Kapan asks for a point, date, or occasion: when? It can appear initially or in the time slot later in the clause. A starting boundary uses sejak kapan, an ending boundary uses sampai kapan, and a measured interval uses berapa lama “how long.” English when and how long must not be collapsed into one Indonesian form.
Kapan asks for a point or occasion
The answer to kapan identifies a time such as besok, pukul sembilan, setelah makan siang, or ketika izin terbit.
Kapan kamu berangkat ke Semarang?
When are you leaving for Semarang?
Kapan toko baru itu mulai beroperasi?
When does that new shop begin operating?
Kapan hasil seleksi akan diumumkan?
When will the selection results be announced?
Rapat berikutnya kapan?
When is the next meeting?
No tense ending or English-style auxiliary appears. Time words and aspect markers in the answer locate the event.
| Question | Information requested | Possible answer |
|---|---|---|
| kapan? | point or occasion | besok pagi |
| jam/pukul berapa? | clock time | pukul 08.30 |
| tanggal berapa? | calendar date | tanggal 14 Mei |
| sejak kapan? | starting boundary | sejak bulan lalu |
| sampai kapan? | ending boundary | sampai Jumat |
| berapa lama? | duration | selama tiga jam |
Initial and in-situ kapan
Initial kapan is broadly neutral and frames the whole event as a time question.
Kapan kalian akan memindahkan peralatan ke gedung baru?
When will you move the equipment to the new building?
Kapan dokter terakhir memeriksa pasien itu?
When did the doctor last examine that patient?
Kapan jalan utama dibuka kembali untuk umum?
When will the main road reopen to the public?
In-situ kapan occupies the same position as a time answer and is very natural when the event is already under discussion or the speaker seeks confirmation.
Kamu berangkat kapan untuk mengejar kereta pertama?
When are you leaving to catch the first train?
Mereka pindah ke rumah baru kapan?
When are they moving to the new house?
Batas pendaftarannya kapan, ya?
When is the registration deadline? (informal)
The two orders do not differ in basic truth conditions. Initial position gives broad neutral scope; final position often sounds like a follow-up about a known event. This page leaves the full pragmatics of ya and other colloquial particles to their dedicated guides.
Kapan Anda menerima pemberitahuan tersebut?
When did you receive that notification? (formal)
Anda menerima pemberitahuan tersebut kapan?
When did you receive that notification? (follow-up)
Fronting does not require inversion: subject Anda still precedes menerima after initial kapan.
Open occasions versus exact clock or calendar values
Kapan accepts a wide range of time answers. When the desired unit is already known, a berapa expression is more precise.
Kapan acara pembukaan dimulai?
When does the opening ceremony begin?
Acara pembukaan dimulai pukul berapa?
What time does the opening ceremony begin?
Kapan kontrak itu berakhir?
When does that contract end?
Kontrak itu berakhir tanggal berapa?
On what date does that contract end?
Hari apa asks the weekday or named day; tanggal berapa asks the numbered date; pukul berapa asks clock time.
Kelas tambahan diadakan hari apa?
On what day is the additional class held?
Wawancara Anda dijadwalkan tanggal berapa?
For what date is your interview scheduled?
Penerbangan pertama lepas landas pukul berapa?
What time does the first flight take off?
English uses when for all three if precision is unimportant. Indonesian lets the requested answer unit shape the question.
Sejak kapan: ask for the starting boundary
Sejak kapan means since when? It is natural with a state or activity that began earlier and continues to the reference point. The two words remain separate.
Sejak kapan kamu tinggal di lingkungan ini?
Since when have you lived in this neighborhood?
Sejak kapan toko itu berhenti menerima pembayaran tunai?
Since when has that shop stopped accepting cash payments?
Kalian saling mengenal sejak kapan?
Since when have you two known each other?
Sejak kapan suara mesin itu terdengar tidak normal?
Since when has that engine sounded abnormal?
The answer identifies the left boundary: sejak Januari, sejak pindah, sejak tiga hari lalu. It does not directly measure the total length, even though a listener can infer one.
Sejak kapan data pelanggan disimpan di server ini?
Since when have customer data been stored on this server? (formal)
In careful interviews, initial sejak kapan makes the starting-point request explicit. In conversation it can remain later in the clause.
Sampai kapan: ask for the ending boundary
Sampai kapan means until when? It asks how far a state, availability, permission, or activity extends in time.
