Where does “orkay” come from?
orkay (Betawi) comes from Indonesian kaya, from Malay kaya, from Austronesian *kaya, from Proto-Austronesian kaya — able, capable, strong, wealthy.
orkay (Betawi): rich guy, rich people
Ancestry of “orkay”, step by step
orkay traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Indonesian kaya
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Indonesian | kaya | rich, wealthy; powerful; Alternative spelling of... |
| 2 | Malay | kaya | rich, wealthy; a jam made from coconut milk,... |
| 3 | Austronesian | *kaya | — |
| 4 | Proto-Austronesian | kaya | able, capable, strong, wealthy |
via Indonesian orang
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Indonesian | orang | human, person; a vassal; a subject; a person who... |
| 2 | Malay | orang | person; human, person; a vassal; a subject |
| 3 | Proto-Malayo-Polynesian | uRaŋ | outsider |