On this website, you will probably encounter words and abbreviations that are not immediately clear to you. Therefore we made this glossary.
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
| ADEK | Algemeen Delisch Administratie Kantoor, General Deli Administrative Office |
| alang-alang | grass |
| aloen-aloen | city square |
| ALRI | Angkatan Laut Republik Indonesia, Navy of the Republic of Indonesia |
| AMACAB | Allied Military Administration Civil Affairs Branch |
| AMS | Algemene Middelbare School, General Secondary School |
| APWI | Allied Prisoners of War and Internees |
| arang | charcoal |
| atap | palm leaf |
| atap pagger | enclosure made of palm leaf |
| AVROS | Algemene Vereniging van Rubberplanters ter Oostkust van Sumatra, General Society of Rubber Planters on Sumatra's East Coast |
| baleh-baleh | bamboo bed |
| BAT | British American Tobacco |
| Bat. | Battalion |
| bengkel | workshop |
| benteng | fortress |
| beras menir | broken rice |
| bersiap | to hold oneself ready, to take action; name for the period after the Japanese capitulation |
| besaran | administrator's house on an estate |
| bilik | bamboo wattle |
| BKR | Badan Keamanan Rakjat, Organization for the Safety of the People |
| BPM | Bataafse Petroleum Maatschappij, Batavian Oil Company |
| A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z | |
| capt. | captain |
| CBZ | Centrale Burgerlijke Ziekeninrichting, Central Civilian Medical Center |
| desa | village |
| djagoeng | maize |
| djahat | criminal |
| djati | teak |
| dr. | doctor |
| drs. | Master of Arts, Master of Science |
| ds. | minister |
| DSM | Deli Spoorweg Maatschappij, Deli Railroad Company |
| emper | gallery |
| fr. | friar |
| A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z | |
| gedek | wall of woven bamboo |
| goedang | storage |
| grobak | buffalo cart |
| gudang | storage |
| Gurkha | British soldier of Nepalese descent |
| han | block (part of a camp) |
| HBS | Hogere Burger School, Higher Civilian School |
| heiho | assistant-soldier in Japanese service |
| HMAS | Her Majesty's Australian Ship |
| HMS | Her Majesty's Ship |
| hong | stone shed |
| Hr. Ms. | Harer Majesteits, Her Majesty's |
| IEV | Indo-Europees Verbond, Indo-European Union |
| incl. | including |
| ir. | ingenieur, engineer |
| JCJL | Java-China-Japan Line |
| jhr. | jonkheer, Dutch honorific of nobility |
| JIB | Java Immigrant Bureau |
| A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z | |
| kali | (small) river |
| kampong | residential district |
| kampret | bat |
| kandji | starch |
| kangkoeng | waterplant (vegetable) |
| katjang | peanut |
| KDP | Kantoor Displaced Persons, Displaced Persons' Office |
| ketela | cassava, tapioca, manioc |
| KIT | Koninklijk Instituut voor de Tropen, Royal Tropical Institute |
| KITLV | Koninklijk Instituut voor Taal-, Land- en Volkenkunde, Royal Netherlands Institute of Southeast Asian and Caribbean Studies |
| klamboe | mosquito net |
| KMR | Koninklijke Marine Reserve, Royal Navy Reserve |
| KNIL | Koninklijk Nederlands-Indisch Leger, Royal Netherlands-Indies Army |
| kol. | kolonel, colonel |
| kpl. | korporaal, corporal |
| KPM | Koninklijke Paketvaart Maatschappij, Royal Mail Company |
| kpt. | kapitein, captain |
| KSB | Katholieke Sociale Bond, Catholic Social Union |
| ladang | field |
| LOG | Lands Opvoedings Gesticht, Government Reformatory |
| lt. | lieutenant |
| lt.-kol. | luitenant-kolonel, lieutenant-colonel |
| ltz. | luitenant ter zee, naval lieutenant |
| A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z | |
| maj. | major |
| mandi | bathing |
| merdeka | free, independent |
| MLD | Militaire Luchtvaart Dienst, Military Air Force |
| ML-KNIL | Militaire Luchtvaart van het KNIL, Military Airforce of the KNIL |
| mr. | Master of Laws |
| Mulo | Meer uitgebreid lager onderwijs, type of secondary school |
| MV | Maria Vereeniging, Mary Society |
| NIAS | Nederlands-Indische Artsen School, Netherlands-Indies Medical School |
| NICA | Netherlands Indies Civil Administration |
| NIOD | Nederlands Instituut voor Oorlogsdocumentatie, Netherlands Institute for War Documentation |
| NKPM | Nederlandse Koloniale Petroleum Maatschappij, Netherlands Colonial Oil Company |
| NSB | Nationaal-Socialistische Beweging, National-Socialist Movement |
| nv | naamloze vennootschap, type of company |
| ongol-ongol | small balls of cooked starch |
| OSM | Oembilin Steenkool Mijnen, Oembilin Coal Mines |
| A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z | |
| PAGI | Persaudaraan Asia Golongan Indo, Asiatic Brotherhood Indonesian Branch |
| pasanggrahan | small hotel |
| pasar | market |
| pelopor | scout |
| pemoeda | young man |
| pendopo | gallery |
| PID | Politieke Inlichtingen Dienst, Political Intelligence Service |
| pondok | shed |
| POPDA | Panitia Oeroesan Pengankoetan Djepang dan APWI, Organization for the Repatriation of Japanese and APWI |
| prof. | professor |
| PSV | Planters School Vereeniging, Planters' School Society |
| R.K. | rooms-katholiek, Roman Catholic |
| RAF | Royal Air Force |
| RAPWI | Recovery of Allied Prisoners of War and Internees |
| res. | reserve |
| romusha | forced labourer |
| A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z | |
| sajoer | vegetable (soup) |
| sajoer bajam | spinach soup |
| sarong | kilt, skirt |
| sawah | rice field |
| SDF | Siantar Dokter Fonds, Siantar Doctor Fund |
| SEAC | South East Asia Command |
| sgt. | sergeant |
| sgt.-maj. | sergeant-major |
| slokan | ditch |
| SMP | Steenkolen Maatschappij Parapattan, Coal Company Parapattan |
| SOG | Soekaboemisch Opvoedings Gesticht, Soekaboemi Reformatory |
| St. | Saint |
| STOVIL | School tot Opleiding van Inlandse Leraren, School for the Education of Native Teachers |
| tahoe | bean curd |
| tangsi | military encampment, barracks |
| TANIA | Tot Amerika Nederlands-Indië Aanvalt, Until America Attacks the Netherlands-Indies |
| tbc | tuberculosis |
| tempeh | soy bean cake |
| THHK | Tiong Hoa Hwee Koan, Chinese Society |
| tikar | mat |
| TKR | Tentara Keamanan Rakjat, Army for the Safety of the People |
| toko | shop |
| totok | pureblood (Dutch) |
| TRI | Tentara Republik Indonesia, Army of the Republik of Indonesia |
| A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z | |
| USS | United States Ship |
| warga negara Indonesia | Indonesian citizen |
| waroeng, warung | small outdoor restaurant |
| wedono | native district head |
| wingcomm. | wingcommander |