Indonesian uses double quotation marks for direct quotation and single quotation marks for a quotation inside another quotation. The marks themselves are familiar to English readers; the challenge is coordinating them with a reporting clause such as kata Rina “Rina said.” Whether that clause comes before, after, or inside the speech changes the punctuation pattern.
This page covers quotation and dialogue punctuation in contemporary Standard Indonesian. It leaves pronunciation, derivational meaning, and broader stylistic editing to their dedicated pages. Ordinary Indonesian uses the Latin alphabet without mandatory accent marks; quotation marks do not justify adding pronunciation accents to the quoted words.
What double and single quotation marks do
Double quotation marks (tanda petik) enclose words reproduced directly from speech or another text. They also enclose the title of a poem, song, article, manuscript, book chapter, speech or sermon, and a theme or subtheme mentioned inside a sentence. Full works such as books and films are instead italicized; see apostrophes, italics, and foreign expressions.
Dewi berkata, “Saya akan mengirim laporannya sore ini.”
Dewi said, ‘I will send the report this afternoon.’
Kami menyanyikan lagu “Indonesia Raya” sebelum acara dimulai.
We sang the song ‘Indonesia Raya’ before the event began.
Saya baru membaca artikel “Kota yang Ramah Pejalan Kaki”.
I have just read the article ‘A Pedestrian-Friendly City’.
Single quotation marks (tanda petik tunggal) enclose a quotation nested inside a double-quoted passage. They can also enclose the meaning, equivalent, or explanation of a word in linguistic discussion. This second use is different from an apostrophe even though both use the same basic glyph.
Lina bertanya, “Kamu dengar Budi berkata, ‘Rapatnya dibatalkan’?”
Lina asked, ‘Did you hear Budi say, “The meeting was cancelled”?’
Dalam catatan itu, kata luring dijelaskan sebagai ‘luar jaringan’.
In that note, the word luring is explained as ‘offline’ (literally, ‘outside the network’).
A reporting clause before the quotation
When a reporting clause introduces direct speech, put a comma before the opening quotation mark. The first word of the quoted sentence begins with a capital letter because it is the start of a direct quotation. The quotation’s closing punctuation stays inside the quotation marks.
Ibu mengingatkan, “Jangan lupa membawa payung.”
Mother reminded us, ‘Don't forget to bring an umbrella.’
Petugas itu bertanya, “Apakah Anda sudah mengisi formulir?”
The officer asked, ‘Have you filled in the form?’
Pelatih berteriak, “Jangan berhenti sekarang!”
The coach shouted, ‘Don't stop now!’
English can use either a comma or a colon before a long or formally introduced quotation. Indonesian EYD V gives the comma as the ordinary way to separate direct speech from a reporting clause. A colon belongs after a complete statement that introduces a list or explanation; it should not replace the quotation comma mechanically.
A reporting clause after the quotation
When a statement is followed by its reporting clause, replace the statement’s final full stop with a comma inside the closing quotation mark. The reporting clause then begins with a lowercase letter because it completes the same sentence.
“Saya akan menunggu di lobi,” kata Arif.
‘I will wait in the lobby,’ Arif said.
“Kami belum menerima konfirmasi,” jelas panitia.
‘We have not received confirmation yet,’ the committee explained.
If the quotation is a question or exclamation, keep its question mark or exclamation mark. Do not add a comma after it. The following reporting verb still begins with a lowercase letter.
“Kapan kereta berikutnya tiba?” tanya Nisa.
‘When does the next train arrive?’ Nisa asked.
“Awas, lantainya licin!” teriak petugas.
‘Careful, the floor is slippery!’ the attendant shouted.
This is a common source of English transfer. The capital letter belongs to the syntactic sentence, not automatically to the first visible word after a closing quotation mark. In tanya Nisa, the reporting clause continues the sentence and therefore stays lowercase.
A reporting clause interrupting one sentence
A reporting clause can interrupt a single quoted sentence. Put a comma before the closing quotation mark of the first segment, a comma after the reporting clause, and then reopen the quotation. If the second segment continues the same sentence, it begins with lowercase.
“Kalau hujan berhenti,” kata Dimas, “kita berangkat sekarang.”
‘If the rain stops,’ Dimas said, ‘we'll leave now.’
“Menurut saya,” ujar Santi, “rencana ini masih perlu diperbaiki.”
‘In my opinion,’ Santi said, ‘this plan still needs improvement.’
The lowercase kita and rencana show that the reporting clause has interrupted, not ended, the quoted sentence. If the first quotation is already a complete sentence and the following quotation begins another, end the first sentence and capitalize the next one. Do not force every split quotation into the interruption pattern.
