Indonesian distinguishes a static comparison from a degree that changes over time. Harga ini lebih tinggi daripada harga sebelumnya compares two prices; Harga semakin tinggi says that the price keeps rising. The adjective itself remains unchanged in both patterns.
Use semakin or makin for an increasing or intensifying property, kian for a more elevated equivalent, and bertambah + property when the degree is added to or grows. Paired frames such as makin lama makin sulit correlate two developing scales without any comparative ending. This page leaves ordinary lebih comparisons and the full syntax of correlative conjunctions to dedicated pages.
For static target-versus-standard comparisons, see comparatives with lebih. The wider syntax of matched two-part frames appears on the correlative conjunctions page.
A single changing scale with semakin
Put semakin immediately before the property or predicate whose degree is developing:
Harga semakin tinggi menjelang akhir tahun.
The price keeps rising toward the end of the year.
Setelah rutin berlatih, pengucapan saya semakin jelas.
After practicing regularly, my pronunciation is becoming clearer.
Jalan menuju desa semakin sempit setelah jembatan.
The road toward the village gets narrower after the bridge.
The construction presupposes at least two points on a scale: an earlier degree and a later degree. No explicit “than” phrase is necessary because time or successive stages supply the comparison points.
Semakin can modify an adjective, an adverbial property, or a predicate whose meaning supports degree:
Kami semakin yakin bahwa rencana ini bisa berhasil.
We are becoming increasingly confident that this plan can succeed.
Kereta bergerak semakin lambat saat mendekati stasiun.
The train moves increasingly slowly as it approaches the station.
Aspect and modality precede the degree phrase when they scope over the developing state: akan semakin sulit “will become increasingly difficult,” sudah semakin baik “has already become better.”
Makin in neutral and conversational use
Makin has the same core increasing-degree function. It is a standard form, especially common in speech and concise prose, but it is not restricted to informal language.
Cuacanya makin panas; kita istirahat dulu.
The weather is getting hotter; let's take a break.
Setelah pindah lebih dekat, kami makin sering bertemu.
After moving closer, we see each other more and more often.
Masalahnya makin rumit karena datanya belum lengkap.
The problem is getting more complicated because the data are incomplete.
There is no fixed mathematical difference by which semakin always means a greater increase. The choice is largely one of rhythm and register: semakin is broadly neutral and comfortable in careful prose, while makin often sounds shorter and more conversational without becoming nonstandard.
Paired semakin…semakin
Repeating semakin correlates two scales: as the first changes, the second changes with it.
Semakin sering kita berlatih, semakin lancar kita berbicara.
The more often we practice, the more fluently we speak.
Semakin tinggi permintaan, semakin mahal harganya.
The higher the demand, the higher the price.
Semakin dekat kami dengan pantai, semakin kuat anginnya.
The closer we got to the coast, the stronger the wind became.
English changes the surface shape among “the more,” “the higher,” and “the closer.” Indonesian keeps the same correlative frame. Each semakin opens its own scale; the adjectives or predicates remain uninflected.
The comma separates the first correlating clause from the second. The notation semakin…semakin uses an ellipsis only to display the reusable frame; ordinary sentences spell out both clauses.
Paired makin…makin
The conversational pair works the same way:
Makin lama makin sulit mencari tempat parkir di sini.
As time goes on, it gets harder and harder to find parking here.
Makin banyak orang datang, makin ramai suasananya.
The more people arrive, the livelier the atmosphere becomes.
Makin dipikirkan, makin tidak masuk akal alasannya.
The more it is considered, the less reasonable the explanation seems.
The compact phrase makin lama makin sulit is not literally “more long more difficult.” Makin lama conventionalizes the passage of time—“the longer it goes on”—and the second half gives the correlated result.
Mixed semakin…makin is understandable and occurs in spontaneous speech, but careful writing normally chooses one repeated marker (formal). This is a matter of controlled parallelism, not adjective agreement.
