Indonesian Affixes Complete Guide

Indonesian uses an extensive system of affixes (prefixes and suffixes) to modify word meaning and function. Understanding this system is crucial for fluency.

Overview of Affix Functions

Prefixes: Determine verb type (transitive, intransitive, passive)
Suffixes: Add specific functions or meanings
Circumfixes: Prefix + suffix combinations

me- Prefix (Transitive Verbs)

The most common prefix, indicating active voice transitive verbs.

Basic Pattern

me- + verb root = transitive verb

Root	With me-	Meaning
baca	membaca	to read
tulis	menulis	to write

me- with Different Root Types

me- + transitive verb: No meaning change

baca → membaca (to read)

me- + intransitive verb: Meaning changes

bangun (to wake up) → membangun (to build)
tinggal (to stay) → meninggal (to die)

me- + adjective: “to become ~”

panjang (long) → memanjang (to become longer)
kecil (small) → mengecil (to become smaller)

me- + noun: Creates transitive verb

sapu (broom) → menyapu (to sweep)

me- Form Variations

The prefix changes based on the first letter of the root:

Root starts with	Prefix becomes	Example
t, d, c, j	men-	tari → menari
s	meny- (s drops)	sapu → menyapu
p, b, f, v	mem- (p drops)	pukul → memukul
k, g, vowels	meng- (k drops)	kirim → mengirim
r, l, m, n, ny	me-	rasa → merasa
Single syllable	menge-	cat → mengecat

Memorization tip: men-, mem-, meng- relate to where you block air when pronouncing:

men- (tongue blocks at teeth: t, d)
mem- (lips block: p, b)
meng- (throat blocks: k, g)

ber- Prefix (Intransitive Verbs)

Creates intransitive verbs, often indicating possession or state.

ber- + verb root = formal intransitive

jalan → berjalan (to walk)

ber- + noun

“to do/have ~”
- rumah → berumah (to have a house)
- mobil → bermobil (to have a car / to drive)
- sepatu → bersepatu (to wear shoes)
- bau → berbau (to smell)
ber- + emotion adjective: “to feel ~”
- sedih → bersedih (to feel sad)

Special Forms

ber- + kerja = bekerja (the ‘r’ drops before ‘r’)
ber- + ajar = belajar (irregular)

di- Prefix (Passive Voice)

Creates passive voice from transitive verbs.

Pattern

Active: Dia membeli mobil. (He buys a car) Passive: Mobil dibeli (oleh) dia. (A car is bought by him)

Passive with 1st/2nd Person

Uses pattern 2 (pronoun before verb root):

Mobil tidak akan saya beli. (The car won’t be bought by me)

ter- Prefix (Passive/Stative)

Has four meanings depending on context:

1. Completed State (sudah di-)

terbeli = already bought
“Mobil ini tidak terbeli” (This car wasn’t bought - too expensive)

2. Possibility (bisa di-)

terlihat = able to be seen
“Dia terlihat pintar” (He looks smart)
“File ini tidak terbaca” (This file cannot be read)

3. Unintentional Action (tidak sengaja di-)

tertidur = fell asleep (accidentally)
terbangun = woke up (unintentionally)
“Buku saya terambil oleh dia” (He accidentally took my book)

4. Sudden Action (mendadak di-)

Something happening suddenly

-kan Suffix

With Transitive Verbs: “to do ~ for someone”

baca → membacakan (to read for someone)
buka → membukakan (to open for someone)

Pattern: Subject + verb-kan + indirect object + direct object

Saya membukakan kamu pintu (I open the door for you)

With Non-Transitive Roots: “to make ~”

With intransitive verbs:

tidur → menidurkan (to put to sleep)

With adjectives:

panas → memanaskan (to heat up)

With nouns:

film → memfilmkan (to make into a film)
sekolah → menyekolahkan (to send to school)

With Speech/Thought/Emotion: “about”

membicarakan = berbicara tentang (to talk about)
memikirkan = berpikir tentang (to think about)

Emphasis Function

mendengar → mendengarkan (to listen carefully)

-i Suffix

Creates transitive verbs that include preposition meaning.

