Question Words (Apa, Siapa)
Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds
Use 'Apa' for things and 'Siapa' for people to turn any statement into a question.
- Use 'Apa' to ask about objects or abstract concepts: 'Apa ini?' (What is this?)
- Use 'Siapa' to ask about people or identities: 'Siapa nama Anda?' (What is your name?)
- Question words can go at the start or end of a sentence: 'Siapa itu?' or 'Itu siapa?'
3. Basic Question Formation
| Question Word | Target | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Apa
|
Things/Objects
|
Apa itu?
|
What is that?
|
|
Siapa
|
People
|
Siapa itu?
|
Who is that?
|
|
Apa yang
|
Action/Event
|
Apa yang terjadi?
|
What happened?
|
|
Siapa yang
|
Subject/Actor
|
Siapa yang datang?
|
Who came?
|
|
Apa pun
|
Anything
|
Apa pun boleh.
|
Anything is fine.
|
|
Siapa pun
|
Anyone
|
Siapa pun bisa.
|
Anyone can.
|
Meanings
These are the fundamental interrogative pronouns used to seek information about non-human entities (Apa) and human beings (Siapa).
Direct Question
Used to request specific information about an identity or object.
“Apa itu?”
“Siapa dia?”
Subject/Object Identification
Identifying the actor or the target of an action.
“Siapa yang memanggil?”
“Apa yang terjadi?”
Reference Table
| Form | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
|
Direct
|
Apa/Siapa + [Noun]?
|
Apa buku ini?
|
|
Subject
|
Siapa/Apa + yang + [Verb]?
|
Siapa yang makan?
|
|
Predicate
|
[Noun] + Apa/Siapa?
|
Itu siapa?
|
|
Plural
|
Siapa saja + [Verb]?
|
Siapa saja yang pergi?
|
|
Indefinite
|
Apa pun / Siapa pun
|
Apa pun bisa.
|
|
Negative
|
Bukan apa / Bukan siapa
|
Bukan apa-apa.
|
Formalitätsspektrum
Siapakah itu? (Asking about identity)
Siapa itu? (Asking about identity)
Siapa tuh? (Asking about identity)
Siapa ya? (Asking about identity)
Interrogative Map
Things
- Apa What
People
- Siapa Who
Apa vs Siapa
Choosing the right word
Is it a person?
Usage Categories
Objects
- • Apa itu?
- • Apa ini?
People
- • Siapa itu?
- • Siapa dia?
Beispiele nach Niveau
Apa ini?
What is this?
Siapa itu?
Who is that?
Apa nama kamu?
What is your name?
Siapa dia?
Who is he/she?
Apa yang kamu makan?
What are you eating?
Siapa yang menelepon?
Who is calling?
Apa rencana kamu?
What is your plan?
Siapa guru bahasa Indonesia kamu?
Who is your Indonesian teacher?
Apa maksud perkataanmu?
What is the meaning of your words?
Siapa saja yang hadir?
Who all are present?
Apa yang membuatmu sedih?
What makes you sad?
Siapa yang bertanggung jawab?
Who is responsible?
Apa yang mendasari keputusan itu?
What underlies that decision?
Siapa pun yang datang, sambutlah.
Whoever comes, welcome them.
Apa yang Anda harapkan dari proyek ini?
What do you expect from this project?
Siapa yang berhak atas properti ini?
Who has the right to this property?
Apa gerangan yang terjadi?
What on earth happened?
Siapa lagi kalau bukan dia?
Who else if not him?
Apa pun yang terjadi, tetaplah tenang.
Whatever happens, stay calm.
Siapa yang menyangka ini akan terjadi?
Who would have thought this would happen?
Apa yang tersirat dalam tulisannya?
What is implied in his writing?
Siapa yang tak kenal tokoh itu?
Who doesn't know that figure?
Apa pun alasannya, itu tidak dibenarkan.
Whatever the reason, it is not justified.
Siapa pun yang berkuasa, rakyat harus diutamakan.
Whoever is in power, the people must come first.
Leicht verwechselbar
Learners think they are interchangeable.
Learners use 'Yang' as a question word.
Learners use 'Apa' for location.