Sampai kapan jalan samping akan ditutup?
Until when will the side road be closed?
Kamar ini tersedia sampai kapan?
Until when is this room available?
Sampai kapan peserta boleh mengubah pilihan jadwal?
Until when may participants change their schedule choice?
Kamu akan bekerja dari rumah sampai kapan?
Until when will you be working from home?
The answer is an endpoint—sampai akhir bulan, sampai pukul lima—not the interval's numerical length.
Pameran itu berlangsung dari tanggal berapa sampai tanggal berapa?
From what date to what date does the exhibition run?
For a bounded range, Indonesian can ask both endpoints explicitly rather than using berapa lama.
Berapa lama: measure duration
Berapa lama asks for a length of time and is always written as two words. Answers are durations such as dua jam, tiga bulan, or selama satu semester.
Berapa lama kamu belajar bahasa Indonesia setiap hari?
How long do you study Indonesian each day?
Perjalanan dari bandara memakan waktu berapa lama?
How long does the trip from the airport take?
Berapa lama pasien harus menunggu hasil pemeriksaan?
How long must the patient wait for the test results?
Kalian akan tinggal di Makassar berapa lama?
How long will you stay in Makassar?
Compare point and interval:
Kapan kamu mulai belajar bahasa Indonesia?
When did you start learning Indonesian?
Kamu sudah belajar bahasa Indonesia berapa lama?
How long have you studied Indonesian?
The first expects a starting occasion such as tahun lalu. The second expects a measured interval such as selama delapan bulan.
Embedded time questions
Kapan, sejak kapan, and berapa lama can remain inside a larger declarative or interrogative clause. Punctuation follows the outer clause.
Saya belum tahu kapan teknisi akan datang.
I do not yet know when the technician will come.
Tolong cari tahu sejak kapan data itu tidak dapat diakses.
Please find out since when those data have been inaccessible.
Kami sedang menghitung berapa lama proses verifikasi biasanya berlangsung.
We are calculating how long the verification process usually takes.
Bisakah Anda memastikan kapan ruang rapat tersedia?
Can you confirm when the meeting room is available?
The first three are statements or directives and end with periods. The last is a direct yes-no request containing an embedded time question, so it ends with a question mark. See embedded questions for the larger punctuation and clause patterns.
Kapankah
Attached -kah forms kapankah, a focused (formal) or rhetorical question word. It is one word.
Kapankah perubahan kebijakan tersebut mulai berlaku?
When does that policy change take effect? (formal)
Kapankah kita menyadari bahwa persediaan air terbatas?
When do we realize that the water supply is limited? (rhetorical)
Everyday conversation normally uses plain kapan.
Common Mistakes
Using kapan for duration
❌ Kamu tinggal di Surabaya kapan, dua tahun?
Incorrect for measuring the length of the stay — kapan asks a point or occasion.
✅ Kamu tinggal di Surabaya berapa lama?
How long are you staying in Surabaya?
Using berapa lama for a departure point
❌ Berapa lama kereta pagi berangkat?
Incorrect for asking the departure time — berapa lama asks duration.
✅ Kereta pagi berangkat pukul berapa?
What time does the morning train depart?
Omitting sejak for a starting boundary
❌ Kapan kamu tinggal di apartemen ini sampai sekarang?
Incorrect for ‘since when’ — the continuing state needs a starting-boundary question.
✅ Sejak kapan kamu tinggal di apartemen ini?
Since when have you lived in this apartment?
Inverting after initial kapan
❌ Kapan berangkat dia ke Semarang?
Incorrect ordinary order with a pronoun — initial kapan does not require predicate-subject inversion.
✅ Kapan dia berangkat ke Semarang?
When is she leaving for Semarang?
Separating attached -kah
❌ Kapan kah masa pendaftaran berakhir?
Incorrect spelling — enclitic -kah attaches to kapan.
✅ Kapankah masa pendaftaran berakhir?
When does the registration period end? (formal)
Key Takeaways
- Kapan asks for a time point or occasion and can appear initially or in situ.
- Use pukul/jam berapa, tanggal berapa, or hari apa when the desired time unit is specific.
- Sejak kapan asks the starting boundary; sampai kapan asks the ending boundary.
- Berapa lama asks duration and is written as two words.
- Embedded time questions retain ordinary order, and formal kapankah attaches -kah to its host.
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