Productive Indonesian prefixes and suffixes normally form one solid graphic word with an ordinary lowercase base: membaca “to read,” diperbaiki “to be repaired,” berjalan “to walk,” makanan “food.” Do not insert the spaces that an English translation may suggest. Hyphens appear at special boundaries when the base is visibly unlike an ordinary lowercase Indonesian word, especially a capitalized proper-name base or an all-capital acronym.
The underlying principle is graphic continuity. Ordinary base spelling supports direct attachment; a disruptive capital or acronym boundary needs a hyphen so the reader can see where the affix ends and the exceptional base begins. This page focuses on that spelling architecture, leaving pronunciation, detailed derivational meanings, and wider editorial choices to their dedicated pages.
Ordinary lowercase bases: write one solid word
An Indonesian word that receives a prefix, suffix, or combination of affixes is normally written solid. That applies across neutral, formal, informal, and academic registers.
| Analysis | Standard spelling | Not |
|---|---|---|
| meN- + baca | membaca | mem baca; mem-baca |
| di- + perbaiki | diperbaiki | di perbaiki; di-perbaiki |
| ber- + jalan | berjalan | ber jalan; ber-jalan |
| makan + -an | makanan | makan an; makan-an |
| ke- + bersih + -an | kebersihan | ke bersih an; ke-bersih-an |
The hyphens and plus signs in the analysis column display morphemes for teaching only. They are not part of the finished word.
Saya membaca berita itu di kereta pagi ini.
I read that news story on the train this morning.
Atap sekolah sedang diperbaiki setelah bocor saat hujan.
The school roof is being repaired after it leaked during the rain.
Kami berjalan kaki karena jalan menuju pasar ditutup.
We walked because the road to the market was closed.
English commonly uses a separate auxiliary in translations such as “is being repaired” and may use separate prepositions or particles around verbs. Indonesian di- in diperbaiki is a bound passive prefix, not an independent equivalent of English is. The whole verb is one word.
Surface changes do not create spaces
Some prefixes change shape according to the first sound of the base. For example, the nasal prefix represented abstractly as meN- appears as mem- before b, giving membaca, not menbaca. With tulis, the standard form is menulis, where the root-initial t is not visible in the derived spelling.
Dia menulis alamatnya di bagian belakang amplop.
She wrote the address on the back of the envelope.
Petugas membantu penumpang yang membawa banyak barang.
The staff member helped a passenger who was carrying a lot of luggage.
These morphophonemic alternations can be hard and must be learned systematically; spacing does not solve them. Once the correct derived form is selected, it remains solid. See meN- formation for the full alternation system.
Suffixes follow the same graphic principle. -kan, -i, and -an attach directly to an ordinary base or already prefixed form: tuliskan, datangi, bacaan, memperbaiki. A long word does not gain spaces merely because it contains several morphemes.
Tolong tuliskan nomor teleponmu di formulir ini.
Please write your phone number on this form.
Saya belum sempat membaca bacaan yang diberikan dosen.
I haven't had time to read the text the lecturer assigned.
Capitalized bases: show the boundary with hyphens
When an affix surrounds a base that retains an initial capital because it is a proper name, the change from lowercase affix to capitalized base disrupts ordinary word spelling. EYD-style boundary hyphens make the structure visible. The required model is meng-Indonesia-kan: prefix meng-, proper-name base Indonesia, and suffix -kan.
Penerjemah itu berusaha meng-Indonesia-kan istilah tersebut tanpa mengubah maknanya.
The translator tried to Indonesianize the term without changing its meaning.
Proyek itu bertujuan meng-Indonesia-kan materi pelatihan untuk pembaca lokal.
The project aims to adapt the training materials into an Indonesian form for local readers.
The two hyphens do different boundary work: the first separates lowercase prefix from capitalized Indonesia, and the second separates the capitalized base from lowercase suffix. Writing meng Indonesia kan wrongly turns one derived word into three; writing mengIndonesiakan hides the exceptional capital boundary; writing meng-Indonesia kan marks only half the structure.
This construction is most at home in formal, academic, or metalinguistic writing. If a derived form has become an ordinary lowercase lexical item, dictionary status may favor solid spelling instead. That is a lexical question for the loanword and adaptation page; the graphic rule here concerns a base that actively retains its capitalization.
