Jalan names a road, path, or way and also anchors a rich verb family. Berjalan means walk, proceed, or function; menjalani presents a participant moving through an experience; menjalankan presents an actor operating something or carrying out a duty; perjalanan packages a journey. The shared image is a path unfolding, but modern collocations decide which derivative is natural.
None of the verbs changes for person or tense. Bare jalan is not an infinitive equivalent of “to walk/go,” and no family form takes English -s or -ed. This page teaches the family and its argument patterns; the general formation of ber-, -i, -kan, and passive di- remains on the Word Formation and Voice pages.
No person or tense paradigm
| Frame | Form | Interpretive cue |
|---|---|---|
| first person | Saya berjalan kaki. | subject pronoun |
| third person | Dia berjalan kaki. | same predicate |
| plural | Mereka berjalan kaki. | no agreement ending |
| past | Kemarin kami berjalan kaki. | kemarin |
| ongoing | Kami sedang berjalan kaki. | sedang |
| completed | Kami sudah berjalan dua kilometer. | sudah plus distance |
| future | Besok kami berjalan kaki. | besok |
Saya berjalan kaki ke kantor setiap Jumat.
I walk to the office every Friday.
Kemarin kami berjalan hampir sepuluh kilometer.
Yesterday we walked almost ten kilometers.
Besok mereka berjalan kaki dari hotel ke museum.
Tomorrow they will walk from the hotel to the museum.
English changes walk to walked or adds will. Indonesian keeps berjalan, while the time phrase and aspect marker remain separate.
Jalan as a noun and everyday base
As a noun, jalan means a road, street, route, way, or solution.
Jalan menuju desa itu ditutup karena longsor.
The road to that village is closed because of a landslide.
Kami mencari jalan keluar yang tidak merugikan kedua pihak.
We are looking for a solution that does not harm either party.
Mereka memilih jalan tengah setelah berdiskusi panjang.
They chose a middle course after a long discussion.
Alamat kantornya di Jalan Merdeka Nomor 18.
The office address is at 18 Jalan Merdeka.
Capitalized Jalan is part of a street name; ordinary jalan remains lowercase.
The bare base also works as an imperative or an everyday predicate (informal):
Ayo jalan sekarang sebelum hujan turun.
Let's go now before it rains. (informal)
Mesinnya sudah jalan lagi setelah diperbaiki.
The machine is running again after being repaired. (informal)
Walaupun dananya terbatas, acaranya tetap jalan.
Although funding is limited, the event is still going ahead. (informal)
In careful prose, berjalan or a more precise verb is usually preferred.
Berjalan: walk, proceed, and function
Physical berjalan is intransitive. Direction uses ke, menuju, dari, or another path expression, not a direct object.
Kami berjalan menuju stasiun sambil membawa koper.
We walked toward the station while carrying suitcases.
Anak itu mulai berjalan pada usia empat belas bulan.
The child began to walk at fourteen months.
Dia berjalan pelan agar tidak membangunkan bayi.
He/She walked slowly so as not to wake the baby.
Berjalan kaki explicitly means travel on foot, often contrasting with a vehicle.
Processes, events, machines, and systems can metaphorically follow a path:
Rapat berjalan lancar meskipun dimulai terlambat.
The meeting proceeded smoothly although it started late.
Program bantuan itu sudah berjalan selama enam bulan.
That aid program has been running for six months.
Jam dinding ini tidak berjalan sejak baterainya habis.
This wall clock has not been running since its battery died.
Penyelidikan masih berjalan dan hasilnya belum diumumkan.
The investigation is still under way and its results have not been announced. (formal)
The subject itself proceeds or functions. There is no direct object.
Menjalani: go through or live out
Menjalani is transitive. Its subject is the participant or experiencer moving through the object: a life phase, treatment, sentence, test, relationship, or process.
Ia menjalani hidup sederhana di desa pesisir.
He/She leads a simple life in a coastal village.
Pasien harus menjalani perawatan selama dua minggu.
The patient must undergo treatment for two weeks.
Para calon menjalani serangkaian tes sebelum wawancara.
The candidates undergo a series of tests before the interview.
Mereka sedang menjalani hubungan jarak jauh.
They are in a long-distance relationship.
Terpidana itu menjalani hukuman di lembaga pemasyarakatan setempat.
