A concessive sentence says that one fact creates an expectation, but the other fact holds anyway: “although it rained, the match continued.” Malaysian Malay commonly marks that relationship with walaupun, meskipun, biarpun, or kendati. Their core logic overlaps, but their register and rhetorical tone differ.
The main clause often contains tetap “still/nevertheless,” masih “still,” or juga “anyway” to show exactly what survives the obstacle. That word is useful but not compulsory. This page focuses on clause-level concession and spelling; full concessive-condition semantics, discourse-marker sequencing, and unrelated prepositional uses are covered elsewhere.
The reversed expectation
The concessive clause supplies the obstacle. The main clause supplies the result that goes against the expectation created by that obstacle:
Walaupun hujan lebat, perlawanan itu tetap diteruskan.
Although it rained heavily, the match still went ahead.
Ordinary knowledge suggests that heavy rain might stop a match. Walaupun tells the listener to accept the rain as true, while tetap says the decision survived it.
The order can be reversed. A comma normally follows an initial concessive clause; a short final concessive clause normally has no comma:
Perlawanan itu tetap diteruskan walaupun hujan lebat.
The match still went ahead although it rained heavily.
The first order foregrounds the obstacle. The second begins with the outcome and adds a surprising qualification.
Walaupun: the broad Malaysian default
Walaupun is the safest general choice (neutral; spoken and written). It works in everyday conversation, news, presentations, and formal prose without sounding especially elevated.
Walaupun saya penat, saya tetap datang sebab dah berjanji.
Although I was tired, I still came because I'd promised. (informal/neutral spoken)
Walaupun tempohnya singkat, pasukan itu berjaya menyiapkan laporan tepat pada masanya.
Although the time frame was short, the team managed to finish the report on time. (neutral/formal)
The first example uses conversational dah; the second uses an edited written style. Walaupun itself is comfortable in both.
Meskipun: measured and more written
Meskipun often carries a careful, measured tone (neutral-formal/formal). It is frequent in reports, academic discussion, commentary, and considered speech. It need not sound old-fashioned, but it is less usual than walaupun in relaxed conversation.
Meskipun jumlah responden terhad, dapatan awal itu tetap berguna.
Although the number of respondents is limited, those preliminary findings remain useful. (academic)
Meskipun rundingan telah berlangsung selama tiga jam, kedua-dua pihak masih belum mencapai persetujuan.
Although the negotiations had continued for three hours, the two sides still had not reached an agreement. (formal/news)
Here tetap marks continued usefulness, while masih belum marks the persistence of non-agreement. The concessive linker alone establishes the reversed expectation; the main-clause words make the surviving state explicit.
Biarpun: expressive acknowledgment
Biarpun often sounds more personal or emotionally committed (neutral spoken/informal; also literary). It acknowledges an obstacle and then insists on the speaker's choice or attitude.
Biarpun jauh, saya akan datang juga ke majlis awak.
Even though it's far, I'll still come to your event. (conversational)
Biarpun hidup serba sederhana, mereka tidak pernah lokek membantu jiran.
Though their life was modest in every way, they were never stingy about helping their neighbours. (literary/narrative)
The form does not always express stronger logic than walaupun. Its distinctiveness lies in voice: it can sound like a willing acceptance—“even so, I will.” In a technical report, meskipun or walaupun is usually less personal.
Kendati: literary and now rare
Kendati is a literary concessive (literary/old-fashioned). Malaysian dictionaries record it with the same basic meaning as walaupun, but contemporary learners are much more likely to meet it in older writing or deliberately archaizing prose than in ordinary speech or current administrative writing. The longer kendatipun has the same literary character and is written as one word.
Kendati berdepan dengan pelbagai kekangan, rombongan itu meneruskan perjalanan.
Although faced with various constraints, the group continued its journey. (literary/old-fashioned)
Kendatipun malam semakin larut, pengembara itu belum juga mahu berhenti.
Although the night was growing late, the traveller still did not want to stop. (literary/old-fashioned)
Learners mainly need to recognize kendati at B1 and above. Do not use it merely to make a modern report sound formal; walaupun or meskipun is normally the idiomatic choice there.
A formal and a conversational pair
The same concessive logic can be recast to suit the setting:
Meskipun hujan turun dengan lebat, upacara tersebut tetap diteruskan mengikut jadual.
Although rain fell heavily, the ceremony proceeded according to schedule. (formal)
Walaupun hujan lebat, majlis tu jalan juga.
Even though it rained heavily, the event went ahead anyway. (informal Malaysian speech)
The formal sentence uses tersebut, a full passive predicate, and mengikut jadual. The conversational one uses tu and the colloquial predicate jalan. The logic is identical, but replacing every word one by one would miss how register operates across the entire sentence.
A more personally resolute pair contrasts meskipun and biarpun:
Meskipun jadual saya padat, saya tetap akan menghadiri sesi tersebut.
Although my schedule is full, I will nevertheless attend that session. (formal)
Biarpun sibuk, saya datang juga nanti.
Even though I'm busy, I'll still come later. (conversational)
Tetap, masih, and juga in the main clause
These words are not interchangeable decorations. Each specifies what kind of persistence defeats the expectation.
| Marker | Contribution | Typical pattern |
|---|---|---|
| tetap | the result holds firm | Walaupun mahal, kami tetap membelinya. |
| masih | a state continues | Walaupun sudah lewat, dia masih menunggu. |
| juga | the action happens anyway; often later in the clause | Walaupun penat, dia datang juga. |
Walaupun harganya mahal, pelanggan tetap beratur sejak awal pagi.
