bubu

See also: buʼbuʼ, bubú, bùbù, bubu-, and Bubu

English

Noun

bubu (plural bubus)

1. Alternative form of boubou (“type of robe”).

Albanian

Interjection

bubu

1. alas

Asturian

Noun

bubu m (plural bubos)

1. grain

Aukan

Etymology

Probably from Kongo m-bùubu (“dread, something dreadful, darkness”). Compare Saramaccan bubú (“jaguar”) and Sranan Tongo bubu (“bogeyman”).

Noun

bubu

1. jaguar, Panthera onca

Central Dusun

Etymology

From Malay bubu, Proto-Malayic *bubu, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *bubu, from Proto-Austronesian *bubu.

Pronunciation

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

bubu

1. fish trap

References

• “bubu”, in Dusun dictionary, 2025–2026

Guugu Yimidhirr

Etymology

Cognate with Kuku-Yalanji bubu (“ground, earth”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bubu/
• Hyphenation: bu‧bu

Noun

bubu

1. dirt
2. land
3. place

References

• Haviland, John B. (1979), “Guugu Yimidhirr”, in R. M. W. Dixon & Barry J. Blake, editor, Handbook of Australian languages, volume 1, Canberra: ANU Press, →DOI, page 168

Indonesian

Etymology

Inherited from Malay bubu, from Proto-Malayic *bubu, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *bubu, from Proto-Austronesian *bubu.

Pronunciation

• (Standard Indonesian) IPA^(key): /ˈbubu/ [ˈbu.bu]
• Rhymes: -ubu
• Syllabification: bu‧bu

Noun

bubu (plural bubu-bubu)

1. fish trap
2. alternative form of wuwu

Derived terms

Affixations

• membubu

Compounds

• bubu apung
• bubu lipat
• bubu tambun
• bubu tarik
• bubu tiang

Further reading

• “bubu”, in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia [Great Dictionary of the Indonesian Language] (in Indonesian), Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation – Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, 2016

Kavalan

Etymology

From Proto-Austronesian *bubu.

Noun

bubu

1. conical bamboo basket, a fish trap

References

• Paul Jen-kuei Li (李壬癸); Shigeru Tsuchida (土田滋) (2006), Kavalan Dictionary (噶瑪蘭語詞典) (Language and Linguistics Monograph Series; A-19)‎^[1], Taipei, Taiwan: Institute of Linguistics, Academia Sinica

Kulisusu

Noun

bubu

1. Air bubbles rising from water.

References

“bubu”, in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia [Great Dictionary of the Indonesian Language] (in Indonesian), Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation – Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, 2016

Madurese

Verb

bubu

1. To accept someone's invitation by giving a sum of money as a donation.

References

“bubu”, in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia [Great Dictionary of the Indonesian Language] (in Indonesian), Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation – Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, 2016

Malay

Perangkap ikan bubu yang digunakan orang asli Mendriq di Kampung Kuala Lah, Gua Musang, Kelantan. Bubu ini merupakan replika kecil yang direka sebagai mainan kanak-kanak orang asli Mendriq. — Fish trap used by native Mendriq in Kampung Kuala Lah, Musang Cave, Kelantan. This fish trap is a small replica designed as a children's toy of the Mendriq.

Bubu orang asli Amerika berhampiran Eastport, Maine, AS. — Native American fish trap near Eastport, Maine, USA.

Bubu tradisional di Timor Leste. — Traditional fish trap in Timor Leste.

Bubu tradisional digunakan di Tamil Nadu, India. — Traditional fish trap used in Tamil Nadu, India.

Bubu Finland (Katiska). — Finnish fish trap (Katiska).

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Malayic *bubu, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *bubu, from Proto-Austronesian *bubu.

