A1 問題 1 min read かんたん

Formulating Questions

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Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds

Asking questions in Indonesian is simple: just add 'kah' for formal questions or use rising intonation for informal ones.

  • Use 'kah' attached to the question word for formal questions: 'Apakah kamu lapar?'
  • Use rising intonation at the end of a sentence for casual questions: 'Kamu lapar?'
  • Use question words like 'apa', 'siapa', 'di mana' at the start or end of sentences.
Question Word + (kah) + Subject + Verb + Object + ?

Meanings

The primary way to turn a statement into a question or to request specific information using interrogative pronouns.

1

Yes/No Questions

Questions requiring a confirmation or denial.

“Apakah ini rumahmu?”

“Kamu mau pergi?”

2

Information Questions

Questions using 5W1H (Apa, Siapa, Di mana, Kapan, Mengapa, Bagaimana).

“Siapa nama kamu?”

“Di mana dia tinggal?”

Question Word Formation

Question Word Meaning Usage Example
Apa What Things/Ideas Apa ini?
Siapa Who People Siapa dia?
Di mana Where Location Di mana rumah?
Kapan When Time Kapan datang?
Mengapa Why Reason Mengapa pergi?
Bagaimana How Method Bagaimana ini?

Common Informal Shortenings

Formal Informal
Apakah Apa/---
Mengapa Kenapa
Bagaimana Gimana

Reference Table

Reference table for Formulating Questions
Form Structure Example
Yes/No (Formal) Apakah + S + V + O Apakah kamu lapar?
Yes/No (Informal) S + V + O + ? Kamu lapar?
Information (Start) QW + S + V Siapa nama kamu?
Information (End) S + V + QW Nama kamu siapa?
Negative Question Apakah + S + tidak + V Apakah kamu tidak lapar?
Confirmation S + V + belum? Sudah makan belum?

フォーマル度スペクトル

フォーマル
Apakah Anda sedang makan?

Apakah Anda sedang makan? (Dining)

ニュートラル
Apakah kamu sedang makan?

Apakah kamu sedang makan? (Dining)

カジュアル
Lagi makan?

Lagi makan? (Dining)

スラング
Makan gak?

Makan gak? (Dining)

The 5W1H Map

Questions

People

  • Siapa Who

Things

  • Apa What

Time

  • Kapan When
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Examples by Level

1

Apakah kamu lapar?

Are you hungry?

2

Siapa nama kamu?

What is your name?

3

Ini apa?

What is this?

4

Kamu mau pergi?

Do you want to go?

1

Di mana rumah kamu?

Where is your house?

2

Kapan kita berangkat?

When do we leave?

3

Mengapa dia menangis?

Why is she crying?

4

Sudah makan belum?

Have you eaten yet?

1

Bagaimana cara membuat ini?

How do you make this?

2

Apa yang kamu pikirkan?

What are you thinking about?

3

Kenapa kamu tidak datang?

Why didn't you come?

4

Siapa yang memberitahu kamu?

Who told you?

1

Apakah Anda bersedia membantu saya?

Are you willing to help me?

2

Boleh saya tahu siapa namanya?

May I know who the name is?

3

Sejauh mana kamu mengerti?

To what extent do you understand?

4

Apa jadinya jika kita gagal?

What will happen if we fail?

1

Bagaimanakah seharusnya kita menyikapi ini?

How should we address this?

2

Siapakah gerangan yang melakukan ini?

Who on earth did this?

3

Mengapa mesti kita lakukan sekarang?

Why must we do it now?

4

Apa kiranya yang mereka inginkan?

What might they want?

1

Tidakkah terpikirkan olehmu dampaknya?

Had you not thought of the impact?

2

Di manakah letak kesalahannya?

Where exactly does the error lie?

3

Bagaimana mungkin hal itu terjadi?

How could that possibly happen?

4

Apa yang membuatmu yakin?

What makes you certain?

Easily Confused

Formulating Questions 対 Apa vs Apakah

Learners think 'Apa' is the same as 'Apakah'.

Formulating Questions 対 Siapa vs Apa

Using 'Siapa' for objects.

Formulating Questions 対 Kenapa vs Mengapa

Thinking they are different in meaning.

よくある間違い

✗

Adalah kamu lapar?

✓

Apakah kamu lapar?

Adalah is not a question marker.
✗

Siapa ini?

✓

Apa ini?

Siapa is for people, Apa for things.
✗

Kamu lapar tidak?

✓

Kamu lapar?

Adding 'tidak' makes it a choice question, not a simple yes/no.
✗

Apakah kamu pergi ke mana?

✓

Ke mana kamu pergi?

Question word order.
✗

Kapan kamu makan?

✓

Sudah makan belum?

For past/completed actions, use 'belum'.
✗

Mengapa kamu tidak pergi?

✓

Kenapa tidak pergi?

Kenapa is more natural in casual speech.
✗

Bagaimana kamu?

✓

Apa kabar?

How are you is idiomatic.
✗

Apakah kamu tahu siapa dia?

✓

Kamu tahu siapa dia?

Dropping 'apakah' is better for flow.
✗

Apa yang kamu mau?

✓

Mau apa?

Conciseness is preferred.
✗

Siapa yang kamu lihat?

✓

Lihat siapa?

Focus on the verb.
✗

Bagaimanakah cara untuk melakukan ini?

✓

Bagaimana cara melakukan ini?

Over-formalizing.
✗

Apa itu yang kamu maksud?

✓

Maksudnya apa?

Natural phrasing.
✗

Siapa gerangan yang datang?

✓

Siapa yang datang?

