The suffix -i forms transitive stems that commonly select a location, goal, recipient, surface, or other target as their direct object. It attaches solidly after the base: datang + -i → datangi, kirim + -i → kirimi, and tanda + -i → tandai. This page explains the word formation and spelling; the semantic network and wider usage choices are treated separately.
The canonical template
The broad template is base + -i → target-oriented transitive stem. The suffix is invariant: it has no sound-conditioned alternate shapes and does not itself delete consonants. The base category and lexical family decide what kind of target becomes available.
| Analysis | Surface stem | Typical target |
|---|---|---|
| isi + (-i) | isi | container, field, or space receiving content |
| datang + -i | datangi | place or person approached |
| kirim + -i | kirimi | recipient supplied with something |
| tanda + -i | tandai | item or surface receiving a mark |
| warna + -i | warnai | surface receiving color |
| pagar + -i | pagari | place supplied or surrounded with a fence |
The hyphen belongs only in the abstract suffix label -i and in a morphological analysis. Finished words are solid: datangi, not datang-i or datang i.
Isi semua kolom yang diberi tanda bintang.
Fill in all fields marked with an asterisk.
Datangi kantor cabang terdekat jika kartu Anda tidak berfungsi.
Visit the nearest branch office if your card does not work.
Kirimi saya foto dokumennya sebelum siang.
Send me a photo of the document before noon.
Tandai bagian yang masih perlu diperbaiki.
Mark the parts that still need revision.
Warnai gambar itu dengan pensil warna.
Color the picture with colored pencils.
Pagari area tersebut agar anak-anak tidak mendekati kolam.
Fence off that area so the children do not approach the pond.
No suffix allomorphy or consonant deletion
-I has one standard surface form. Final consonants of the base remain visible: datang + -i → datangi, kirim + -i → kirimi, pagar + -i → pagari. Any initial-consonant deletion in a longer active word is caused by meN-, not by the suffix.
Petugas mendatangi setiap rumah di sekitar lokasi kebakaran.
The officers visit every house around the fire site.
Kami mengirimi pelanggan pemberitahuan melalui surel.
We send customers notifications by email.
Warga memagari kebun itu dengan bambu.
The residents fence the garden with bamboo.
Kebun itu dipagari dengan bambu.
The garden is fenced with bamboo.
The suffix also does not acquire a linking consonant. Forms such as datangni and pagaran-i are not productive variants. Apparent extra consonants belong either to the base or to a different affix in the lexical family.
Vowel-final bases
a + -i and u + -i
When a base ends in a or u, preserve both vowels in spelling: tanda + -i → tandai, warna + -i → warnai, restu + -i → restui, and aku + -i → akui. Do not compress ai or ui into a new spelling.
Tandai tanggal yang paling sesuai untuk rapat.
Mark the date that suits the meeting best.
Anak-anak mewarnai gambar sambil menunggu hujan reda.
The children color pictures while waiting for the rain to stop.
Kedua pihak telah merestui rencana pernikahan itu.
Both sides have approved the wedding plan.
Ia akhirnya mengakui kesalahannya.
She finally admitted her mistake.
In careful morphological pronunciation, the vowel sequence reflects the boundary even though actual speech varies in speed. Standard orthography records tandai, warnai, restui, and akui without a hyphen.
The special surface overlap in isi
The family isi → isi does not produce isii. Grammars group mengisi formulir with target-oriented and denominal -i verbs because the form means applying or supplying isi “content” to a container-like object. On the surface, however, the base already ends in i, so the stem is written simply isi. The spelling alone cannot show a second suffixal vowel.
Saya mengisi formulir pendaftaran secara daring.
I fill out the registration form online.
Formulir itu sudah diisi oleh semua peserta.
The form has been filled out by all participants.
Formulir itu akan saya isi setelah makan siang.
I will fill out that form after lunch.
Treat this as a lexical surface overlap, not a license to delete i whenever two vowels seem inconvenient. The form must be learned with the family isi, mengisi, diisi.
Voice morphology outside the -i stem
The derived stem appears bare in imperatives and after a pronominal actor in object voice. MeN- creates the standard actor-oriented form; di- creates a patient-oriented passive.
| Base + suffix | Actor-oriented | di- passive | Pronoun-agent |
|---|---|---|---|
| datangi | mendatangi | didatangi | saya datangi |
| kirimi | mengirimi | dikirimi | saya kirimi |
| tandai | menandai | ditandai | saya tandai |
| warnai | mewarnai | diwarnai | saya warnai |
Kepala desa mendatangi lokasi banjir pagi tadi.
The village head visited the flood site this morning.
Lokasi banjir didatangi kepala desa pagi tadi.
The flood site was visited by the village head this morning.
Lokasi itu akan kami datangi besok.
We will visit that location tomorrow.
Saya mengirimi Rina salinan kontrak.
I send Rina a copy of the contract.
Rina dikirimi salinan kontrak.
Rina was sent a copy of the contract.
Rina akan saya kirimi salinan kontrak.
I will send Rina a copy of the contract.
In menandai, initial t of tanda is deleted under meN-; in mengirimi, initial k of kirim is deleted. Passive ditandai and dikirimi preserve those consonants because di- is invariant. Always recover tanda and kirim before changing voice.
