Bahasa Indonesia Nouns: Gender, Number, Case, Possession, and Modification

Let’s dive into the heart of Indonesian grammar — nouns! 

Nouns are words used to identify people, places, things, or ideas. They’re the building blocks of sentences, essential for communication and understanding.

What makes Indonesian nouns particularly interesting are their distinct characteristics compared to nouns in other languages. Whether discussing everyday objects, describing places, or referring to abstract concepts, Indonesian nouns are known for their versatility and adaptability across various contexts. 

In this section, we look into these characteristics and see how they function. 

Gender

Indonesian nouns do not have grammatical gender unlike those in some other languages.

In Indonesian, nouns don’t have gender labels unlike in some other languages. In other words, they’re not categorized as masculine, feminine, or neuter. This means nouns don’t change based on whether they refer to a male, female, or object. So, when writing or speaking in Indonesian, you don’t have to worry about whether a noun is “he,” “she,” or “it.” Instead, you can use words such as “dia” (he/she), “laki-laki” (man), and “perempuan” (woman) to specify gender. However, the nouns themselves don’t carry any gender information. This makes Indonesian grammar simpler compared to languages with gendered systems.

For example, the word “anak” in Indonesian means “child” or “kid”. Whether you’re talking about a boy or a girl, you’d still use “anak” without any changes. If you want to specify whether it’s a boy or a girl, you’d need to add extra words or phrases:

  • Anak itu pintar. (The child is smart.)
  • Anak perempuan itu pintar. (The girl is smart.)
  • Anak laki-laki itu pintar. (The boy is smart.)

In these examples, “anak” stays the same, but we use “perempuan” (female) or “laki-laki” (male) to specify the gender.

Number

Indonesian nouns generally do not have grammatical plural forms. 

In Indonesian, nouns generally do not have grammatical plural forms, meaning they don’t change their form to indicate plurality like in English or Spanish. Instead, you figure out if a noun is plural from the context by using words such as “beberapa” (a few) or “banyak” (many), or just by putting numbers before the noun. 

For example, to talk about multiple books, you’d simply repeat the word for book (buku): “buku-buku” or “beberapa buku” (several books). Because there aren’t different plural forms of nouns to remember, it’s easier to learn noun forms in Indonesian. You have the flexibility to express quantity in various ways, depending on the context and emphasis of the sentence. While there are a few exceptions with irregular plural forms or special words for plurals, these are not common.

Overall, plural nouns are generally formed through reduplication, which involves repeating words either fully or partially. The reduplication of nouns can be classified into four main groups:

  • Complete repetition: This involves repeating the entire word. Examples include pohon-pohon (trees), binatang-binatang (animals), bunga-bunga (flowers), bintang-bintang (stars), and rumah-rumah (houses).
  • Partial repetition: In this form, only a part of the word is repeated. Examples include surat-surat kabar (newspapers), rumah-rumah sakit (hospitals), and orang-orang tua (elderly people).
  • Repeating and modifying sounds: This involves taking part of a word and repeating it with slight variations, playing with the sounds to make speech more dynamic  and lively. Examples include sayur-mayur (various vegetables), warna-warni (colorful), corat-coret (scribbles), desas-desus (rumors), gerak-gerik (movements), serba-serbi (variety), kelap-kelip (twinkle), and tindak tanduk (behavior). This process varies depending on the word and context, so you’ll naturally pick it up as you hear and use these words more often. It’s all about getting familiar with how they sound by practicing and listening to the language.
  • Repeating and adding a tail: Double the word and add something extra to the end, usually the suffix ‘-an’. Examples include tumbuh-tumbuhan (vegetation), buah-buahan (fruits), main-mainan (toys), goreng-gorengan (fried food items), and padi-padian (rice plants).

Repeating the adjective is another creative way to indicate multiple actors or subjects in a sentence, even when the noun appears in its singular form. When describing multiple items or people, you simply repeat the adjective instead of changing the noun. 

For example, in the sentence “pelayan itu cantik-cantik” (the waitresses are pretty), “cantik-cantik” (literally pretty-pretty) indicates that the subject, “pelayan” (waitress), refers to several individuals, all of whom are pretty. Similarly, in “pohon ini besar-besar” (these trees are big), you repeat the word “besar” (big) to suggest that the singular “pohon” (tree) actually refers to several large trees. This is an interesting characteristic of the Indonesian language where plural concepts can be conveyed without modifying the noun itself.

You can also show large quantities by repeating parts of a word related to measurement or numbers, similar to  saying “lots and lots of” in English. For example, the phrase “berton-ton” (tons of) in “Bangunan ini menghabiskan berton-ton semen (This building used tons of cement) emphasizes that  a massive amount of cement was used, much like saying “tons and tons of cement” in English. 

Similarly, “beribu-ribu” (thousands of) in “Beribu-ribu orang menderita akibat perang itu”  (Thousands of people suffered from the war) stresses the sheer number of people who suffered, akin to saying “thousands upon thousands”. This repetition not only adds emphasis but also makes the language more vivid, emphasizing the scale of something.