Pattern: verb + preposition → verb-i

Base	With Preposition	With -i
masuk	masuk ke	memasuki (to enter ~)
datang	datang di	mendatangi (to come to ~)
bertemu	bertemu dengan	menemui (to meet ~)
kirim	kirim kepada	mengirimi (to send to ~)

With Adjectives

jauh → menjauhi (to distance from)
marah → memarahi (to get angry at)
cinta → mencintai (to love)

With Nouns (giving something)

hadiah → menghadiahi (to give a gift to)

With Person Nouns (act as)

teman → menemani (to accompany)
guru → menggurui (to act like a teacher toward)

-an Suffix (Nominalization)

With Verb/Adjective Roots

Result of action (~한 결과물):

tulis → tulisan (writing, something written)
catat → catatan (notes)
kotor → kotoran (dirt)
cuci → cucian (laundry)

Thing that can be ~:

makan → makanan (food)
minum → minuman (drink)
pakai → pakaian (clothes)
baca → bacaan (reading material)
dorong → dorongan (cart, pushable thing)

Nominalization:

pikir → pikiran (thought)
cium → ciuman (kiss)

With Noun Roots

Time unit specification:

hari → harian (daily)
minggu → mingguan (weekly)
bulan → bulanan (monthly)

Larger concept:

darat → daratan (continent)
laut → lautan (ocean)

Similar shape:

rambut → rambutan (hairy fruit)
duri → durian (spiky fruit)

ke-an Circumfix

Passive Function (rare)

hujan → kehujanan (to get rained on)
jatuh → kejatuhan (to be fallen on)
masuk → kemasukan (to be possessed)
tinggal → ketinggalan (to be left behind)

Nominalization

cantik → kecantikan (beauty)
hidup → kehidupan (life)
mungkin → kemungkinan (possibility)
harus → keharusan (obligation)

With Special Nouns (places/fields)

duta → kedutaan (embassy)
raja → kerajaan (kingdom)
dokter → kedokteran (medical field)

Adjective Emphasis (very ~)

lapar → kelaparan (very hungry)
manis → kemanisan (too sweet)
panas → kepanasan (too hot)
kecil → kekecilan (too small)

pe- Prefix (Agent/Tool)

Person (habitual doer)

kerja → pekerja (worker)
dagang → pedagang (merchant)
makan → pemakan (big eater)
malas → pemalas (lazy person)
mabuk → pemabuk (drunkard)

Tool

potong → pemotong (cutter)
hapus → penghapus (eraser)

pe-an Circumfix (Process Nominalization)

Creates nouns from verbs (the act of doing):

membaca → pembacaan (the act of reading)
membeli → pembelian (purchase)
memakai → pemakaian (usage)
memanaskan → pemanasan (heating)

per-an Circumfix

Nominalizes ber- verbs:

bertemu → pertemuan (meeting)
bertanya → pertanyaan (question)
belajar → pelajaran (lesson)
bersiap → persiapan (preparation)

From memper- verbs:

memperbanyak → perbanyakan (multiplication)
memperbaiki → perbaikan (repair)

memper- Prefix

With Adjectives: “to make more ~”

cepat → mempercepat (to speed up)
luas → memperluas (to widen)

With Nouns: “to treat as ~”

budak → memperbudak (to enslave)
tuan → mempertuan (to treat as master)

With Numbers (2,3,4): “to divide by ~”

memperdua (to halve)

memper-i: “to make ~” (rare)

ingat → memperingati (to commemorate)
baik → memperbaiki (to repair)
baru → memperbarui (to renew)

Quick Reference Table

Affix	Function	Example
me-	Active transitive	membaca
ber-	Intransitive	berjalan
di-	Passive	dibaca
ter-	Stative/unintentional passive	tertidur
-kan	Causative/benefactive	membacakan
-i	Transitive with preposition	memasuki
-an	Noun (result)	tulisan
ke-an	Noun (abstract)/passive	kecantikan
pe-	Agent/tool	pekerja
pe-an	Process noun	pembacaan
per-an	Noun from ber- verb	pertemuan
memper-	Intensifier	mempercepat

Understanding these patterns will dramatically improve your Indonesian comprehension and production.