Adding Information: selain itu, juga, bahkan | Indonesian Grammar

English “and,” “also,” “in addition,” and “even” all add information, but they do so at different grammatical levels and with different expectations. Indonesian makes those differences visible: dan coordinates equal units, juga adds a parallel constituent or proposition inside a clause, selain itu introduces a separate supporting point, and bahkan marks the added point as unexpectedly high on a scale.

This page develops those text-organizing contrasts, their scope, and punctuation. It does not replace the full syntax of individual conjunctions or cover particle-level interpersonal meanings.

Four kinds of addition

Marker	Level	Relationship	Typical punctuation
dan	word, phrase, or coordinated clause	equal member plus equal member	normally no comma in a simple two-part coordination
juga	constituent or proposition within a clause	another member with the same relevant property	no comma solely because of juga
selain itu	sentence or discourse point	another reason, fact, or consideration	comma after the sentence-initial marker
bahkan	constituent or sentence	an added member beyond expectation	comma when it organizes a new sentence; none when directly focusing a constituent

Kami membeli roti dan buah untuk sarapan.

We bought bread and fruit for breakfast.

Tari juga membawa termos berisi kopi.

Tari brought a thermos of coffee too.

Selain itu, kami menyiapkan makanan ringan untuk perjalanan.

In addition, we prepared snacks for the journey.

Bahkan, paman saya membuat kue khusus untuk dibawa.

What’s more, my uncle made a special cake to take along.

The four sentences do not contain interchangeable synonyms. They build information at different structural levels and, with bahkan, different points on an expectation scale.

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First identify what is being added: one noun, one participant, one sentence-level reason, or one surprising extreme. The grammar level chooses the marker.

Dan coordinates equal units

Dan joins units that have the same role: two nouns, two verb phrases, or two clauses. It makes no claim that the second member is surprising or rhetorically stronger.

Ruang rapat itu luas dan terang.

The meeting room is spacious and bright.

Nadia memeriksa data dan memperbaiki dua kesalahan.

Nadia checked the data and corrected two errors.

Ayah memasak makan malam dan saya mencuci piring setelahnya.

Dad cooked dinner, and I washed the dishes afterward.

In a simple two-item phrase, Indonesian normally has no comma before dan. The coordinator also does not itself require a comma between the two clear clauses in the third example. Another punctuation rule or genuine ambiguity may still justify a boundary. For more detail, see dan and serta.

Juga adds a parallel member inside the clause

Juga signals that the focused constituent shares a property already established for someone or something else. Its position helps indicate what is parallel, but context is crucial because the most common placement—after the subject—can support more than one focus.

Deni sudah mengirim laporannya dan Rina juga sudah mengirim laporannya.

Deni has submitted his report, and Rina has submitted hers too.

Rina membawa jus juga, bukan hanya air mineral.

Rina brought juice too, not only mineral water.

Kami tidak hanya menjual buku; kami juga menyewakan ruang kerja.

We don’t just sell books; we also rent out workspaces.

Pak Hasan bekerja pada akhir pekan juga.

Mr. Hasan works on weekends too.

Saya juga tidak menerima undangannya.

I didn’t receive the invitation either.

The last sentence shows that English either in a negative clause often corresponds to Indonesian juga. The negative marker still precedes the predicate; juga adds the subject or proposition to an already negative set.

Scope can be genuinely ambiguous:

Rina juga membawa kue ke kantor.

Rina also brought cake to the office. (Depending on context: Rina too, or bringing cake too.)

If the contrast matters, state the parallel material or use bukan hanya ... tetapi juga ....

Bukan hanya Rina, tetapi Dimas juga membawa kue ke kantor.

Not only Rina, but Dimas too brought cake to the office.

Rina bukan hanya membawa kue, tetapi juga membuat kopi untuk semua orang.

Rina not only brought cake but also made coffee for everyone.

Selain itu adds a new discourse point

Sentence-initial Selain itu, means “in addition/besides that.” It looks back to the preceding point as a whole and adds a separate point. It is therefore especially useful in explanations, recommendations, and arguments.

Hotel itu dekat dengan stasiun. Selain itu, sarapan sudah termasuk dalam harga kamar.

The hotel is close to the station. In addition, breakfast is included in the room price.

Aplikasi ini mudah digunakan. Selain itu, semua data disimpan secara otomatis.

This application is easy to use. Moreover, all data is saved automatically.

Program tersebut mengurangi sampah. Selain itu, program itu membuka lapangan kerja baru.

The program reduces waste. In addition, it creates new jobs.

At the start of a sentence, capitalize Selain and follow itu with a comma. The two words remain separate. The related phrase selain X means “besides/apart from X” within a clause; it is not automatically a sentence connector.

Selain biaya sewa, kami harus membayar listrik dan air.

Besides the rent, we have to pay for electricity and water.

Bahkan adds an unexpected high point

Bahkan corresponds to scalar “even.” The added item exceeds a live expectation: a young child performs an adult-level task, a service is available at an unusually late hour, or a problem is more extensive than assumed.