Case

Indonesian nouns don’t have grammatical case markings unlike those in some other languages.

In Indonesian, unlike languages like German, Russian, or Arabic, nouns don’t have grammatical case markings. This means Indonesian nouns don’t change form to indicate their role in a sentence, such as whether they’re the subject, object, or possessive. Instead, Indonesian relies on word order and context to convey the meaning. 

For example, in “Saya makan nasi” (I eat rice), “saya” (I) is the subject, “makan” (eat) is the verb, and “nasi” (rice) is the object. The positions of these words in the sentence determine their roles. This simplicity makes it easier for learners because they don’t have to remember different endings for each noun. Plus, the absence of case markings gives speakers more flexibility in arranging words and structuring sentences.

Here are some more examples to illustrate how Indonesian nouns don’t change form, regardless of their role in a sentence:

Subject/Object Distinction:

  • Subject: “Ani membaca buku.” (Ani reads a book.) Here, “Ani” is the subject performing the action and “buku” (book) is the object being read.
  • Object: “Budi menonton film.” (Budi watches a movie.) In this sentence, “Budi” is the subject and “film” (movie) is the object being watched.

Indirect Object:

  • “Ani memberi buku kepada Budi.” (Ani gives Budi a book.) Here, “Ani” is the subject, “Budi” is the indirect object receiving the book, and “buku” (book) is the direct object being given.

Location:

  • “Budi pergi ke sekolah.” (Budi goes to school.) In this sentence, “sekolah” (school) indicates the location where Budi is going, without any change in form.

Possession

Possession in Indonesian is indicated by using possessive pronouns.

Instead of changing a noun’s form to indicate its owner, specific words are placed after the noun to indicate possession. These words include “saya” for “my,” “mu” for “your,” “nya” for “his, her, its,” and “mereka” for “their.”

For example, you would say “rumah saya” to say “my house,” where “rumah” doesn’t change its form regardless of ownership. If you want to sound formal, you could say “rumah milik saya,” which translates to “the house that belongs to me.” This method of indicating possession is clear and simple because the main word doesn’t change — you just add a small word after it to indicate ownership. Such a method makes learning possession in Indonesian easier, as there’s no need to remember different forms of words based on the gender or number of the possessor.

Here are more examples of possessive construction in Indonesian:

  • “Bukumu” (Your book) – noun “buku” (book) + possessive pronoun “mu” (your)
  • “Mobilnya” (His/her car) – noun “mobil” (car) + possessive pronoun “nya” (his/her)
  • “Mejanya” (His/her table) – noun “meja” (table) + possessive pronoun “nya” (His/her)
  • “Kucingku” (My cat) – noun “kucing” (cat) + possessive pronoun “ku” (my)
  • “Laptop mereka” (Their laptop) – noun “laptop” (laptop) + possessive pronoun “mereka” (their)
  • “Baju kita” (Our clothes) – noun “baju” (clothes) + possessive pronoun “kita” (our)
  • “Ekornya” (Its tail) – noun “tail” (tail) + possessive pronoun “nya” (its)

Definiteness

In Indonesian, the concept of definiteness does’t function the same way it does in English. 

In Indonesian, when you want to express that you’re talking about an unspecified item, you use ‘se- combined with a specific word that matches the type of item. This specific word varies based on what the item is. For example:

  • “sebuah” (a/one) is used for nonspecific objects, e.g., “sebuah buku” (a book).
  • “seorang” (a person) is used for unspecified individuals, e.g., “seorang guru” (a teacher).
  • “setangkai” (a stem) is used for items like flowers, e.g., “setangkai mawar” (a rose).
  • “sepucuk” (a piece) is used for objects like weapons, e.g., “sepucuk senjata” (a weapon).
  • “sebutir” (a grain) is used for small objects, e.g., “sebutir beras” (a grain of rice).

Another way to refer to something in a non-specific way is by using the word “suatu,” typically reserved for abstract nouns, such as “suatu kejadian” (an event) or “suatu solusi” (a solution). But remember, “suatu” is not used to refer to people or animals.

Note that in most cases, you don’t have to use these Indonesian indefinite articles at all, and the meaning stays the same. You can simply omit them, and the sentence will still make sense. For example:

  • “Dia membaca sebuah buku” (He is reading a book) can be expressed simply as “Dia membaca buku” without the need for the indefinite article “sebuah” before “buku.”
  • “Mereka memperbaiki sebuah mobil” (They are fixing a car) can be expressed as “Mereka memperbaiki mobil” without using the word “sebuah” before “mobil”.
  • “Anak itu memegang sebuah bola” (The child is holding a ball) can be expressed as “Anak itu memegang bola” without including the indefinite article “sebuah” before “bola.”

In each case, the omission of the indefinite article does not change the fundamental meaning of the sentence. 

In terms of their placement, indefinite articles in Indonesian and English are relatively similar — they are positioned before the head noun. The meanings conveyed by Indonesian and English indefinite articles are also similar. For example, both “sebuah” (or other noun classifiers) and “suatu” mean “one.” The main difference is that in Indonesian, you attach “se-” to another word that fits the noun, whereas in English, you choose “a” or “an” depending on whether the noun starts with a vowel sound or a consonant. 

