads 5 books a week. What is he?
A person who reads a lot is a bookworm.
A: 'Wah, koleksi bukumu banyak sekali!' B: 'Iya, aku kan ____.'
The person is confirming they are a bookworm because they have many books.
Ordne jedem Element links seinen Partner rechts zu:
Kutu buku translates directly to bookworm in English.
🎉 Ergebnis: /5
Häufig gestellte Fragen
12 FragenGenerally, no. It's a neutral to positive term. However, like 'nerd', tone matters.
Yes, Indonesian nouns are gender-neutral. It applies to everyone.
There isn't a direct idiom, but you might say 'orang yang malas baca' (someone lazy at reading).
No, use 'Memiliki minat baca yang tinggi' instead.
No, it applies to anyone who reads anything—textbooks, comics, or non-fiction.
It's likely due to the real 'booklice' insects found in tropical climates.
You can, but 'kutu buku' is much more common.
You can say 'kutu-kutu buku', but usually 'kutu buku' is used for both singular and plural.
Purists might say no, but modern speakers would likely still call them a 'kutu buku'.
It's an idiom, but it's so common that it's used in almost all registers except the most formal.
That's 'Tsundoku' in Japanese. In Indonesian, we don't have a specific word, maybe just 'kolektor buku'.
Yes, it's very common to call a studious child a 'kutu buku'.
Verwandte Redewendungen
Kutu loncat
similarA job hopper or someone who moves between groups.
Pecinta buku
synonymBook lover.
Gila baca
similarCrazy about reading.
Kolektor buku
specialized formBook collector.
Kutu kupret
contrastA nuisance or brat.
Mata buku
similarSomeone always looking at books.
