Negation & Questions

tidak

not (negates verbs/adjectives)

TEE-dak

Saya tidak tahu. = I don't know.

bukan

not (negates nouns)

BOO-kan

Ini bukan buku saya. = This isn't my book.

tidak vs bukan

verb/adjective negation vs noun negation

Choosing the right one depends on what's being negated

apa

what

AH-pa

Apa ini? = What is this?

siapa

who

see-AH-pa

Siapa dia? = Who is he/she?

di mana

where

dee MAH-na

Kamu di mana? = Where are you?

kapan

when

KAH-pan

Basic time question word

mengapa/kenapa

why

muh-NGAH-pa / kuh-NAH-pa

kenapa is the more common, casual form

Pertanyaan ya/tidak: intonasi naik

Yes/no question: same word order + rising intonation

No inversion needed — just rising tone at the end

Apa kabar?

How are you? (lit. "what news?")

AH-pa KAH-bar

Standard everyday greeting-question