Where does “balik kanan” come from?

balik kanan (Indonesian) comes from Indonesian kanan, from Malay kanan, from Proto-Malayic kanan, from Proto-Austronesian (ka-)wanaN — right.

balik kanan (Indonesian): about turn, to the rear, march

Definitions

  1. about turn, to the rear, march

Ancestry of “balik kanan”, step by step

balik kanan traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Indonesian kanan

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Indonesiankananright
2Malaykananright
3Proto-Malayickanan—
4Proto-Austronesian(ka-)wanaNright

via Indonesian balik

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Indonesianbalikbehind, rear, back-end
2Malaybalikback part, behind; to return, to turn
3Proto-Malayo-Polynesian*balikto return; to repeat
Every word from Proto-Austronesian (ka-)wanaN →Every word from Proto-Malayic kanan →Every word from Malay kanan →