Formal kian
Kian expresses continuing increase with a concise, elevated tone. It is common in journalism and speeches (formal) and in elevated narrative (literary).
Setelah bukti baru ditemukan, keadaannya kian jelas.
After new evidence was found, the situation became increasingly clear. (formal)
Tekanan terhadap sumber air bersih kian berat.
Pressure on clean-water resources is becoming increasingly severe. (formal)
Malam kian larut, tetapi mereka belum berhenti bekerja.
The night grew later, but they had not stopped working. (literary)
The required Keadaannya kian jelas could be replaced by Keadaannya semakin jelas in neutral conversation. Kian does not require a special adjective form; its register is what distinguishes it.
Bertambah plus a property predicate
Bertambah literally presents an amount or degree as increasing. Before a property, it can mean “become more...”:
Saat matahari naik, suhunya bertambah panas.
As the sun rises, the temperature gets hotter.
Setelah hujan turun, arus sungai bertambah deras.
After the rain fell, the river current grew stronger.
Kekhawatiran warga bertambah besar setelah gempa susulan.
Residents' concern grew after the aftershock.
The form is ber- + tambah → bertambah, written as one word. The following adjective remains separate: bertambah panas, not bertambahpanas. In technical prose, suhu meningkat “the temperature increased” may be more precise than describing the temperature as panas, but Suhunya bertambah panas is natural everyday property language.
Word order and negation
Increasing-degree markers precede the property:
| Pattern | Example |
|---|---|
| degree + adjective | semakin mahal |
| modality + degree + adjective | akan semakin mahal |
| negation + degree + adjective | tidak semakin mahal |
| verb of increase + adjective | bertambah mahal |
Setelah promosi berakhir, penjualannya tidak semakin tinggi.
After the promotion ended, sales did not keep increasing.
Tidak semakin tinggi denies an upward development; it does not necessarily mean the level is low. Scope matters: the state may remain high but stop rising.
Orthography
Write degree markers separately: semakin jelas, makin sulit, kian berat. Attach productive ber- in bertambah. Do not hyphenate ordinary paired clauses. Use the ellipsis only as linguistic notation in labels such as semakin…semakin, not in complete examples.
Common Mistakes
1. Using lebih for every change over time
❌ Harga lebih tinggi daripada setiap minggu.
Incorrect forced comparison — ‘every week’ is not a coherent static standard here.
✅ Harga semakin tinggi setiap minggu.
The price keeps getting higher every week.
2. Putting semakin after the adjective
❌ Jalan itu sempit semakin saat mendekati desa.
Incorrect order for the intended increasing-degree phrase.
✅ Jalan itu semakin sempit saat mendekati desa.
The road gets narrower as it approaches the village.
3. Doubling static and evolving degree markers
❌ Situasinya semakin lebih rumit setiap hari.
Incorrect double marking — use semakin for the evolving scale.
✅ Situasinya semakin rumit setiap hari.
The situation is becoming more complicated every day.
4. Leaving a paired relation unmatched
❌ Semakin lama, sulit menyelesaikan masalah ini.
Incomplete for the intended ‘the longer…the harder’ correlation.
✅ Semakin lama menunggu, semakin sulit menyelesaikan masalah ini.
The longer we wait, the harder it is to solve this problem.
5. Separating the productive prefix in bertambah
❌ Udara ber tambah panas menjelang siang.
Incorrect spelling — ber- attaches to tambah.
✅ Udara bertambah panas menjelang siang.
The air gets hotter toward midday.
Key Takeaways
- Lebih makes a static comparison; semakin/makin track an evolving scale.
- Match paired semakin…semakin and makin…makin frames in careful writing.
- Kian is concise and elevated; semakin is more neutral.
- Bertambah + adjective presents the property's degree as increasing.
- Degree markers precede unchanged adjectives, while the prefix in bertambah attaches.
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