As for definite articles, the commonly used definite articles in Indonesian include “itu” (that), “ini” (this), “tadi” (earlier mentioned), “tersebut” (as mentioned earlier), and “-nya” (possessive form: his/her/its). Unlike in English, these definite articles are placed after the head noun. “Ini” and “itu” are demonstrative pronouns, while “tadi” and “tersebut” are adverbs referring to previously mentioned meanings. There aren’t strict rules for when to use each one; rather, it’s more about what feels natural in conversation or writing. For example:

  • buku itu —> that book
  • pelajar itu —> that student
  • toko ini —> this store
  • pekerjaan tersebut —> that work
  • kesempatan tadi —> the opportunity mentioned earlier
  • karya-karya itu —> those works
  • cerita tadi —> the story mentioned earlier
  • film itu —> that film
  • Rumah ini —> this house
  • Ada saya lihat kucingnya —> I did see the cat

Indonesian also has some specific words you can put before a name to show respect or refer to groups or specific individuals, although they’re not used as often. Unlike the previously mentioned definite articles, they come before the head noun.

  • “Sang”: “Sang” is a word you put before a name to show someone is important. For example, “Sang raja” means “The King,” with “sang” emphasizing  the exalted position of the noun (king).
  • “Para”: “Para” is a plural marker used before a noun to indicate plurality or a collective group. It’s similar to the English “the” but is specifically used for plural nouns. For example, “Para murid” means “the students” or “Para penulis” means “the writers.”
  • “Si”: “Si” is a neutral definite article used before a person’s name commonly used in informal contexts. For example, “Si Budi” could mean “Budi” or “the one named Budi.” It’s similar to saying “so-and-so” or “this person” in English, but it’s more commonly used with names or titles.

Modification

Various words can be paired with nouns in Indonesian to make clear what you’re talking about or to give more information.

When you’re speaking or writing in Indonesian, you can add extra words to a noun to give more details. For example, you can use adjectives/qualifiers such as color, size, or number to clarify what you’re referring to. “Buku merah” means “red book,” where “merah” (red) describes the color of the book. Similarly, “rumah besar” means “big house,” where “besar” (big) describes the size of the house.

Words such as “ini” (this) and “itu” (that) help specify which item you’re referring to, while numbers such as “dua” (two) or “tiga” (three) indicate quantity. You can also combine two nouns to describe a specific thing. For example, “rumah sakit”  (literally “sick house”) means “hospital”, and “kucing hitam” means “black cat.” These elements help you describe things more clearly and make sure others understand exactly what you mean when you’re talking or writing in Indonesian.

In Indonesia, different types of words can be attached to nouns to add details or specific characteristics, including adjectives to describe qualities, words to indicate quantity, and other nouns to provide further context. 

  • Adjectives: Adjectives such as “merah” (red), as in “buku merah” (red book), specify the color of the noun “buku” (book). Adjectives are usually placed after the noun they modify. Other examples: “mobil tua” (old car), “kucing manis” (cute cat).
  • Demonstratives: Demonstratives, such as “ini” (this) or “itu” (that), help specify proximity or identify specific objects. Demonstratives usually come after the noun. Example: “rumah ini” (this house), “mobil itu” (that car).
  • Numbers: Numbers, such as “dua” (two) or “tiga” (three), are placed before nouns to indicate their quantity or their position in a sequence. Numbers are usually placed before the noun they quantify. Example: “tiga buku” (three books), “dua mobil” (two cars).

Agreement

In Indonesian, nouns don’t change their form to agree with other words in the sentence.

The most obvious example is subject-verb agreement. In Indonesian, verbs don’t change their original form to agree with the subject, whether it’s one or multiple subjects, or whether the subject is male or female. This is in contrast to languages like English, Spanish, or French, where verbs often change form to match the subject’s person and number.  Some examples: 

  • Singular Subject:
    • “Dia makan” (He/She eats)
    • In this sentence, the verb “makan” (eats) remains the same regardless of whether the subject “dia” (he/she) is singular masculine or singular feminine.
  • Plural Subject:
    • “Mereka makan” (They eat)
    • In this sentence, the verb “makan” (eat) remains unchanged even though the subject “mereka” (they) is plural.
  • Different Genders:
    • “Anak laki-laki makan” (The boy eats.)
    • In this sentence, the verb “makan” (eats) does not change based on the gender of the subject “anak laki-laki” (the boy).

To summarize, Indonesian nouns are straightforward and versatile. They don’t have gender distinctions and are easy to make plural. This simplicity makes communication clear and effective. With Indonesian, you don’t need to worry about complex grammar rules. By understanding how modifiers work and the lack of agreement in Indonesian grammar, you can appreciate its straightforward structure. 

Now that you’re familiar with these characteristics, you can enhance your Indonesian sentences and dive deeper into the language and culture. So, keep practicing, keep exploring, and enjoy mastering Indonesian!

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