This is the 796th most frequent Indonesian word.
ayam
Chicken.
Here, "ayam" is used as a noun meaning "chicken", referring to the bird.
Dia memelihara ayam di halaman rumahnya.
He raises chickens in his backyard.
In this sentence, "ayam" describes the main ingredient of the dish, meaning "chicken" as food.
Ibu memasak ayam goreng untuk makan malam.
Mother is cooking fried chicken for dinner.
The word "ayam" here is specifically referring to a rooster, an adult male chicken, showing a thematic or cultural usage.