“Saya sudah membaca proposalnya,” kata Mira. “Besok kita bisa membahas anggarannya.”
‘I have read the proposal,’ Mira said. ‘Tomorrow we can discuss the budget.’
A news quotation
News writing often combines paraphrase with a short direct quotation. The exact quoted material gets quotation marks; the reporter’s surrounding summary does not. This distinction lets the reader see which wording belongs to the source.
Kepala dinas mengatakan, “Jembatan itu akan dibuka kembali pada Jumat pagi.”
The department head said, ‘The bridge will reopen on Friday morning.’ (formal news style)
“Kami memprioritaskan keselamatan warga,” kata kepala dinas dalam konferensi pers.
‘We are prioritizing residents' safety,’ the department head said at a press conference. (formal news style)
A title such as kepala dinas remains lowercase when it is a generic office description rather than part of an official name or a direct form of address. Quotation rules do not override the separate capitalization rules.
Dialogue paragraphs in fiction
In fictional dialogue, start a new paragraph whenever the speaker changes. Each speaker’s words receive their own quotation marks. Indonesian does not require the English convention of attaching every line to he said/she said; context can identify the speaker. The following brief exchange uses informal everyday speech inside standard narrative punctuation.
“Kamu sudah makan?” tanya Raka.
‘Have you eaten?’ Raka asked. (informal dialogue)
“Belum. Aku menunggumu,” jawab Maya.
‘Not yet. I was waiting for you,’ Maya replied. (informal dialogue; new speaker, new paragraph)
“Kalau begitu, kita pesan sekarang.”
‘In that case, let's order now.’ (informal dialogue; the first speaker resumes in another paragraph)
On the page, these three components represent three separate dialogue paragraphs. Do not run different speakers together merely because the exchange is short. Conversely, a single speaker can continue for more than one sentence inside the same pair of quotation marks, as Maya does with Belum. Aku menunggumu.
Nested quotation
Use single marks for the inner quotation and double marks for the outer one. Preserve the punctuation required by each level. In the next example, Maya’s imperative carries its own exclamation mark. Notice the closing order at the end: exclamation mark, inner single quotation mark, then outer double quotation mark; no extra full stop is inserted between them.
Rudi berkata, “Maya berpesan, ‘Tolong kunci pintunya sebelum pergi!’”
Rudi said, ‘Maya left the message, “Please lock the door before leaving!”’
“Saya mendengar dia berteriak, ‘Tunggu saya!’ dari tangga,” ujar Nita.
‘I heard him shout, “Wait for me!” from the stairs,’ Nita said.
English-speaking writers sometimes alternate quotation styles according to American or British publishing preference. Standard Indonesian has a functional hierarchy here: double on the outside, single on the inside. If another quotation is nested still deeper, clarity usually improves if the sentence is recast.
Common Mistakes
❌ “Saya pulang sekarang.” kata Tono.
Incorrect — a statement followed by a reporting clause needs a comma, not a full stop, inside the quotation.
✅ “Saya pulang sekarang,” kata Tono.
‘I'm going home now,’ Tono said.
❌ “Di mana toiletnya?,” tanya tamu itu.
Incorrect — do not add a comma after a question mark.
✅ “Di mana toiletnya?” tanya tamu itu.
‘Where is the restroom?’ the guest asked.
❌ Beni berkata “Saya tidak setuju.”
Incorrect — a comma must separate the preceding reporting clause from the direct quotation.
✅ Beni berkata, “Saya tidak setuju.”
Beni said, ‘I disagree.’
❌ “Besok pagi,” Kata Rino, “Kami akan berangkat.”
Incorrect — mechanical capitals break one quoted sentence and wrongly capitalize the reporting verb.
✅ “Besok pagi,” kata Rino, “kami akan berangkat.”
‘Tomorrow morning,’ Rino said, ‘we will leave.’
❌ Sari berkata, ‘Aku mendengar Rina berteriak, “Tunggu!”’
Incorrect for standard Indonesian nesting — the main quotation should use double marks and the inner quotation single marks.
✅ Sari berkata, “Aku mendengar Rina berteriak, ‘Tunggu!’”
Sari said, ‘I heard Rina shout, “Wait!”’
Key Takeaways
- Use double marks for a direct quotation and single marks for a quotation inside it.
- Before speech, a reporting clause takes a comma; after a quoted statement, the quotation takes a comma and the reporting verb begins lowercase.
- Retain ? or ! before a following reporting clause and do not add a comma.
- An interrupting reporting clause takes commas on both sides when the quotation remains one sentence.
- Give each new speaker a new dialogue paragraph, and do not copy English capitalization or comma placement mechanically.
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