The convicted person is serving a sentence at the local correctional facility. (formal)
The subject is affected by or lives through the course. Menjalani tugas exists but often means going through a period of service; for actively carrying out assigned duties, menjalankan tugas is the central collocation.
Menjalankan: operate or carry out
Menjalankan is also transitive, but its subject controls or implements the object.
Setiap anggota harus menjalankan tugas sesuai tanggung jawabnya.
Every member must carry out duties according to his/her responsibilities.
Teknisi menjalankan mesin cadangan setelah mesin utama berhenti.
The technician started the backup machine after the main machine stopped.
Mereka menjalankan usaha kecil dari rumah.
They run a small business from home.
Pemerintah daerah menjalankan program vaksinasi di lima kecamatan.
The regional government is implementing a vaccination program in five districts. (formal)
Ia tetap menjalankan ibadah selama perjalanan.
He/She continued to observe religious worship during the journey.
Objects select the translation: machines are operated, businesses run, duties carried out, programs implemented, and religious obligations observed. No single English verb covers the family.
The passive dijalankan foregrounds the operation or duty:
Program ini dijalankan oleh relawan setempat.
This program is run by local volunteers.
Mesin tersebut harus dijalankan sesuai petunjuk keselamatan.
The machine must be operated according to the safety instructions.
Kebijakan baru akan dijalankan secara bertahap.
The new policy will be implemented gradually. (formal)
Dijalankan is one word; di kantor and other locations keep di separate. The -kan family guide explains the broader valency pattern.
Perjalanan: a journey and its course
Perjalanan is an established noun for a trip, journey, travel, or unfolding course.
Perjalanan dari Surakarta ke Semarang memakan waktu sekitar dua jam.
The journey from Surakarta to Semarang takes about two hours.
Semoga perjalanan Anda menyenangkan dan selamat sampai tujuan.
Have a pleasant journey and arrive safely at your destination.
Film dokumenter itu mengikuti perjalanan karier seorang musisi jalanan.
That documentary traces the career of a street musician.
Dalam perjalanan pulang, kami berhenti untuk membeli makanan.
On the way home, we stopped to buy food.
The noun readily extends from physical travel to careers, projects, recovery, and other processes conceived as paths.
Three closely related event frames
Pelatihan berjalan dengan baik.
The training is proceeding well.
Peserta menjalani pelatihan selama tiga hari.
The participants undergo three days of training.
Tim kami menjalankan program pelatihan untuk pegawai baru.
Our team runs a training program for new employees.
The first centers the process, the second its participant, and the third its operator. This argument contrast is more reliable than translating all three with English run.
Common Mistakes
Giving intransitive berjalan a direct destination
❌ Kami berjalan stasiun setelah makan malam.
Incorrect — direction needs ke or menuju.
✅ Kami berjalan menuju stasiun setelah makan malam.
We walked toward the station after dinner.
Confusing the experiencer with the operator
❌ Pasien menjalankan perawatan selama dua minggu.
Wrong participant frame — this says the patient operates the treatment.
✅ Pasien menjalani perawatan selama dua minggu.
The patient undergoes treatment for two weeks.
Using menjalani for controlled implementation
❌ Panitia menjalani program bantuan untuk warga lanjut usia.
Wrong role — the committee implements the program rather than undergoing it.
✅ Panitia menjalankan program bantuan untuk warga lanjut usia.
The committee runs an aid program for elderly residents.
Translating physical “run” with menjalankan
❌ Saya menjalankan di taman setiap pagi.
Incorrect — menjalankan is transitive and does not mean run on foot.
✅ Saya berlari di taman setiap pagi sebelum bekerja.
I run in the park every morning before work.
Separating passive di-
❌ Usaha itu di jalankan dari rumah.
Incorrect spelling — passive dijalankan is one word.
✅ Usaha itu dijalankan dari rumah oleh dua bersaudara.
The business is run from home by two siblings.
Key Takeaways
- Noun jalan means road, path, way, or solution; bare verbal jalan is common in everyday commands and functioning expressions (informal).
- Berjalan is intransitive: a person walks or a process proceeds/functions.
- Menjalani centers the participant undergoing a life course, treatment, test, sentence, or relationship.
- Menjalankan centers the actor who operates or implements a machine, business, program, duty, or practice; dijalankan is its solid passive.
- Perjalanan packages a physical trip or metaphorical course as a noun.
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