Bumiputera or Bumiputra (Jawi: بوميڤوترا) is a Malaysian term to describe the Malay race and other indigenous peoples of Southeast Asia, and used particularly in Malaysia. The term comes from the Sanskrit word bhumiputra (भूमिपुत्र), which can be translated literally as "son of the land" or "son of the soil" (bhumi= earth or land, putra=son).