English spreads make and do across hundreds of expressions. Malaysian Malay does not reproduce that division: buat and membuat cover literal production, action, and several light-verb collocations, but many English expressions require a more specific Malay verb. Bikin is also heard in some Malaysian conversation, yet its regional and Indonesian associations make it unsuitable as the unmarked choice in public formal prose.
The useful unit is therefore not the English gloss “make/do” but the entire Malay collocation. This page maps those recurring combinations; it does not replace the general grammar of meN-, -kan, or the full dictionary entries of the verbs.
Four networks around buat
| Network | Typical Malaysian expression | What to learn |
|---|---|---|
| literal creation | buat kek; membuat perabot | an agent produces an object |
| light-verb collocation | membuat keputusan; membuat persediaan | the noun supplies most of the meaning |
| causation/result | membuat saya risau; menjadikan bilik itu lebih cerah | an event causes a state or creates a result |
| fixed expression | buat hal; buat-buat tidak tahu | meaning is not predictable from “make” alone |
In ordinary conversation, bare buat is common. In edited prose, membuat is usually the safer finite active form. That is a register tendency, not a tense contrast: neither form changes for past, present, person, or number.
Petang ini saya nak buat kek untuk hari jadi ibu.
This afternoon I want to make a cake for Mum’s birthday. (informal)
Syarikat itu membuat perabot daripada kayu getah tempatan.
The company makes furniture from local rubberwood.
The first example is (informal) because nak and bare buat belong to relaxed speech. The second is suitable for neutral written description. The materials expression uses daripada because the material is the source or substance.
Light-verb collocations must be learned whole
In membuat keputusan, the noun keputusan carries the idea of deciding, while membuat gives it a verbal frame. Other common careful combinations include membuat persediaan “make preparations,” membuat permohonan “submit/make an application,” membuat laporan “make/file a report,” and membuat kesilapan “make a mistake.”
Mengambil keputusan is also an established standard Malaysian expression for “make a decision.” It should not be rejected as an Indonesian form or a calque. Membuat keputusan is used throughout this page to illustrate the buat network, but both collocations occur in careful Malaysian usage.
Kami perlu membuat keputusan sebelum mesyuarat tamat.
We need to make a decision before the meeting ends.
Penduduk diminta membuat laporan polis dengan segera.
Residents were asked to make a police report immediately.
Saya sudah membuat persediaan untuk pembentangan esok.
I have prepared for tomorrow’s presentation.
The presence of a familiar English make phrase does not guarantee membuat. Malaysian Malay normally says mengambil gambar “take a photograph,” menjana keuntungan “generate a profit,” memaksa seseorang “make someone [do something],” and memastikan “make sure.” A conventional Malay verb is more idiomatic than a transparent calque.
Products and materials: dibuat daripada
The passive dibuat is useful when the product matters more than its maker. Dibuat daripada identifies a substance that has been transformed into the resulting object; diperbuat daripada is a more elevated or product-description alternative (formal).
Beg ini dibuat daripada kain kitar semula.
This bag is made from recycled fabric.
Piala itu diperbuat daripada perak.
The trophy is made of silver. (formal)
Do not write di buat: passive di- attaches to the verb. The separate word di is a locative preposition, as in di kilang “at the factory.”
Kerusi itu dibuat di sebuah kilang di Johor.
The chair was made at a factory in Johor.
Here dibuat is one passive word, while both instances of di introduce places. This spelling difference visibly separates voice from location.
Causing a feeling or result
Membuat + experiencer + adjective is common when an event causes a reaction: membuat saya risau “makes me worried.” In careful expository prose, menyebabkan foregrounds cause, while menjadikan + object + result foregrounds the new state or role produced.
Kelewatan itu membuat semua orang risau.
The delay made everyone worried.
Cermin besar itu menjadikan bilik ini lebih cerah.
The large mirror makes this room brighter.
Pengalaman itu menjadikan Aina seorang pemimpin yang lebih sabar.
That experience made Aina a more patient leader.
The menjadikan X Y frame explicitly presents Y as the result attained by X. It is often clearer than forcing membuat into every English causative. When an English sentence means coercion—“They made him leave”—use memaksa, not merely membuat.
Fixed conversational expressions
Buat hal means to cause trouble, act up, or create an unwelcome issue (informal). Its meaning depends on context; it need not describe literally making a “matter.” Buat-buat + predicate marks pretence, and the repeated root is correctly hyphenated.
Tolong jangan buat hal masa pelanggan itu datang nanti.
Please don’t cause trouble when that customer comes later. (informal)
Dia buat-buat tidak dengar apabila saya panggil namanya.
He pretended not to hear when I called his name. (informal)
These are ordinary conversational expressions, not appropriate substitutes for precise wording in a disciplinary report. A report might say menimbulkan gangguan “caused a disturbance” instead of buat hal.
Where conversational bikin belongs
Bikin meaning “make/cause” occurs in Malaysian speech, especially in Sabah usage (regional: Sabah) and in some highly colloquial urban or entertainment-influenced styles (informal). It is also strongly associated with Indonesian usage. That does not make every Malaysian occurrence “wrong”; it means the word indexes setting and speaker background more strongly than unmarked buat/membuat.
Kau bikin apa tu?
What are you making/doing there? (regional: Sabah; informal)
Cerita dia memang bikin saya ketawa.
His story really made me laugh. (informal; regionally or stylistically marked)
In a federal ministry report, academic essay, contract, or formal news article, choose the established standard collocation: membuat keputusan, menyebabkan kekeliruan, or menjadikan keadaan lebih sukar. Do not scatter bikin through public prose merely because an Indonesian source uses it.
A quick sorting test
When you meet a buat expression, ask what the phrase is doing:
- Is a concrete object produced? Use literal buat/membuat: buat kek.
- Does an abstract noun form a conventional action? Learn the whole collocation: membuat keputusan.
- Does one event create a state? Compare membuat X risau, menyebabkan X, and result-focused menjadikan X Y.
- Is the phrase fixed and conversational? Label it: buat hal, buat-buat lupa.
- Is bikin part of the speaker’s regional or stylistic voice? Preserve it in that setting, but edit it to the appropriate standard expression in formal prose.
Common Mistakes
Extending membuat to every English make expression
❌ Tolong membuat pasti semua pintu sudah dikunci.
Incorrect calque of English ‘make sure’.
✅ Tolong pastikan semua pintu sudah dikunci.
Please make sure all the doors have been locked.
Using a verb that does not form the collocation
❌ Kami perlu melakukan keputusan sebelum tengah hari.
Incorrect — melakukan does not form the standard collocation with keputusan.
✅ Kami perlu membuat keputusan sebelum tengah hari.
We need to make a decision before noon.
Separating the passive prefix
❌ Meja ini di buat daripada kayu.
Incorrect — passive di- attaches to the verb.
✅ Meja ini dibuat daripada kayu.
This table is made from wood.
Misbuilding an explicit result frame
❌ Cat putih itu membuat ruang tamu lebih cerah menjadi.
Incorrect — the resulting state cannot be added after a literal English-style make frame.
✅ Cat putih itu menjadikan ruang tamu lebih cerah.
The white paint makes the living room brighter.
Key Takeaways
Use conversational buat and careful membuat where Malaysian Malay actually licenses the collocation, especially membuat keputusan, membuat laporan, and membuat persediaan. Use dibuat daripada for a product’s material, menjadikan X Y for an explicit result, and a more specific verb where English merely says make. Recognize bikin as authentic in marked conversational and regional settings, but do not treat it as the default formal Malaysian verb. For the morphology behind these forms, continue with buat and membuat and the meanings of -kan.
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