Anak itu sudah bisa membaca, bahkan menulis cerita pendek.

The child can already read and can even write short stories.

Toko itu tetap buka sampai tengah malam, bahkan pada hari Minggu.

The shop stays open until midnight, even on Sundays.

Tidak seorang pun mengeluh; bahkan pelanggan yang paling kritis merasa puas.

No one complained; even the most critical customer was satisfied.

Harga tiketnya turun. Bahkan, anak-anak sekarang dapat masuk secara gratis.

Ticket prices have fallen. What’s more, children can now enter for free.

Badai itu merusak jalan dan bahkan memutus aliran listrik ke tiga desa.

The storm damaged roads and even cut electricity to three villages.

Bahkan is not merely a more formal juga. If the added item is an ordinary peer, use juga. If it outruns an expectation, use bahkan.

Maya bisa berbahasa Jawa dan Rudi juga bisa.

Maya can speak Javanese, and Rudi can too.

Rudi baru belajar enam bulan, tetapi dia bahkan sudah bisa berpidato dalam bahasa Jawa.

Rudi has studied for only six months, but he can even give a speech in Javanese.

Formal additive choices

Di samping itu, and lebih lanjut, are useful in (formal) or (academic) exposition. Terlebih lagi, adds a stronger supporting point, much like “moreover.” They remain multiword expressions and take a comma when sentence-initial.

Di samping itu, kebijakan tersebut perlu dievaluasi setiap enam bulan.

In addition, the policy needs to be evaluated every six months. (formal)

Lebih lanjut, penelitian ini menguji dampak kebijakan terhadap usaha kecil.

Furthermore, this study examines the policy’s effect on small businesses. (academic)

Terlebih lagi, tidak ada dana tambahan yang diperlukan untuk tahap pertama.

Moreover, no additional funding is needed for the first phase. (formal)

These markers organize prose; adding one to every sentence makes the relationship heavy and mechanical. Use them where readers genuinely need a signpost.

Revising one paragraph by grammar level

Consider a flat draft in which dan tries to do every kind of addition:

Perpustakaan baru itu terang dan memiliki banyak meja dan buka sampai malam dan mahasiswa dapat meminjam laptop.

The new library is bright and has many tables and stays open until evening and students can borrow laptops. (poorly organized draft)

The revision assigns each relation to the right marker:

Perpustakaan baru itu terang dan memiliki banyak meja.

The new library is bright and has many tables. (dan coordinates equal descriptions)

Perpustakaan itu juga buka sampai pukul sembilan malam.

The library is also open until nine in the evening. (juga adds a parallel feature)

Selain itu, mahasiswa dapat meminjam laptop tanpa biaya.

In addition, students can borrow laptops free of charge. (selain itu adds a new sentence-level point)

Bahkan, ruang diskusinya dapat dipesan pada hari Minggu.

What’s more, its discussion rooms can even be reserved on Sundays. (bahkan adds the unexpected strongest point)

This is not a stylistic ban on repeated dan. It shows why a readable paragraph distinguishes coordination, peer addition, discourse addition, and scalar surprise.

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Juga asks “who or what else shares this property?” Selain itu asks “what further point supports the discussion?” Bahkan asks “what addition goes beyond expectation?”

Common Mistakes

1. Treating all additive markers as interchangeable

❌ Kantornya dekat. Juga, sewanya murah.

Awkward standard prose — sentence-initial juga does not normally organize a new point like ‘moreover.’

✅ Kantornya dekat. Selain itu, sewanya murah.

The office is nearby. In addition, the rent is low.

2. Using bahkan for an ordinary equal addition

❌ Sari membeli pensil dan dia bahkan membeli penghapus.

Wrong unless buying an eraser is unexpectedly remarkable.

✅ Sari membeli pensil dan dia juga membeli penghapus.

Sari bought pencils, and she bought an eraser too.

3. Missing the comma after a sentence connector

❌ Selain itu laporan tersebut belum ditandatangani.

Incorrect punctuation for sentence-initial selain itu.

✅ Selain itu, laporan tersebut belum ditandatangani oleh direktur.

In addition, the report has not yet been signed by the director.

4. Hiding juga’s scope

❌ Lia juga mengundang Rafi.

Unclear for an intended contrast without context — juga may add Lia, the act of inviting, or Rafi.

✅ Tono mengundang Rafi dan Lia juga mengundangnya.

Tono invited Rafi, and Lia invited him too.

5. Writing the multiword marker together

❌ Selainitu, ruangannya terlalu sempit.

Incorrect spelling — selain itu is two words.

✅ Selain itu, ruangannya terlalu sempit untuk dua puluh orang.

Besides that, the room is too small for twenty people.

Key Takeaways

Dan coordinates equal grammatical units.
Juga adds a parallel constituent or proposition inside the clause; context controls its scope.
Selain itu, introduces a separate discourse-level point and takes a following comma.
Bahkan adds a member that exceeds expectation, so it is not interchangeable with neutral juga.
Formal markers such as di samping itu and lebih lanjut should clarify structure, not decorate every sentence.

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