Base categories and lexical restrictions
-I combines with several kinds of base:
- Event and motion bases: datang → datangi, masuk → masuki, duduk → duduki.
- Transfer bases: kirim → kirimi, pinjam → pinjami, tawar → tawari.
- Noun-like bases applied to a target: tanda → tandai, warna → warnai, pagar → pagari, minyak → minyaki.
- Property or spatial bases: penuh → penuhi, jauh → jauhi, dekat → dekati.
Penuhi semua persyaratan sebelum mengirim formulir.
Meet all the requirements before submitting the form.
Jauhi kabel yang terkelupas.
Keep away from the frayed cable.
Dekati meja pemeriksaan satu per satu.
Approach the inspection desk one at a time.
The list is not a license to add -i to every root with a possible target. Some bare verbs already take a location-like object, some roots prefer -kan, and others have lexicalized forms. This is a genuine area where a dictionary and corpus examples are necessary.
Recovering the dictionary base
Removing final i is only a hypothesis. It works transparently for datangi → datang and tandai → tanda, but many bases already end in i: isi, cari, lari, beri. Mencari is meN- + cari, not evidence for a base car plus -i. Use meaning, related forms, and a dictionary family rather than mechanically stripping letters.
Kami mencari alamat yang benar selama hampir satu jam.
We looked for the correct address for almost an hour.
Setelah hujan berhenti, anak-anak berlari ke lapangan.
After the rain stopped, the children ran to the field.
Petugas memberi setiap peserta kartu identitas.
The officer gives each participant an identification card.
Do not choose -i from an English preposition
English may express targets with to, at, on, with, or no preposition at all. Indonesian chooses -i through its own object structure. Mendatangi kantor takes the office directly, while base datang requires ke kantor. Yet English talk to Rina remains berbicara kepada Rina, not a freely coined membicarai Rina.
Mereka datang ke kantor kami pagi-pagi.
They came to our office early in the morning.
Mereka mendatangi kantor kami pagi-pagi.
They visited our office early in the morning.
Saya berbicara kepada Rina setelah rapat.
I spoke to Rina after the meeting.
The English preposition does not select the suffix. Ask whether established Indonesian treats the goal or target as the derived verb's direct object.
Common Mistakes
Leaving a hyphen in the surface word
❌ Tolong tanda-i bagian yang salah.
Incorrect — the suffix is written solidly in an ordinary word.
✅ Tolong tandai bagian yang salah.
Please mark the incorrect part.
Doubling i after isi
❌ Silakan isii formulir ini.
Incorrect — the established surface stem is isi, not isii.
✅ Silakan isi formulir ini.
Please fill out this form.
Deleting the base-final vowel before -i
❌ Menurutku, kamu perlu menandi dua bagian ini.
Incorrect — tanda + -i retains a and produces tandai.
✅ Menurutku, kamu perlu menandai dua bagian ini.
I think you need to mark these two parts.
Copying consonant deletion from meN- into the passive
❌ Semua kotak sudah diandai.
Incorrect — di- preserves initial t in the base tanda.
✅ Semua kotak sudah ditandai.
All the boxes have been marked.
❌ Pelanggan itu diirimi tagihan dua kali.
Incorrect — di- preserves initial k in the base kirim.
✅ Pelanggan itu dikirimi tagihan dua kali.
The customer was sent a bill twice.
Keeping a preposition before the new direct object
❌ Besok kami akan mendatangi ke kantor cabang.
Incorrect — with mendatangi, kantor cabang is the direct object.
✅ Besok kami akan mendatangi kantor cabang.
Tomorrow we will visit the branch office.
Key Takeaways
- Attach invariant -i solidly to an established base; the suffix itself deletes no consonant.
- Preserve vowel sequences in tandai, warnai, restui, but write the special overlapping family isi, never isii.
- Build the -i stem first, then add voice morphology: kirimi → mengirimi, dikirimi, saya kirimi.
- Initial deletion in menandai and mengirimi belongs to meN-; passive di- preserves the root consonant.
- Choose -i from Indonesian event structure and lexical evidence, not from an English preposition.
Now practice Indonesian
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Start learning Indonesian →Related Topics
- Attaching Prefixes and SuffixesA2 — Write ordinary Indonesian affixes solid with lowercase bases and use boundary hyphens around capitalized or acronym bases.
- -i: Meanings and Derivational NetworkB2 — Understand how -i maps locations, goals, recipients, and repeatedly affected targets onto direct-object position across productive and lexicalized families.
- -i: Valency, Lexicalization, and RegisterB2 — Use -i verbs with the right direct object, competing affixes, voice patterns, lexical restrictions, and formal or conversational alternatives.
- -kan: Formation and AllomorphyA2 — Learn how invariant -kan attaches to Indonesian bases, how k-final roots are spelled, and how the resulting stem combines with active and passive voice.
- meN-: Formation and AllomorphyA1 — Build standard meN- verbs by matching the nasal to the base and applying productive p, t, s, and k substitution.
- Guessing -kan and -i from EnglishB1 — Repair -kan and -i errors by selecting Indonesian participants and direct objects instead of copying English prepositions.