Negation: 'tidak' vs. 'bukan' — Malay Grammar

Standard Malay relies on two primary negation words: and . While both translate to "no" or "not" in English, they are not interchangeable. The correct choice depends entirely on the grammatical category of the word or phrase being negated.

Negating Verbs and Adjectives: 'Tidak'

Use when you want to negate an action (verb) or a description (adjective). This is the standard way to say that someone is not doing something or that something does not have a certain quality.

Saya tidak minum kopi.
I do not drink coffee.
Dia tidak tidur awal malam tadi.
He did not sleep early last night.
Rumah ini tidak besar.
This house is not big.

Negating Nouns and Prepositions: 'Bukan'

Use when negating a noun phrase or a prepositional phrase. This is used to deny identity, profession, or origin. If you can replace the negation with "is not a" or "is not the," you generally need .

Ini bukan kereta saya.
This is not my car.
Mereka bukan doktor.
They are not doctors.
Hadiah ini bukan untuk awak.
This gift is not for you.
Saya bukan dari Indonesia.
I am not from Indonesia.

Exception: Expressing Contrast

While is the standard negator for adjectives, you may use with adjectives or verbs if you are emphasizing a contradiction or correcting a statement. In this context, implies "it is not X, but rather Y."

Dia bukan sombong, dia pemalu.
He is not arrogant, he is shy.
Saya bukan tidak mahu tolong, saya sibuk.
It is not that I don't want to help, I am busy.

Colloquial Usage: 'Tak'

In spoken Malay and informal writing, is frequently shortened to . This is extremely common in daily conversation, though remains the correct form for formal writing. is rarely shortened in this way.

Saya tak tahu.
I don't know.
Kenapa awak tak makan?
Why aren't you eating?

Using 'Bukan' for Confirmation

can be placed at the end of a sentence to turn a statement into a question, similar to "right?" or "isn't it?" in English. This asks the listener to confirm that the statement is true.

Awak lapar, bukan?
You are hungry, right?
Hari ini hari Isnin, bukan?
Today is Monday, isn't it?

In the course

Sentences from Lingora’s Malay course

69 of the course's 500 sentences use this, the first in lesson 16. A few of them, with the words “Negation: 'tidak' vs. 'bukan'” is about in bold:

Dia juga sedang tidur. Dia tidak.
He is also sleeping. She isn't.
Lesson 16
Saya berasa hebat! Saya tidak sakit. Saya sihat.
I feel great! I am not sick. I am healthy.
Lesson 64
Sangat tidak masuk akal. Kamu berdua salah.
How ridiculous. You are both wrong.
Lesson 163

Comments

Loading comments…