Question Words
Question words (apa, siapa, di mana, kapan, mengapa, bagaimana, berapa) and question formation
Can ask and understand basic questions about identity, location, time, and price
Look at these examples. Can you spot the grammar pattern?
Siapa nama kamu?
What is your name?
Berapa harganya?
How much does it cost?
Apakah kamu suka kopi?
Do you like coffee?
Kamu tinggal di mana?
Where do you live?
Pay attention to the highlighted parts. What do they have in common?
Indonesian has many easy-to-use question words.
| Question Word | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| apa | what | Apa ini? |
| siapa | who | Siapa nama kamu? |
| di mana | where (at) | Di mana toilet? |
| ke mana | where (to) | Ke mana kamu pergi? |
| dari mana | where (from) | Dari mana kamu? |
| kapan | when | Kapan kamu datang? |
| mengapa/kenapa | why | Mengapa kamu terlambat? |
| bagaimana | how | Bagaimana kabar kamu? |
| berapa | how many/much | Berapa harganya? |
Question words can go at the beginning or end of the sentence. Yes/no questions use 'apakah' or rising intonation.
Common Error Patterns
Used wrong question word (e.g., 'apa' instead of 'siapa' for names)
Review the question word table. 'Siapa' = who (also for names), 'apa' = what.
Confused di mana (where at), ke mana (where to), dari mana (where from)
di = at/in (location), ke = to (direction), dari = from (origin). Think: static/motion-to/motion-from.
Siapa nama kamu?
What is your name?
Literally 'Who name you?' — 'siapa' (who) is used for names, not 'apa' (what).
Berapa harganya?
How much does it cost?
'Berapa' (how much/many) + 'harganya' (the price). The -nya suffix means 'the/its'.
Apakah kamu suka kopi?
Do you like coffee?
'Apakah' at the beginning turns a statement into a yes/no question. Can also just use rising intonation.
Kamu tinggal di mana?
Where do you live?
Question word at the END is more common in spoken Indonesian. Same meaning as 'Di mana kamu tinggal?'
Practice in course
Apply this grammar in A1 course exercises