Pronunciation

• (Literary Standard) IPA^(key): /ˈbubu/ [ˈbu.bu]
• (Kuala Lumpur-Singapore) IPA^(key): /ˈbubu/ [ˈbu.bu]
• (Kedah) IPA^(key): /ˈbubu/ [ˈbu.bu]
• Syllabification: bu‧bu

Noun

bubu (Jawi spelling بوبو, plural bubu-bubu)

1. fish trap

   Synonym: lukah

Descendants

• > Indonesian: bubu

References

• “bubu”, in Kamus Dewan [The Institute Dictionary] (in Malay), Fourth edition, Kuala Lumpur: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, 2005, →ISBN
• "bubu" in Pusat Rujukan Persuratan Melayu (PRPM) [Malay Literary Reference Centre (PRPM)] (in Malay), Kuala Lumpur: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, 2017
  (also see "bubu" at PRPM first version)

Minriq

Etymology

From Malay bubu, Proto-Malayic *bubu, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *bubu, from Proto-Austronesian *bubu.

Noun

bubu

1. fish trap

Polish

Pronunciation

• (Lesser Poland):
  • (Goral):
    • (Zagórze) IPA^(key): [ˈbu.bu]

Noun

bubu n (indeclinable)

1. (Zagórze, childish) alternative form of buba

Further reading

• Józefa Kobylińska (2001), “buba, bubu”, in Marian Kucała, editor, Słownik gwary gorczańskiej (zagórzańskiej)‎^[2] (in Polish), Kraków: Wydawnictwo Naukowe Akademii Pedagogicznej, →ISBN, page 10

Sentani

Noun

bubu

1. Young or immature breadfruit seeds (inedible).

Collocations

proverbs using bubu

• ke hulu kena bubu, ke hilir kena tengkalak

  (please add an English translation of this usage example)

• ke hulu masuk lukah ke muara masuk bubu ― (please add an English translation of this usage example)
• seperti bujuk lepas dari bubu ― (please add an English translation of this usage example)
• bubu duduk jiwaku hilang ― (please add an English translation of this usage example)

References

“bubu”, in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia [Great Dictionary of the Indonesian Language] (in Indonesian), Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation – Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, 2016

Serbo-Croatian

Noun

bubu (Cyrillic spelling бубу)

1. accusative singular of buba

Sranan Tongo

Etymology

Probably from Kongo m-bùubu (“dread, something dreadful, darkness”). Compare Aukan bubu (“jaguar”) and Saramaccan bubú (“jaguar”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /buˈbu/

Noun

bubu

1. bogeyman, bugbear, monster

Sundanese

Alternative forms

• boeboe (dated, pre-1947)

Etymology

From Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *bubu, from Proto-Austronesian *bubu.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bubu/
• Rhymes: -ubu, -bu, -u

Noun

bubu (Sundanese spelling ᮘᮥᮘᮥ)

1. fish trap

Derived terms

• naheun bubu pahareup-hareup (“to borrow money from each other, lit. "to set traps opposite each other"”)

References

• 'BOEBOE', in Coolsma, S (1913), Soendaneesch-Hollandsch Woordenboek (in Dutch), Leiden: A.W. Sijthoff's Uitgeversmaatschappij

Swahili

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Bantu [Term?].

Pronunciation

• Audio (Kenya):

  (file)

Noun

bubu class V (plural mabubu class VI)

1. dumb person
2. mute person

Taroko

Noun

bubu

1. mother

Ternate

Etymology 1

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈbu.bu]

Noun

bubu

1. a fin or flipper of a fish

Etymology 2

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈbu.bu]

Verb

bubu

1. (transitive) to drill, bore a hole

Conjugation

Conjugation of bubu

		singular	plural
			inclusive	exclusive
1st person		tobubu	fobubu	mibubu
2nd person		nobubu	nibubu
3rd person	masculine	obubu	ibubu yobubu (archaic)
	feminine	mobubu
	neuter	ibubu

Etymology 3

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈbu.bu]

Verb

bubu

1. (transitive) to put out in the rain

References

• Rika Hayami-Allen (2001), A descriptive study of the language of Ternate, the northern Moluccas, Indonesia, University of Pittsburgh

Tetum

Verb

bubu

1. to swell

Tok Pisin

Etymology

Possibly from Hiri Motu tubu (“grandparent”).

Noun

bubu

1. grandparent
2. any elderly relative

References

• Volker, C. A. (general editor), et al. (2008), Papua New Guinea Tok Pisin English Dictionary, Oxford University Press in association with Wantok Niuspepa, →ISBN, page 13