Last updated on January 20, 2024
A simple word consists solely of a root word, which can not be broken down into smaller units. A root word carries the essential meaning of a word. A word can also consist of a root word with one or more affixes.
In Indonesian language, many words are formed from a combination of root words and affixes. Indonesian language has about 27 affixes in common usage that are combined with a root word a set of letters attached at the beginning. These affixes cannot stand on its own, they must be combined with root words.
There are five (5) types of affixes in Indonesian: prefix, suffix, infix, circumfix and confix.
Prefix: a set of letters attached at the beginning of the root word.
- me- (N) = baca → membaca (to read)
- ber- (N) = buru → berburu (to hunt)
- ter- (N) = bawa → terbawa (be taken by mistake)
- di- (N) = bawa → dibawa (be taken [passive])
- ke- (N) = kasih (love) → kekasih (lover)
- se- (N) = lama (long) → selama (as long as)
Suffix: a set of letters attached at the end of the root word.
- (N) -i = bumbu → bumbui (season it [imperative])
- (N) -kan = tulis → tuliskan (write it [imperative])
- (N) -lah = baik (good) → baiklah (OK, agreed)
- (N) -kah = benar (right) → benarkah (is it right?)
Infix: a set of letters attached in the middle of the root word.
- -er- = gigi(tooth/teeth) → gerigi (serration, serrature)
- -el- = tunjuk (to point) → telunjuk (pointing finger)
- -em- = getar (trill) → gemetar (shiver, tremble, shaken)
Circumfix
It’s a synonym of confix, but it’s an affix which has two parts, one placed at the start of a word, and the other at the end that exists as a single morphological unit. It is placed through a morphological process. Not simultaneously.
- me-(N) -kan = guna → menggunakan (to use)
- me-(N) -i = bumbu → membumbui (give season)
- di-(N) -kan = guna → digunakan (to be used)
- di-(N) -i = bumbu → dibumbui (to be seasoned)
- per-(N) -kan = tunjuk → pertunjukkan (show)
- per-(N)-an = buat → perbuatan (deed)
- pe- (N)-an = buat → pembuatan (making)
Confix
It is a synonym of circumfix, but it’s an affix consisting of a prefix and suffix affixed simultaneously to the root word.
- me- (N) -kan = bosan (bored) → membosankan (boring)
- ber- (N) -an = kejar (to chase) → berkejaran (to chase each other)
Many sound changes occur when the above prefixes are combined with root words to facilitate a smooth transition in pronunciation. What the sound will be in a particular word depends on the first sound of the root word following the prefix.
Sources of detail explanation on Indonesian grammar in this chapter:
- Dwi Noverini Djenar. A Student’s Guide to Indonesian Grammar. Erscheinungsort Nicht Ermittelbar, Oxford Univ. Press, 2003.
- James Neil Sneddon. Understanding Indonesian Grammar. Routledge, 4 Aug. 2020.