The degree words terlalu, cukup, and kurang compare a quality with a practical threshold. Terlalu says the quality exceeds an acceptable limit, cukup says it reaches a required level, and kurang says it falls short. The threshold usually comes from the speaker’s goal, budget, expectations, or situation rather than from the adjective alone.
This page concentrates on the grammar and interpretation of these degree expressions. It leaves adjective vocabulary and full derivational affix paradigms to their dedicated pages; the broader inventory of intensifiers and scale words appears under adjective degree.
terlalu: beyond an acceptable limit
Place terlalu before an adjective: terlalu mahal “too expensive,” terlalu kecil “too small,” terlalu ramai “too crowded.” It does more than indicate a high degree. It normally says that the degree causes a problem relative to some purpose or standard.
Apartemen itu terlalu mahal untuk anggaran kami.
That apartment is too expensive for our budget.
Musiknya terlalu keras; saya tidak bisa mendengar suaramu.
The music is too loud; I can't hear your voice.
Kotak ini terlalu kecil untuk semua buku itu.
This box is too small for all those books.
The complement untuk + noun or action can make the threshold explicit: too expensive for our budget, too small for the books, too late to call. A following consequence can do the same job. If the context is already clear, the complement can be omitted.
Saya suka jaketnya, tetapi harganya terlalu mahal.
I like the jacket, but its price is too high.
English very expensive and too expensive differ in the same important way as sangat mahal and terlalu mahal. Sangat describes a high degree; terlalu crosses a limit. A very expensive watch may still be affordable to its buyer, while a moderately priced watch can be too expensive for a limited budget.
cukup: reaching the threshold
Before an adjective, cukup often means “sufficiently,” “enough,” “fairly,” or “quite”: cukup besar, cukup jelas, cukup dekat. Its core meaning is that the relevant degree reaches a contextual threshold.
Ruangannya cukup besar untuk empat orang.
The room is big enough for four people.
Petunjuk ini cukup jelas untuk diikuti tanpa bantuan.
These instructions are clear enough to follow without help.
Kami berangkat cukup pagi agar tidak terjebak macet.
We left early enough to avoid getting stuck in traffic.
This threshold meaning explains why cukup bagus can sound different in different situations. It can be genuine praise—“quite good”—when the speaker’s expectations were modest and the result exceeded them. It can also mean merely “good enough,” implying that the result meets a requirement without being outstanding. Voice and context decide which evaluation is heard.
Presentasimu cukup bagus, terutama bagian kesimpulannya.
Your presentation was quite good, especially the conclusion.
Kualitas gambarnya cukup bagus untuk laporan internal, tetapi belum layak dicetak.
The image quality is good enough for an internal report, but it is not yet suitable for printing.
English quite is especially treacherous because its strength varies by dialect and intonation. Do not automatically give cukup an enthusiastic meaning. In a selection committee’s comment Calonnya cukup baik, the candidate may simply clear the required bar.
Used alone or before a noun, cukup has other functions: Cukup! means “Enough!” and cukup waktu can mean “enough time.” Those uses support the same sufficiency idea, but this page focuses on its position before adjectives.
kurang: below the desired level
Before an adjective, kurang means that the property is present to an insufficient degree: kurang jelas “not clear enough,” kurang besar “not big enough,” kurang aman “not safe enough.” It often sounds less blunt than direct tidak + adjective because it frames the problem as a degree shortfall rather than total absence.
Tulisan pada label ini kurang jelas.
The writing on this label is not clear enough.
Kursinya kurang nyaman untuk perjalanan panjang.
The seat is not comfortable enough for a long journey.
Penjelasan tadi kurang rinci, jadi saya masih punya beberapa pertanyaan.
The earlier explanation wasn't detailed enough, so I still have a few questions.
Compare tidak jelas and kurang jelas. The first directly denies clarity: “not clear.” The second locates the item below the needed degree: “insufficiently clear.” In polite workplace feedback, kurang jelas can soften criticism (formal) or (neutral), but it still identifies a real problem.
Kurang does not always imply that some amount of the quality is objectively measurable. With an evaluative adjective such as cocok, kurang cocok means “not quite suitable” and tactfully rejects an option.
Warna itu bagus, tetapi kurang cocok untuk ruang yang gelap.
That color is nice, but it is not quite suitable for a dark room.
One shopping situation, three thresholds
Shopping makes the three-way contrast concrete. A buyer evaluates each property against a different need: budget, capacity, or available information.
Tas kulit itu terlalu mahal untuk saya.
That leather bag is too expensive for me.
Tas yang biru cukup besar untuk laptop dan pengisi dayanya.
The blue bag is big enough for my laptop and its charger.
Label diskonnya kurang jelas; ini harga sebelum atau sesudah potongan?
The discount label isn't clear enough; is this the price before or after the discount?
Nothing about the leather bag is universally “too expensive.” It exceeds this buyer’s limit. The blue bag reaches the capacity threshold. The label fails the clarity threshold needed to make a confident purchase. Degree language therefore encodes a relationship between a property and a purpose, not merely an objective measurement.
Complements and word order
The regular order is degree word + adjective + complement. The complement frequently begins with untuk:
Sup ini terlalu panas untuk langsung diminum.
This soup is too hot to drink immediately.
Meja itu cukup kuat untuk menahan akuarium kecil.
That table is strong enough to support a small aquarium.
Sinyalnya kurang stabil untuk panggilan video.
The signal is not stable enough for a video call.
An adjective may also be followed by a phrase licensed by that adjective, such as jelas bagi pembaca baru “clear to new readers.” The degree word remains before the adjective: kurang jelas bagi pembaca baru.
Negation can change the threshold judgment. Tidak terlalu mahal means “not too expensive” and often implies acceptable affordability, although it does not literally mean “cheap.” Belum cukup besar means “not big enough yet,” presenting sufficiency as a future possibility.
Restoran itu tidak terlalu mahal kalau kami berbagi beberapa hidangan.
That restaurant isn't too expensive if we share a few dishes.
Bibitnya belum cukup besar untuk dipindahkan ke kebun.
The seedling isn't big enough yet to be moved to the garden.
Common Mistakes
Treating cukup as an automatic strong compliment
❌ Filmnya cukup bagus! Luar biasa sekali!
Potentially misleading — cukup bagus may sound like restrained praise, while luar biasa sekali is strongly enthusiastic.
✅ Filmnya sangat bagus! Benar-benar luar biasa!
The film is very good! Truly outstanding!
Use cukup bagus when “quite good” or “good enough” fits the intended threshold; use sangat bagus for unambiguous strong praise.
Putting the degree word after the adjective
❌ Jaket itu mahal terlalu untuk saya.
Incorrect — terlalu precedes the adjective.
✅ Jaket itu terlalu mahal untuk saya.
That jacket is too expensive for me.
Placing untuk between cukup and the adjective
❌ Kotak ini cukup untuk besar semua piring.
Incorrect — the adjective follows cukup, and the purpose follows the adjective.
✅ Kotak ini cukup besar untuk semua piring.
This box is big enough for all the plates.
Stacking incompatible negative markers
❌ Penjelasannya kurang tidak jelas.
Incorrect — kurang already marks deficient degree and does not combine this way with tidak.
✅ Penjelasannya kurang jelas.
The explanation is not clear enough.
Key Takeaways
- Terlalu + adjective exceeds an acceptable maximum.
- Cukup + adjective reaches a required level and may mean either “quite” or merely “enough.”
- Kurang + adjective falls below a desired level and often softens criticism.
- Untuk can state the goal or standard that determines the threshold.
- The normal order is degree word, adjective, then complement.
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