begini, begitu, and demikian: Manner Pro-forms in Malaysian Malay | Malay Grammar

Begini, begitu, and demikian can stand for a manner, state of affairs, or stretch of discourse whose details are understood from the situation. Begini presents something as close to the speaker—often a way being demonstrated right now. Begitu points to a more distant or previously mentioned way. Demikian retrieves or summarizes in a distinctly formal register.

English often uses plain this and that for both things and ways of doing things. Malay keeps the distinction visible: noun-phrase demonstratives normally follow a noun (buku ini, “this book”), while the forms on this page mean “like this,” “like that,” “thus,” or “such.” Their spatial contrast can extend into the organization of an explanation.

begini: “like this” near the speaker

Use begini when the speaker demonstrates a manner, presents a situation as immediately available, or announces an explanation that is about to follow.

Begini caranya.

This is how to do it / The way is like this.

Pegang pemegangnya begini, kemudian tarik perlahan-lahan.

Hold the handle like this, then pull slowly.

Kalau kita susun kerusi begini, semua orang boleh nampak skrin.

If we arrange the chairs like this, everyone can see the screen.

The “nearness” may be physical: the speaker is showing a hand position. It may instead be presentational: the speaker treats the next explanation as something placed in front of the listener.

Begini ceritanya: tempahan kami sudah disahkan, tetapi biliknya belum tersedia.

Here's what happened: our booking has been confirmed, but the room is not ready yet.

In Begini caranya, begini is a predicate describing caranya “the way.” In Pegang ... begini, it is a manner adverbial describing how to hold something. At the beginning of Begini ceritanya, it presents and frames the account that follows.

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Do not force one English label onto begini. Depending on its job, natural translations include “like this,” “this is how,” and “here is the situation.” Its constant meaning is proximal presentation of a manner or configuration.

begitu: “like that” and anaphoric manner

Begitu can point away from the speaker to a visible manner, but it very often points backward in discourse. It asks the listener to retrieve what was just demonstrated, described, or implied.

Jangan begitu.

Don't be like that / Don't do that.

Saya sudah tunjuk caranya. Buat begitu sahaja.

I've shown you how. Just do it like that.

Dia bercakap seolah-olah keputusan itu mudah, tetapi sebenarnya tidak begitu.

He spoke as if the decision were easy, but in fact it wasn't like that.

In Jangan begitu, Malay leaves the exact predicate recoverable from context. The sentence might criticize a manner of speaking, an attitude, a facial expression, or an action. English often has to choose don't do that or don't be like that, but Malay begitu can leave the category open.

Kedudukannya memang begitu sejak awal.

That has indeed been the situation from the beginning.

Here begitu refers not to a visible gesture but to a state of affairs. This is deictic distance stretched into discourse distance: what has already been established is treated as “that way.”

Begitu also has a temporal linking use roughly “as soon as/once,” and it can serve as a listening backchannel meaning “I see/is that so.” Those are different constructions; see advanced temporal clause linking and Malay backchannels.

demikian: formal “thus” or “in that manner”

Demikian is a formal and literary anaphoric pro-form. It points back to a described method, condition, or proposition and is common in reports, speeches, official letters, and carefully organized exposition. It is not the neutral spoken replacement for begini or begitu.

Saya melakukannya demikian kerana itulah prosedur yang ditetapkan.

I did it in that manner because that was the prescribed procedure. (formal)

Data tersebut hendaklah disusun demikian agar perbandingan dapat dibuat.

The data must be arranged in this manner so that a comparison can be made. (formal)

The required sentence Saya melakukannya demikian is grammatical in formal, somewhat elevated prose, but it sounds marked in ordinary Malaysian conversation. A speaker demonstrating the action would normally say Saya buat begini; one referring back to another person's method might say Saya buat begitu.

Saya buat begini sebab lebih senang.

I do it like this because it's easier. (informal)

Saya melakukannya begini kerana cara ini lebih mudah.

I do it like this because this method is easier. (neutral-careful)

The attached -nya in melakukannya is an object clitic (“do it”), not part of demikian. Standard spelling attaches it to the verb. Similarly, caranya is cara + -nya, written as one word.

