Last updated on April 18, 2022
The word Tuhan is the original Indonesian word with the original meaning ‘Lord’ which nowadays is still preserved in the word tuan ‘Sir’. The Arabic loanword Allah is used precisely the same way as it is used in all Arabic countries: it is the word for God used by Christians and Muslims alike. The only difference is that Christians always pronounce it the Indonesian way whereas Muslims tend to imitate the Arabic pronunciation [?alˤːɑːh]. And as the largest Muslim nation in the world the word Allah has become part of everyday conversation.
Tuhan is also used by both Christians and Muslims, but the combination Tuhan Allah is only used by Christians.