The key takeaway here is that bule generally points to someone who is clearly not local, usually distinguished by their appearance, such as lighter skin or different hair color. In its most common usage, especially within indonesian and malay contexts, bule is an informal term used to refer to a foreigner, particularly one who is caucasian or from a western country. Some indonesians with lighter skin tones are even jokingly called “bule” by their friends This shows that the term is more about being “different” from the majority than just skin colour. The word bule, however, has a more curious origin Linguistic research suggests that bule comes from bulai, a term for animals or people with albinism
The word ‘bule’ follows you around indonesia There is no equivalent in english In the simplest way, ‘bule’ means foreigner. The meaning and use of the word bule and various expatriate reactions to its use in popular indonesian culture. (in indonesia) a person who is not indonesian, especially a white person. See examples of bule used in a sentence.
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