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Use demikian when the surrounding sentence is already formal enough to support “thus,” “accordingly,” or “in the manner described.” In everyday instructions and demonstrations, choose begini or begitu.

Clause-initial presentation

At the beginning of a clause, these pro-forms can orient the listener before the main information arrives.

Begini masalahnya: pembekal sudah bersedia, tetapi permit belum diluluskan.

Here's the problem: the supplier is ready, but the permit has not been approved.

Begitulah keadaan di kampung itu selepas banjir.

That was the situation in the village after the flood.

Demikianlah keputusan yang dicapai dalam mesyuarat tersebut.

Thus was the decision reached at that meeting. (formal)

The particle -lah in begitulah and demikianlah creates a presentational or closing contour; it is attached in writing. It does not change the core proximal/distal/formal contrasts, but it makes the presentation more pointed or complete.

Punctuation follows the syntax. A complete short presentation needs no English-style comma: Begini caranya. When an initial formula announces an explanation, a colon is natural: Begini masalahnya: ... A long formal introductory expression may take a comma for clarity, but the mere fact that it is clause-initial does not force one.

begitu juga and demikian juga

Begitu juga means “likewise,” “the same applies,” or literally “like that also.” It retrieves an earlier relation and extends it to another participant or situation.

Hakim perlu mendengar kedua-dua pihak. Begitu juga halnya dengan seorang ketua yang perlu memahami pandangan semua ahli.

A judge needs to hear both sides. The same applies to a leader, who needs to understand every member's view.

Kedai itu tutup pada hari Ahad dan begitu juga cawangannya di Shah Alam.

That shop is closed on Sundays, and so is its branch in Shah Alam.

Demikian juga performs a similar linking job in more formal prose.

Kos penyelenggaraan meningkat. Demikian juga tempoh menunggu bagi alat ganti menjadi lebih panjang.

Maintenance costs increased. Likewise, the waiting period for spare parts became longer. (formal)

Do not reduce these combinations to a simple synonym list. Juga contributes addition, while begitu/demikian say that the added case patterns in the same way as the previous one.

A formal closing and its conversational counterpart

Official letters, reports, and speeches often use demikian to close a presentation by treating the preceding content as a completed whole.

Demikianlah laporan ini disampaikan untuk perhatian dan tindakan selanjutnya.

This report is hereby submitted for further attention and action. (formal administrative closing)

That formula would sound excessively official at the end of a conversation. A colleague might instead say:

Itu sahaja yang saya nak sampaikan.

That's all I wanted to say. (informal Malaysian speech)

In neutral careful speech, Itu sahaja yang ingin saya sampaikan avoids colloquial nak while remaining far less ceremonial than Demikianlah laporan ini disampaikan. Register affects the entire clause, not only the choice of pro-form.

Predicate use versus noun demonstratives

The forms on this page can stand as predicates or manner expressions. Do not use them as though they were ordinary postnominal demonstratives.

Structure	Example	Meaning
noun + ini/itu	cara ini / cara itu	this way / that way (a noun phrase)
begini	Buat begini.	Do it like this.
begitu	Jangan begitu.	Don't do/be like that.
demikian	Halnya demikian.	That is how matters stand. (formal)

For the structure of cara ini and cara itu, see the separate pages on ini and itu.

Common Mistakes

1. Using begini as a noun demonstrative

❌ buku begini

Incorrect if you simply mean 'this book'; begini means 'like this,' not the ordinary noun demonstrative 'this.'

✅ buku ini

this book

2. Doubling the comparison with seperti

❌ Tolong pegang cawan seperti begini.

Incorrect—the manner pro-form already means 'like this,' so seperti duplicates the comparison.

✅ Tolong pegang cawan begini.

Please hold the cup like this.

3. Separating an attached clitic

❌ Begini cara nya.

Incorrect—possessive/definite -nya attaches to cara.

✅ Begini caranya.

This is how to do it.

4. Adding an automatic comma after a short presentation

❌ Begini, caranya.

Incorrect punctuation—the predicate and subject should not be split by a comma.