Indonesian is an agglutinative language — root words combine with prefixes and suffixes to create new meanings. Learning the affixes is the fastest way to multiply your vocabulary.
Affix Reference Table
| Affix | Function | Example |
|---|---|---|
| me- | Active verb (doer does it) | (to write, from ) |
| - | Passive verb (it is done) | ditulis (is written) |
| ber- | Intransitive verb / state | (to run, from ) |
| ter- | Superlative / accidental / completed | (biggest, from ) |
| pe- | Person who does it | penulis (writer, from ) |
| -an | Result / noun form | (food, from ) |
| - | Causative (make it happen) | menjalankan (to operate, from ) |
| -i | Repeated / directed at | menulisi (to write on/all over) |
| ke-...-an | Abstract noun / involuntary state | (justice, from ) |
| per-...-an | System / place / process | (journey, from ) |
| se- | One / same / as...as | (one day, from ) |
me- Sound Changes
The me- prefix changes form based on the root word's first letter. The same pattern applies to pe-.
| Prefix | Before | Example |
|---|---|---|
| mem- | b, p, f (p drops) | , |
| men- | t, d (t drops) | , |
| meny- | s (s drops) | , |
| meng- | vowels, g, k, h (k drops) | mengajar, |
| me- | l, m, n, r, w, y | , merawat |
One Root, Many Words
From a single root, affixes create an entire word family. Here is (road/walk):
| Word | Affix | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| (root) | road; to walk | |
| ber- | to walk | |
| menjalankan | me-...-kan | to run/operate |
| per-...-an | journey; trip | |
| pejalan | pe- | walker (pejalan = pedestrian) |
| sejalan | se- | aligned; in line with |
Learn the patterns and you multiply your vocabulary. One root, six words — that is the power of Indonesian affixes.