Häufige Fehler
Siapa ini? (pointing at a chair)
Apa ini?
Apa nama kamu?
Siapa nama kamu?
Apa kamu siapa?
Siapa kamu?
Siapa itu buku?
Apa itu buku?
Apa yang kamu?
Siapa kamu?
Siapa itu benda?
Apa itu benda?
Apa yang dia?
Siapa dia?
Apa yang kamu panggil?
Siapa yang kamu panggil?
Siapa yang terjadi?
Apa yang terjadi?
Apa pun yang siapa datang?
Siapa pun yang datang?
Apa yang berhak?
Siapa yang berhak?
Siapa yang tersirat?
Apa yang tersirat?
Apa pun yang siapa pun?
Siapa pun yang datang...
Satzmuster
___ itu?
___ yang kamu makan?
___ yang menelepon?
___ pun bisa datang.
Real World Usage
Apa ini?
Siapa nama Anda?
Lagi apa?
Apa pengalaman Anda?
Apa nama tempat ini?
Siapa itu?
Keep it simple
Don't mix them
Use 'yang'
Be polite
Smart Tips
Always use Siapa, never Apa.
Use Apa.
Use Apa yang.
Use Siapa yang.
Aussprache
Stress
Stress the first syllable of 'Apa' and 'Siapa'.
Intonation
Use a rising intonation at the end of the sentence.
Rising
Siapa itu? ↗
Standard question
Einprägen
Eselsbrücke
Apa is for 'A-thing', Siapa is for 'S-omeone'.
Visuelle Assoziation
Imagine a giant 'A' shaped like an apple for 'Apa' (things) and a silhouette of a person shaped like an 'S' for 'Siapa' (people).
Rhyme
Apa for a thing, Siapa for a king (or person).
Story
Budi walks into a room. He sees a box and asks 'Apa ini?'. Then he sees a man and asks 'Siapa ini?'. He now knows everything in the room.
Word Web
Herausforderung
Point to 5 things in your room and ask 'Apa ini?', then point to 5 people (or photos) and ask 'Siapa ini?'.
Kulturelle Hinweise
In Indonesia, asking 'Siapa nama kamu?' is very direct. In formal settings, 'Siapa nama Anda?' is preferred.
In Javanese culture, direct questions can be seen as impolite. People often use indirect phrasing.
In Jakarta, 'Apaan' is a common, slightly informal way to say 'What'.
These words are Austronesian in origin, common to many languages in the region.
Gesprächseinstiege
Siapa nama kamu?
Apa ini?
Siapa yang datang ke pesta?
Apa yang kamu pikirkan?
Tagebuch-Impulse
Häufige Fehler
Test Yourself
___ itu? (pointing at a person)
___ nama kamu?
Find and fix the mistake:
Siapa itu? (pointing at a book)
itu / siapa / ?
A: ___? B: Ini buku.
Match each item on the left with its pair on the right:
___ yang datang?
___ yang terjadi?
Score: /8
Ubungsaufgaben
8 exercises___ itu? (pointing at a person)
___ nama kamu?
Find and fix the mistake:
Siapa itu? (pointing at a book)
itu / siapa / ?
A: ___? B: Ini buku.
Apa / Siapa
___ yang datang?
___ yang terjadi?
Score: /8
FAQ (8)
No, that is incorrect. Always use Siapa for people.
You can use 'Siapa saja' to mean 'Who all'.
Usually at the start, but it can go at the end for emphasis.
Apa is for information, Apakah is for Yes/No.
Yes, but use 'Anda' instead of 'kamu'.
Yes, they are standard across the country.
Usually context makes it clear, but if in doubt, describe the object.
Yes, Indonesian often drops the verb 'to be'.
Scaffolded Practice
1
2
3
4
Mastery Progress
Needs Practice
Improving
Strong
Mastered
In Other Languages
Qué / Quién
Spanish requires inverted word order or auxiliary verbs.
Quoi / Qui
French has complex formal/informal structures like 'est-ce que'.
Was / Wer
German verbs must conjugate and change position.
Nani / Dare
Japanese uses particles at the end of the sentence.
Ma / Man
Arabic has gender and number agreement.
Shénme / Shéi
Chinese question words stay in the position of the answer.
