Segala is often translated as all, but its central meaning is not simply “every member of a known set.” It opens out a range: every kind, every conceivable means, every relevant aspect. That makes it especially natural with abstract nouns, broad categories, rhetoric, and several fixed expressions.
This page focuses on exhaustive variety. It leaves classifier choice, noun derivation, and the internal structure of relative clauses to their dedicated pages.
Exhausting a range, not counting its members
Compare semua and segala through the question each one answers:
| Form | Core meaning | Typical phrase |
|---|---|---|
| semua | every member or all of a delimited amount | semua dokumen |
| segala | every kind, means, aspect, or conceivable instance | segala cara |
Kami sudah mencoba segala cara untuk menghubungi pemilik rumah.
We have tried every possible way to contact the landlord.
Semua nomor yang diberikan agen itu sudah saya hubungi.
I have called all the numbers that the agent gave me.
The first sentence does not point to a closed list of methods. Segala cara expands the search to whatever means could reasonably be imagined. The second points to a known, countable set of phone numbers, so semua is the precise choice.
Abstract complements
Segala strongly favors nouns whose possible realizations are varied or open-ended: cara “ways,” kemungkinan “possibilities,” risiko “risks,” bentuk “forms,” hal “matters/aspects,” and upaya “efforts.” It precedes the noun and is written separately.
Sebelum menandatangani kontrak, kami mempertimbangkan segala kemungkinan.
Before signing the contract, we considered every possibility.
Dokter menjelaskan segala risiko yang mungkin timbul setelah operasi.
The doctor explained every risk that might arise after the operation.
Tim hukum menolak segala bentuk intimidasi terhadap saksi.
The legal team rejects every form of intimidation against witnesses.
These phrases are common in careful public speech and formal writing. Segala bentuk intimidasi, for example, deliberately blocks loopholes: intimidation is rejected whatever form it takes. In casual conversation, speakers may use semua kemungkinan or semua risiko when a concrete, already identified list is meant.
English all conceals this difference. All risks can mean all listed risks or risks of every conceivable kind. Indonesian can make the perspective explicit: semua risiko dalam laporan ini for the listed set, segala risiko for the exhaustive range.
Segala sesuatu and segalanya
Segala sesuatu means “everything” in a maximally broad sense. Although sesuatu alone means “something,” the construction is established: segala ranges over every relevant thing. Segalanya is a compact pronoun-like alternative, written as one word because -nya is attached.
Sejak pindah ke kota ini, segala sesuatu terasa lebih cepat.
Since moving to this city, everything has felt faster.
Jangan ceritakan segala sesuatu di media sosial.
Don't share everything on social media.
Kami sudah menyiapkan segalanya sebelum tamu pertama datang.
We had prepared everything before the first guest arrived.
Segala sesuatu can sound weightier or more expansive than ordinary conversational semuanya. Segalanya is also broad, but it is concise and common in both neutral conversation and expressive writing. The choice is one of discourse perspective, not grammatical number.
Segala macam: all sorts of
The construction segala macam + noun highlights diversity within a category. It often corresponds to all sorts of rather than plain all. The noun after macam remains bare because the expression already supplies the interpretation of multiple types.
Kami menghadapi segala macam masalah saat membuka cabang baru.
We ran into all sorts of problems when opening the new branch.
Di pasar malam itu ada segala macam makanan dari berbagai daerah.
At that night market there are all kinds of food from different regions.
Anak itu selalu mengajukan segala macam pertanyaan yang sulit dijawab.
That child is always asking all sorts of questions that are hard to answer.
The phrase may carry an expressive overtone: the speaker presents the range as broad, surprising, troublesome, or difficult to catalogue. For a definite inventory, use semua jenis plus the relevant noun instead: semua jenis tiket yang tersedia “all the ticket types available.”
Rhetoric and fixed expressions
Because segala sounds comprehensive, it is productive in formal, ceremonial, persuasive, and literary language. The label matters: a phrase natural in a speech may sound grand in a text message.
- dengan segala hormat “with all due respect” (formal)
- dalam segala hal “in every respect” (formal/neutral)
- dengan segala kerendahan hati “with all humility” (formal)
- segala puji bagi ... “all praise belongs to ...” (formal/religious)
Dengan segala hormat, kami tidak dapat menerima usulan tersebut.
With all due respect, we cannot accept that proposal. (formal)
Dalam segala hal, keselamatan warga harus menjadi pertimbangan utama.
In every matter, citizens' safety must be the primary consideration. (formal)
Ia meninggalkan kampungnya dan segala kenangan yang melekat di sana.
She left her village and every memory bound up with it. (literary)
The last example is (literary) because segala kenangan evokes an unbounded emotional totality. In everyday conversation about a known album, semua foto dan kenangan dari perjalanan itu would be more concrete.
Position and spelling
Segala is a free determiner before its complement: segala cara, segala sesuatu, segala macam masalah. Do not attach it to the following word. A demonstrative, when compatible with the intended meaning, closes the noun phrase on the right: segala persoalan rumit itu “all those complicated issues.” See determiner and modifier order for the complete pattern.
Write ordinary segala in lowercase. Personal names keep their capitals, and the conventional reverential expression Sang Pencipta has capitals on both words.
Segala puji bagi Sang Pencipta atas keselamatan kami.
All praise belongs to the Creator for our safety. (formal/religious)
Common Mistakes
1. Replacing semua routinely with segala
❌ Segala peserta sudah mengambil kartu identitas masing-masing.
Incorrect for an ordinary statement about every member of a known participant list.
✅ Semua peserta sudah mengambil kartu identitas masing-masing.
All the participants have collected their respective identification cards.
2. Putting segala after its noun
❌ Kami akan menempuh cara segala yang mungkin.
Incorrect — segala precedes the noun whose possible range it exhausts.
✅ Kami akan menempuh segala cara yang mungkin.
We will pursue every possible means.
3. Reduplicating after segala macam
❌ Kami menghadapi segala macam-macam masalah.
Incorrect — segala macam already expresses a range of kinds, so macam is not reduplicated here.
✅ Kami menghadapi segala macam masalah.
We faced all sorts of problems.
4. Joining a free determiner to its noun
❌ Segalasesuatu berubah setelah rapat itu.
Incorrect spelling — segala and sesuatu are separate words.
✅ Segala sesuatu berubah setelah rapat itu.
Everything changed after that meeting.
Key Takeaways
- Segala exhausts kinds, means, possibilities, forms, or aspects rather than merely counting known members.
- It is especially natural with abstract nouns and in segala sesuatu and segala macam + noun.
- Rhetorical uses must be read with their register: some are formal or literary, while segala macam is everyday.
- Use semua, not segala, for an ordinary closed set such as all registered participants.
- Free segala is separate; attached -nya produces segalanya.
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