Appendix:Indonesian affixes

Words with prefixes and suffixes can be found by looking up their roots. If you do not know the root of a word, you can find it by choosing its prefix on the list below and looking for it there.

Prefixes

ber-

Variations: be- (if the root word starts with letter "r").
Forms a verb that often means "being something, having something, having a certain attribute" or "indicating a state of being or condition". For example the root word 'nilai' have a general meaning of 'value', thus the verb bernilai have a meaning of verb 'to have a value' or 'valuable' adjective. The adjective 'bahaya' means 'danger', 'berbahaya' means 'to be dangerous', having a dangerous value.

• Tumbuhan itu berbahaya untuk dimakan - That plant is dangerous to eat

di-

Forms a verb indicating the passive voice, where the main focus of the sentence is on the action or the object of the action. Almost always translated into -ed suffix in English - often corresponds to to be + verb + -ed, but not necessarily. 'larang' (prohibit), 'dilarang' (prohibited).

• Dia ditunjuk menjadi kepala sekolah setelah rapat para guru - He is appointed to be principal after teachers' meeting

ke-

Only used as a confix. See ke-an under confixes below.

meng-

Variations: me-, men-, mem-, meny- (depend on the first letter of the root word):

1. men-: c (caci - mencaci), d (daki - mendaki), j (jadi - menjadi), t (tepi - menepi, first letter disappears)
2. mem-: b (beri - memberi), f, p (punya - mempunyai, sometimes the first letter disappears), v (validasi, memvalidasi)
3. meny-: s (sapu - menyapu, first letter disappears)
4. meng-: a, e, g, h, i, k, o, u
5. me-: l, m, n, r, w

peng-

Variations: pe-, pen-, pem-, peny- (depending on the first letter of the root word):

1. pen-: c (cari - pencari), d (daki - pendaki), j (jilat - penjilat), t (tikung - penikung, first letter disappears)
2. pem-: b (beri - pemberi), f, p (pisah - pemisah, sometimes the first letter disappears), v
3. peny-: s (sapu - penyapu, first letter disappears)
4. peng-: a, e, g, h, i, k, o, u
5. pe-: l, m, n, r, w

• + noun: forms a noun that indicates a person, agent or thing that has the character of the root word.
  • selam (swim) - penyelam (swimmer)
  • ajar (teach) - pengajar, another word for guru (teacher)
• + adjective: forms a noun that indicates a person or thing that has the quality or attribute inherent in the adjective root word.
  • muda (young) - pemuda (youngster, a young person)
• with '-an' suffix: forms a noun referring to a process in the sense of a noun.
  • hapus (erase) - penghapusan (erasing, deletion)
  • guna (use) - penggunaan (using)

se-

Forms words that indicate a singularity, and the words sometimes are used for measurement (measure words). For example, 'buah' (fruit) becomes 'sebuah' (a fruit, one fruit) which is used for expressing a singular: 'sebuah kursi' (one chair). It's also used to create adverbs that express comparisons to the root word.

• sepenuh (“entirely”)
  • sepenuh hati ("wholeheartedly")
• sebesar (“as big as”)
• selanjutnya (“the next”)
  • menunggu pemberitahuan selanjutnya ("waiting for further notice")

ter-

Variations: te- (if the root word starts with letter "r")

• + adjective: forms a superlative
  • terbesar (“biggest”)
• + non-adjective: forms a passive perfect verb or an accidental and unplanned occurrence.
  • terlibat (“to be involved”)
  • terdampar (“to be stranded”)

Suffixes

Possessive

• -ku: my
• -mu: your
• -nya: his, her

Confixes

ke-an

The ke-an confix is used on verbs and adjectives to create nouns. Here are some examples

Root Word	Meaning	Ke-an Form	Meaning
sehat	healthy	kesehatan	health
bersih	clean	kebersihan	cleanliness
sulit	difficult	kesulitan	difficulty
hidup	live	kehidupan	life
datang	come	kedatangan	arrival

the ke-an confix can also be used to indicate one is suffering from or to indicate an excessiveness of the noun created.

Indonesian	English
Ia mulai bergetar karena kedinginan.	She is starting to shiver because she is freezing.
Kehausan itu cara kematian buruk sekali.	Dehydration (suffering from thirst) is a very bad way to die.
Kapan makanan akan siap? Saya kelaparan.	When will the food be ready? I'm starving.
Mangkuk ini kebesaran.	This bowl is too big.

pe-an

Variations: pem-an, pen-an, peng-an; penge-an, peny-an (depend on the first letter of the root word)

per-an

Forms a noun that often refers to a circumstance referred to by the root word or the result of the action of the verb in the sentence. May also indicate a place or location.

• kawin (marry) - perkawinan (marriage ceremony)
• kantor (office) - perkantoran (office complex)

See also

• Appendix:Malay affixes