Although the price is high, customers still queue from early morning.
Meskipun pintu sudah dibuka, orang ramai masih menunggu arahan.
Although the doors have opened, the crowd is still waiting for instructions. (formal)
Biarpun dah lewat, dia telefon juga.
Although it was already late, she called anyway. (informal)
Omitting these markers is grammatical when the surprising relation is obvious. Including one often helps an English-speaking learner avoid producing two facts whose concessive logic is too weakly signalled.
Pun: solid in lexicalized conjunctions
Modern standard Rumi writes these established conjunctions as single words: walaupun, meskipun, biarpun, sekalipun, kendatipun. Their historical pieces do not license modern spellings such as walau pun or meski pun.
By contrast, independent pun remains separate when it is a particle meaning “also/even/any”: dia pun datang “she came too,” apa pun “whatever,” and mahal pun “even if it is expensive.” See the dedicated Rumi spelling of pun.
Sekalipun is an emphatic concessive (neutral-formal/formal). It may mean “even though” with a fact, or “even if” with an open possibility:
Sekalipun tugas itu sukar, mereka tetap enggan berputus asa.
Even though the task is difficult, they still refuse to give up. (emphatic)
The verb form does not distinguish factual “even though” from possible “even if”; context and modality do. That broader distinction is developed on the advanced concession page.
Choosing a form quickly
In an unmarked conversation or message, begin with walaupun. In an edited report or academic paragraph, choose walaupun for a plain statement and meskipun for a more measured written voice. Choose biarpun when the sentence should sound personally resolute or expressive. Treat kendati mainly as a recognition item for literary or older prose, not as the modern formal default.
The choice belongs to the whole sentence, not only to the conjunction. A formal linker surrounded by conversational reductions creates a clash; an everyday linker inside otherwise careful prose is not a problem because walaupun spans registers.
Meskipun cadangan itu belum sempurna, cadangan tersebut wajar dipertimbangkan dengan teliti.
Although the proposal is not yet perfect, it deserves careful consideration. (formal)
Walaupun rancangan tu belum siap, kita boleh bincang dulu.
Although that plan isn't ready yet, we can discuss it first. (informal)
Finally, decide whether the subordinate proposition is really an obstacle. If it merely explains the outcome, use a causal linker. If two facts simply differ, use a contrast coordinator. Concession is the marked choice because it asks the listener to revise an expectation.
Common Mistakes
1. Separating pun inside a lexicalized conjunction
❌ Walau pun hujan, kami tetap keluar.
Incorrect current Rumi spelling — walaupun is one established conjunction.
✅ Walaupun hujan, kami tetap keluar.
Although it rained, we still went out.
2. Putting tetapi inside the subordinate concessive frame
❌ Walaupun tetapi cuaca buruk, feri itu beroperasi.
Incorrect — tetapi cannot sit immediately inside the walaupun clause.
✅ Walaupun cuaca buruk, feri itu tetap beroperasi.
Although the weather was bad, the ferry continued operating.
3. Choosing an elevated form in casual conversation
❌ Kendati penat, aku nak lepak lagi.
Register mismatch — kendati is elevated, while aku, nak, and lepak are casual.
✅ Walaupun penat, aku nak lepak lagi.
Even though I'm tired, I want to hang out some more. (informal)
4. Using concession for an expected cause and result
❌ Walaupun lif rosak, kami terpaksa menggunakan tangga.
Wrong relation for the intended meaning — using the stairs is the expected result of the broken lift.
✅ Oleh sebab lif rosak, kami terpaksa menggunakan tangga.
Because the lift was broken, we had to use the stairs.
Key Takeaways
- Walaupun is the broad neutral default; meskipun is measured and more written; biarpun is expressive; kendati is literary and now rare.
- A concessive clause presents an obstacle, while the main clause gives the result that survives it.
- Tetap, masih, and juga make different kinds of persistence explicit but are not obligatory.
- Write lexicalized conjunctions such as walaupun, meskipun, biarpun, sekalipun, and kendatipun solid.
- Use a comma after an initial concessive clause, but normally not before a short final one.
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Start learning Malay →Related Topics
- Concessive Clauses in Malaysian MalayC1 — Express an outcome that persists despite an obstacle with walaupun, meskipun, sekalipun, biarpun, kendati, and main-clause tetap.
- Conditionals with jika, kalau, bila, and apabila in Malaysian MalayB1 — Build open conditions, predictions, rules, and advice without importing English conditional verb forms.
- tetapi, tapi, and namun in Malaysian MalayA2 — Contrast ideas with neutral tetapi, conversational tapi, and sentence-level namun in contemporary Malaysian Malay.
- pun: Even, Also, Indefiniteness, and ConcessionB1 — Use free pun for additive, scalar, indefinite, and free-choice meanings while joining it correctly in established conjunctions such as walaupun and bagaimanapun.
- Writing pun Separately and in Fixed Conjunctions in Malaysian MalayB1 — Distinguish productive, separately written pun from the small set of established Malaysian conjunctions written solid.
- Bahasa Melayu Baku in Formal WritingB1 — Write clear edited Malaysian Malay with standard morphology, Malaysian terminology, controlled sentence structure, and explicit cohesion.