Acronym bases: hyphenate the lowercase–capital boundary
All-capital acronyms also interrupt normal lowercase word spelling. Attach an affix with a hyphen: di-PHK “be laid off,” where PHK abbreviates pemutusan hubungan kerja, and ber-KTP “possess/be registered with an identity card,” where KTP abbreviates kartu tanda penduduk.
| Structure | Correct spelling | Register |
|---|---|---|
| di- + PHK | di-PHK | neutral/formal employment language |
| ber- + KTP | ber-KTP | administrative |
| di- + SK + -kan | di-SK-kan | formal/administrative |
| KTP + -mu | KTP-mu | neutral |
Puluhan pekerja di-PHK setelah pabrik itu berhenti beroperasi.
Dozens of workers were laid off after the factory stopped operating.
Program ini hanya berlaku bagi warga ber-KTP Jakarta.
This program applies only to residents holding a Jakarta identity card.
Kebijakan baru itu sudah di-SK-kan oleh pimpinan.
The new policy has already been formalized in a decree by management.
The hyphen does not mean di- has become the separate preposition di. Di-PHK remains one passive verb built on an acronym. Compare di kantor, where di is a location preposition and a true space is required. The di and ke spacing page develops that functional test.
One decision tree for spaces, solid spelling, and hyphens
- Is the element an independent preposition? Write a space: di rumah, ke kantor.
- Is it an affix on an ordinary lowercase base? Write solid: dibaca, membaca, diperbaiki.
- Is it an affix on a base that visibly retains capitals or acronym formatting? Use a boundary hyphen: meng-Indonesia-kan, di-PHK, ber-KTP.
This hierarchy explains why a hyphen is exceptional rather than decorative. In these affixed words, it appears because the base itself disrupts normal word spelling. It is not inserted just to make a long word easier to read.
Ordinary Indonesian has no mandatory accent marks. Accents sometimes used in pronunciation teaching do not indicate morpheme boundaries; use attachment, spaces, and the limited hyphen rule instead.
Common Mistakes
1. Inserting a space at an ordinary prefix boundary
❌ Saya sedang mem baca laporan itu.
Incorrect — an ordinary prefix and lowercase base form one word.
✅ Saya sedang membaca laporan itu.
I'm reading that report.
2. Separating the passive di- prefix
❌ Jembatan itu sedang di perbaiki.
Incorrect — passive di- attaches directly to perbaiki.
✅ Jembatan itu sedang diperbaiki.
That bridge is being repaired.
3. Removing the boundary hyphen before an acronym
❌ Banyak pekerja diPHK tanpa pemberitahuan yang jelas.
Incorrect — the lowercase prefix and all-capital acronym need a hyphen.
✅ Banyak pekerja di-PHK tanpa pemberitahuan yang jelas.
Many workers were laid off without clear notice.
4. Using a space instead of a boundary hyphen
❌ Layanan itu khusus untuk warga ber KTP setempat.
Incorrect — ber- is an affix, not a separate word.
✅ Layanan itu khusus untuk warga ber-KTP setempat.
That service is specifically for residents with a local identity card.
Key Takeaways
- Attach productive affixes solidly to normal lowercase bases: membaca, diperbaiki.
- Correct morphophonemic alternation is part of the word: membaca, never menbaca or mem baca.
- Protect a retained proper-name base with boundary hyphens: meng-Indonesia-kan.
- Use hyphens at lowercase-affix/all-capital-acronym boundaries: di-PHK, ber-KTP.
- Graphic hyphens respond to an exceptional base boundary; they are not optional separators inside ordinary words.
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Start learning Indonesian →Related Topics
- Writing di and ke: Prefix or PrepositionA1 — Choose solid or separate spelling for di and ke by identifying whether each form is an affix or a preposition.
- Hyphens in ReduplicationA1 — Use a hyphen inside Indonesian full, affixed, and changing-sound reduplication while avoiding informal digit shortcuts.
- Writing -ku, -mu, -nya, ku-, and kau-A2 — Attach Indonesian bound pronouns on the side selected by their syntactic role and place punctuation outside the complete word.
- Adapting Loanword SpellingB1 — Recognize conventional Indonesian adaptations from Dutch, English, Arabic, Sanskrit, and regional languages.
- meN-: Formation and AllomorphyA1 — Build standard meN- verbs by matching the nasal to the base and applying productive p, t, s, and k substitution.
- Keeping Deleted Root Consonants after meN-B1 — Repair meN- forms by applying productive nasal substitution while preserving consonants in established clusters and exceptions.