Mana asks the listener to select from alternatives that are visible, mentioned, or otherwise understood. Indonesian usually says noun + mana for “which noun” and yang mana for “which one”: buku mana, yang mana. Combined with separate prepositions, di mana, ke mana, and dari mana ask location, destination, and source.
Selection presupposes a set
Use mana when several possible answers form a relevant set. Unlike broad apa “what,” it normally assumes that the choices can be identified from context.
Mana bukumu, yang sampul merah atau yang biru?
Which one is your book, the red-covered one or the blue one?
Kamu pilih mana untuk makan malam?
Which one are you choosing for dinner?
Dari dua rute ini, mana yang lebih cepat?
Of these two routes, which one is faster?
Mana yang sudah diperiksa oleh teknisi?
Which one has already been checked by the technician?
The known set can be physically present, mentioned in the conversation, or introduced in a phrase such as dari dua rute ini.
| Pattern | Typical question | Use |
|---|---|---|
| noun + mana | buku mana? | which book? |
| yang mana | kamu pilih yang mana? | which one? |
| mana yang + predicate | mana yang rusak? | which one satisfies the description? |
| preposition + mana | di mana? ke mana? dari mana? | where? to where? from where? |
Noun + mana: “which noun”
Indonesian normally places mana after the noun: buku mana, jalur mana, hari mana. This follows the general post-nominal order of many Indonesian determiners and modifiers.
Buku mana yang harus dikembalikan hari ini?
Which book must be returned today?
Jalur mana yang menuju terminal antarkota?
Which route leads to the intercity terminal?
Kamar mana yang sudah dibersihkan?
Which room has already been cleaned?
Warna mana yang paling cocok dengan lantai kayu ini?
Which color goes best with this wooden floor?
Peserta mana yang belum menerima kartu masuk?
Which participant has not received an admission card yet?
English puts which before the noun. Copying that order gives nonstandard mana buku. Build the Indonesian noun phrase first, then add mana.
The noun phrase can stay in the answer position or be fronted for focus.
Kamu memesan menu mana untuk makan siang?
Which menu did you order for lunch?
Menu mana yang kamu pesan untuk makan siang?
Which menu was it that you ordered for lunch?
In the second, fronted menu mana is followed by yang + agent + bare verb in object voice. The general extraction system is beyond this page; the practical contrast is neutral in-situ selection versus focused fronting.
Yang mana: “which one”
Yang mana stands for a discourse-known entity whose noun is recoverable. It is useful when objects are visible or the category has just been named.
Ada tiga pintu di lorong ini; kita masuk lewat yang mana?
There are three doors in this corridor; which one do we enter through?
Kamu mau duduk di kursi yang mana?
Which chair do you want to sit in?
Saya membawa dua ukuran. Anda ingin yang mana?
I brought two sizes. Which one would you like?
Dari semua foto ini, yang mana paling jelas?
Of all these photographs, which one is clearest?
Yang mana can follow an explicit noun, especially when the speaker wants “which one of that noun class?” to be unmistakable: warna yang mana, bus yang mana.
Maksudmu bus yang mana, yang lewat pasar atau yang lewat kampus?
Which bus do you mean, the one that goes by the market or the one that goes by campus?
Beritahu saya berkas yang mana yang perlu ditandatangani.
Tell me which file needs to be signed.
The repeated yang in the last sentence has two jobs: the first forms the selective yang mana, while the second introduces the description perlu ditandatangani. It can sound heavy; a simpler berkas mana yang... is often preferable.
Mana yang: selecting by a property
Initial mana yang + predicate asks which alternative satisfies the following condition.
Mana yang lebih murah, kereta pagi atau bus malam?
Which is cheaper, the morning train or the night bus?
Mana yang ingin kamu simpan untuk cadangan?
Which one do you want to keep as a spare?
Mana yang tidak mengandung kacang?
Which one does not contain nuts?
Menurut Anda, mana yang paling mendesak untuk diperbaiki?
In your opinion, which one is most urgent to repair?
This pattern assumes the alternatives are already accessible. It does not mean that yang is obligatory after every mana: Kamu pilih mana? is complete.
Mana bukumu? Choice and colloquial location
Bare mana + possessed noun can be understood in two ways depending on context. With alternatives present, Mana bukumu? asks which one is your book. In everyday conversation, the same order can also mean “Where is your book?” (informal), with a locative relation understood.