Gerangan is archaic.

Sentence Patterns

Apakah ___ lapar?

___ nama kamu?

Di mana ___ tinggal?

Bagaimana cara ___ ini?

Real World Usage

Texting constant

Lagi apa?

Job Interview very common

Apakah Anda punya pengalaman?

Travel common

Di mana hotel?

Food Delivery common

Ini pedas?

Social Media very common

Siapa nih?

Classroom common

Bagaimana cara menjawab ini?

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💡

Keep it simple

Don't overthink the grammar. If you are in doubt, just use rising intonation.
⚠️

Avoid 'Adalah'

Never use 'Adalah' to start a question. It is a common mistake for English speakers.
🎯

Use 'Sih'

Add 'sih' to questions to sound like a native speaker when you are curious.
💬

Politeness

In formal settings, always use 'Apakah' and 'Anda'.

Smart Tips

Drop the 'Apakah' and use rising intonation.

Apakah kamu mau makan? → Mau makan?

Place the question word at the end for emphasis.

Siapa nama kamu? → Nama kamu siapa?

Use 'belum' instead of 'tidak'.

Apakah kamu tidak makan? → Sudah makan belum?

Always use 'Apakah' and 'Anda'.

Kamu mau apa? → Apakah Anda memerlukan bantuan?

発音

ka-mu la-PAR?

Rising Intonation

At the end of a question, raise your pitch slightly.

Question Rise

Kamu lapar? ↑

Signals a question without particles.

Memorize It

Mnemonic

Think of 'Apakah' as a 'Question Hook'—it hooks the sentence into a question.

Visual Association

Imagine a fisherman throwing a hook (the word 'kah') into the water to catch a fish (the answer).

Rhyme

For yes or no, use Apakah, to ask a friend, just raise your voice, ha!

Story

Budi went to the market. He asked 'Apa ini?' (What is this?). The seller said 'Mangga'. Budi asked 'Berapa?' (How much?). The seller smiled.

Word Web

ApaSiapaDi manaKapanMengapaBagaimana

チャレンジ

Ask 5 questions to your mirror using different question words in 5 minutes.

文化メモ

Questions are often softened with 'ya' at the end.

Questions are very direct and often drop the subject.

Questions are structured to show respect using 'Anda'.

The particle 'kah' is an old Austronesian suffix used to emphasize questions.

Conversation Starters

“

Apa hobi kamu?

“

Di mana kamu tinggal?

“

Apa rencana kamu akhir pekan ini?

“

Bagaimana pendapatmu tentang ini?

Journal Prompts

Write 5 questions you would ask a new friend.
Describe a time you were lost and the questions you asked.
Interview a fictional character using 10 questions.
Reflect on a complex problem and ask rhetorical questions.
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Test Yourself

Fill in the blank with the correct question word.

___ nama kamu?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Siapa
Siapa is for people.
Which sentence is correct? 選択問題

Choose the formal question.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Apakah kamu lapar?
Apakah is the formal marker.
Fix the mistake. Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

Adalah kamu pergi?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Apakah kamu pergi?
Adalah is not used.
Reorder the words. Sentence Reorder

Arrange the words in the correct order:

All words placed

Click words above to build the sentence

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Siapa nama kamu?
Standard order.
Translate to Indonesian. 翻訳

Where is the house?

Answer starts with: Di ...

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Di mana rumah?
Di mana is where.
Complete the dialogue. Dialogue Completion

A: ___? B: Saya Budi.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Siapa nama kamu
Asking for a name.
Build a question. Sentence Building

You / eat / already / ?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Sudah makan belum?
Natural phrasing.
Sort by formality. Grammar Sorting

Which is most formal?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Apakah Anda lapar?
Uses formal particles.

Score: /8

練習問題

8 exercises
Fill in the blank with the correct question word.

___ nama kamu?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Siapa
Siapa is for people.
Which sentence is correct? 選択問題

Choose the formal question.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Apakah kamu lapar?
Apakah is the formal marker.
Fix the mistake. Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

Adalah kamu pergi?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Apakah kamu pergi?
Adalah is not used.
Reorder the words. Sentence Reorder

nama / siapa / kamu

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Siapa nama kamu?
Standard order.
Translate to Indonesian. 翻訳

Where is the house?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Di mana rumah?
Di mana is where.
Complete the dialogue. Dialogue Completion

A: ___? B: Saya Budi.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Siapa nama kamu
Asking for a name.
Build a question. Sentence Building

You / eat / already / ?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Sudah makan belum?
Natural phrasing.
Sort by formality. Grammar Sorting

Which is most formal?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Apakah Anda lapar?
Uses formal particles.

Score: /8

よくある質問 (8)

No, it is only for formal yes/no questions.

Yes, Indonesian is very flexible.

'Apa' is 'what', 'Apakah' is a question marker.

Use 'Apa kabar?'.

It is just more informal.

No, it is optional.

Add 'tidak' or 'belum'.

No, never.

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In Other Languages

Spanish moderate

¿...?

No word order change in Indonesian.

French partial

Est-ce que

French is more complex with inversion.

German low

Verb-first

Indonesian keeps the verb in place.

Japanese high

ka

Indonesian 'kah' is attached to the question word.

Arabic moderate

Hal

Indonesian is more flexible with position.

Chinese high

ma

Indonesian 'kah' is formal.

Previous
Question Words (Di mana, Kapan)
Next
Question Particles

Related Grammar Rules

A1

Question Words (Di mana, Kapan)
A1

Question Words (Apa, Siapa)
A1

Question Particles
A1

Asking for Quantities
B1

Indirect Questions
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