Learn Bahasa With Egan

INDONESIAN
PREFIXES,
SUFFIXES, AND
CIRCUMFIXES
Learn Bahasa With Egan

INDONESIAN
PREFIXES,
SUFFIXES, AND
CIRCUMFIXES

 A large number of the words used in the Indonesian language are

formed by combining root words with a ixes and other combining
forms. Knowing how a ixes are used is the key to understanding the
meanings of derived words and in learning to read bahasa Indonesia. If
you know the meaning of a root word and the rules for each type of
a ix, you will be better able to understand and predict the meanings of
the words derived from that root word.

Bahasa Indonesia has about 40 a ixes in common usage that are

combined with a relatively small group of root words. There is a certain
simplicity and consistency inherent in bahasa Indonesia that makes it an
easy language to learn. If this were a logical world, bahasa Indonesia
would be the world's international language.

I hope this condensed approach will be useful for students of bahasa

Indonesia. Selamat belajar!

Egantari
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 KEYWORDS
af ix = a standard set of letters attached to a root word that creates a new
word. An af ix is not able to be used alone in language but must be
attached to another unit such as a root word. The word af ix is a general
term for a pre ix, a suf ix or a con ix.

pre ix = an af ix attached to the front of a root word that creates a new

word.

suf ix = an af ix attached at the end of a root word that creates a new word.

con ix = a pre ix and a suf ix attached simultaneously to a root word that

performs the single function of creating a new word (note that English
does not have the concepts of either con ix or in ix).

in ixes = el, em, er

combining forms = antar-, para-, eka-, kau-, ku-, oto-, -pun, -ku, -mu, -nya

Common Indonesian Af ixes & Combining

Forms
pre ixes: ber-, di-, ke-, me- group (me-, mem-, men-, meng-, menge-,
meny-), pe- group (pe-, pem-, pen-, peng-, penge-, peny-),
per-,se-, ter-
suf ixes: -an, -kan, -i, -lah, -kah, -nya
con ixes: ber - an, ke - an, per - an, se - nya, pe - an group (pe - an, pem -
an, pen - an, peng - an, penge - an, peny - an)
in ixes: el, em, er
combining forms: antar-, para-, eka-, kau-, ku-, oto-, -pun, -ku, -mu, -nya

Note: the pre ixes menge- and penge- listed above are not very common.
They are used to produce a smoother sounding result when the root word
consists of a single syllable. examples: menge- + lap = mengelap; penge-
+ bom = pengebom

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 PREFIXES
Pre ix is an a ix attached to the front of a root word that creates a new
word. Indonesian uses several pre ixes below :

For example, Ber-

Ber- is used to construct a verb that means “doing something, being
something, have something, or having a certain attribute”.
Example :
Bermain(playing) = ber+main (play)
Berasal (originated) = ber+asal (origin)
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 SUFFIXES
It is the time to move to another a ix, which is su ix. At this
opportunity, we will learn about 9 Indonesian su ixes.

Su ix is a dependent morpheme or a set of letter attached at the end of

a word. Like pre ix, those set of letter has certain function to change the
function or part of speech. In Indonesian, there are at least 9 su ixes.
Those are –an, -kan, -in, -i, -ku, -mu, -nya, -kah, -lah, and -tah

Indonesian –ku, -mu, -nya su ix. They are used to form pronouns. All
of it are equivalent with my, your, and his/her/it respectively. It is only
used in informal/non-standard situation. To make it easier, take a look at
this table

Furthermore, if it met with the word ‘milik’ or ‘punya’ (both mean have/
own/to possess), it has similar meaning with English possessive
pronoun (mine, yours, his, hers). To make it clear, let’s see the table
below
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CIRCUMFIXES
Circum ix, or also called ambi ix is an a ix that has two parts. One part
is placed in the start of the word, while the other part is at the end of
the word. In English, circum ix is not a common thing. However,
circum ix is very common in other language, such as Georgian, Malay,
and also in Indonesian. In Indonesian, there are many kinds of circum ix.
For example, per-an, peng-an, ke-an, ber-an, and so on. In this article,
we will discuss circum ix ke-…-an in Indonesian language

1. ke-…-an
This meaning in Indonesian language is to change the word become the
word that functioning as a verb. Below are several examples of ke-…-an
circum ix functioning as verb in Indonesian language:
Lapar, kelaparan, hungry

Hilang, kehilangan, lost

Jatuh, kejatuhan, fall

Takut, ketakutan, scared

Terlambat, keterlambatan, late

Masuk, kemasukan, entered accidentally

Basah, kebasahan, get soaked

Tidur, ketiduran, falling asleep

Celaka, kecelakaan, accident

Rusak, kerusakan, damage

Lelah, kelelahan, or capek, kecapekan, tired

Dingin, kedinginan, cold.

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