Mana bukumu, yang di meja depan atau yang di rak?
Which one is your book, the one on the front desk or the one on the shelf?
Bukumu di mana? Tadi saya melihatnya di sofa.
Where is your book? I saw it on the sofa earlier.
For learners, explicit bukumu di mana? is the safest standard location question, while bukumu yang mana? makes selection explicit.
Bukumu yang mana di antara tumpukan ini?
Which one is your book among this pile?
Kartu aksesmu di mana sekarang?
Where is your access card now?
The distinction is not always audible from mana alone; context and the preposition clarify the intended relation.
Di mana, ke mana, and dari mana
With a preposition, mana asks about place rather than selection. The preposition remains semantically active and is written separately.
Pertemuan berikutnya diadakan di mana?
Where will the next meeting be held?
Setelah makan siang, kalian pergi ke mana?
Where are you going after lunch?
Kopi ini didatangkan dari mana?
Where is this coffee sourced from?
Di mana saya bisa mengisi ulang kartu ini?
Where can I top up this card?
Ke mana barang rusak itu harus dikirim?
Where must that damaged item be sent?
Static location takes di, destination takes ke, and source takes dari. The dedicated where-question guide develops their verbs, placement, and relative-clause trap.
Standard spelling is always di mana, ke mana, dari mana, never fused dimana, kemana, darimana.
Manakah: focused and formal selection
Attached -kah forms manakah, used in quizzes, surveys, rhetoric, and careful (formal) questions. It is one word.
Manakah pernyataan yang sesuai dengan isi bacaan?
Which statement agrees with the content of the passage? (formal)
Manakah dari pilihan berikut yang paling tepat?
Which of the following choices is most appropriate? (formal)
Everyday conversation normally uses mana or yang mana without -kah.
Common Mistakes
Putting mana before a noun like English which
❌ Mana kamar yang menghadap taman?
Incorrect for neutral ‘which room’ — mana normally follows the noun.
✅ Kamar mana yang menghadap taman belakang?
Which room faces the back garden?
Using mana when no selection set exists
❌ Mana pekerjaan Anda?
Incorrect for broad ‘What is your job?’ — no known alternatives are being selected.
✅ Pekerjaan utama Anda apa?
What is your main job?
Adding yang to every object question
❌ Kamu memilih yang mana yang untuk rapat?
Incorrect — the extra yang has no predicate to introduce.
✅ Kamu memilih yang mana untuk rapat besok?
Which one are you choosing for tomorrow's meeting?
Fusing a locative preposition
❌ Dokumen aslinya disimpan dimana?
Incorrect standard spelling — di mana is two words.
✅ Dokumen aslinya disimpan di mana?
Where is the original document kept?
Separating attached -kah
❌ Mana kah jawaban yang paling masuk akal?
Incorrect spelling — enclitic -kah attaches to mana.
✅ Manakah jawaban yang paling masuk akal?
Which answer is the most reasonable? (formal)
Key Takeaways
- Mana selects from a contextually available set; apa asks more broadly for a thing or category.
- Put mana after the noun: buku mana, jalur mana, peserta mana.
- Yang mana means “which one,” while mana yang + predicate asks which alternative fits a description.
- Use separate di mana, ke mana, and dari mana for location, destination, and source.
- Mana bukumu? can be choice-based or colloquially locative; explicit bukumu yang mana? and bukumu di mana? prevent ambiguity.
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- Question Words and In-Situ SyntaxA1 — Use Indonesian question words in the position where their answers belong, while recognizing when time, reason, and manner expressions are fronted.
- di mana, ke mana, and dari manaA2 — Choose di mana for static location, ke mana for destinations, and dari mana for origins while preserving Indonesian question order.
- apa: Things, Predicates, and Echo QuestionsA2 — Use apa for unknown things, categories, purposes, and unheard content, while keeping it distinct from yes-no apakah.
- -kah and Focused QuestionsB1 — Attach -kah to a question word or predicate to focus the questioned constituent, especially in formal, rhetorical, and literary styles.
- Determiner and Modifier OrderB2 — Build Indonesian noun phrases from left-edge quantity through the noun to possessors, relative clauses, and a final demonstrative.
- Order Inside the Noun PhraseA1 — Build Indonesian noun phrases from a head noun toward right-side possessors, descriptions, and demonstratives, with numerals and classifiers before the head.