Formal Malaysian Malay does not use menurut, terhadap, bagi, and demi as decorative substitutes for one general English preposition. Each organizes a different relation: menurut attributes a claim to a source, terhadap identifies the target of an attitude or measure, bagi frames a beneficiary, constituency, or institutional purpose, and demi presents a purpose as an overriding interest. Choosing among them tells the reader how two parts of the message are connected.
Menurut laporan itu, kadar penyertaan meningkat sebanyak lapan peratus.
According to the report, the participation rate increased by eight per cent. (academic/formal)
The fine distinctions are especially productive in academic, legal, administrative, and public-service prose. Everyday speech often chooses a simpler clause or untuk, but replacing every formal relator with untuk erases differences in evidence, target, perspective, and commitment. The broader conventions of those genres are mapped in formal written Malaysian Malay.
menurut attributes a viewpoint or source
Prepositional menurut means “according to” (formal/academic). Its complement names the source responsible for a claim: a person, report, study, rule, or body of evidence. Fronting the phrase makes that attribution the frame for the whole clause.
Menurut penyelidik tersebut, perubahan itu berkait rapat dengan peningkatan suhu laut.
According to the researcher, the change is closely related to rising sea temperatures. (academic)
Menurut Perkara 8 Perlembagaan Persekutuan, semua orang adalah sama rata di sisi undang-undang.
According to Article 8 of the Federal Constitution, all persons are equal before the law. (legal)
Keadaan dijangka pulih esok, menurut kenyataan pihak berkuasa tempatan.
Conditions are expected to return to normal tomorrow, according to a statement by the local authority. (journalistic/formal)
The menurut phrase limits accountability: the writer reports what the source says without automatically endorsing it as an independent fact. Compare Kajian itu membuktikan... “The study proves...” with Menurut kajian itu,... “According to that study,...”. The second overtly frames the claim through a source.
Menurut saya “in my view” is grammatical and careful (formal/careful spoken), but it can sound more deliberate than conversational bagi saya or pada pendapat saya. Do not stack several equivalent viewpoint frames.
Menurut saya, cadangan kedua lebih mudah dilaksanakan.
In my view, the second proposal is easier to implement. (careful spoken/formal)
The same spelling also occurs in lexical uses related to following or complying, such as menurut arahan “follow instructions.” Context distinguishes attribution from the lexical relation. Full verbal derivation lies outside this page.
terhadap marks a target of stance, effect, or measure
Terhadap introduces the entity toward which an attitude, evaluation, policy, investigation, or action is directed (formal). Common combinations include sikap terhadap “attitude toward,” kesan terhadap “effect on,” tindakan terhadap “action against/toward,” and diskriminasi terhadap “discrimination against.”
Kajian ini meneliti sikap pengguna terhadap penggunaan kecerdasan buatan dalam perkhidmatan awam.
This study examines users’ attitudes toward the use of artificial intelligence in public services. (academic)
Mahkamah boleh mengambil tindakan terhadap pihak yang melanggar perintah tersebut.
The court may take action against a party that breaches the order. (legal)
Pihak berkuasa sedang menilai kesan projek itu terhadap penduduk setempat.
The authorities are assessing the project’s impact on local residents. (formal)
Unlike kepada, terhadap does not normally mark someone receiving a letter or gift. It profiles a target considered under a stance, effect, or institutional measure. Compare menghantar notis kepada syarikat “send a notice to the company” with mengambil tindakan terhadap syarikat “take action against the company.” The same company plays different semantic roles.
In relaxed conversation, speakers may recast the relationship with a verb: Apa pendapat awak tentang rancangan ini? “What do you think about this plan?” rather than a heavier sikap anda terhadap rancangan ini. Terhadap is not archaic; it is simply at home in analytical and institutional genres.
bagi frames a beneficiary, constituency, or perspective
Bagi can introduce the group for whose benefit a provision exists, the constituency to which a statement applies, or the perspective from which a judgment holds. It is frequent in formal exposition and public-service language.
Kemudahan ini disediakan bagi pengguna kerusi roda dan warga emas.
This facility is provided for wheelchair users and senior citizens. (public-service/formal)
Bagi pelajar tahun akhir, kehadiran di bengkel tersebut adalah wajib.
For final-year students, attendance at the workshop is compulsory. (formal)
Bagi mahkamah, persoalan utama ialah sama ada kontrak itu masih berkuat kuasa.
For the court, the main question is whether the contract remains in force. (legal analysis)
In the first example, the complement is a beneficiary group. In the second, fronted bagi pelajar tahun akhir limits who the rule applies to. In the third, it identifies an institutional perspective. These uses are related because bagi selects the participant for whom a benefit, relevance, or assessment is valid.
Bagi + verb can also introduce an institutional purpose, especially in directives: bagi memastikan, bagi mengurangkan, and bagi melindungi (formal).
Sila pastikan laluan kecemasan tidak dihalang bagi memudahkan kerja menyelamat.
Please ensure that the emergency route is not obstructed so as to facilitate rescue work. (public-service/formal)
This purpose use overlaps with untuk, but the register differs. Untuk memudahkan kerja menyelamat is neutral and equally grammatical. Bagi is common when official prose frames an action as serving an institutional objective or constituency. It is not automatically “better Malay”; it is a genre choice tied to a specific relation.
demi presents a purpose as an overriding interest
Demi means “for the sake of/in the interest of” and gives its complement rhetorical or moral weight (formal/rhetorical). The speaker presents the purpose as sufficiently important to justify effort, restraint, sacrifice, or compliance.
Demi keselamatan semua penumpang, sila matikan peranti yang boleh mengganggu sistem pesawat.
For the safety of all passengers, please switch off devices that may interfere with the aircraft’s systems. (public-service/formal)
Kedua-dua pihak bersetuju menangguhkan tuntutan itu demi kepentingan kanak-kanak tersebut.
Both parties agreed to defer the claim in the interests of the child. (legal/formal)
Kita perlu mengetepikan perbezaan demi masa depan negara.
We need to set aside our differences for the sake of the country’s future. (rhetorical/formal)
Demi memastikan is also common in public language when the writer foregrounds necessity or resolve.
Demi memastikan bekalan air kekal selamat, kerja pemeriksaan akan dijalankan setiap minggu.
To ensure that the water supply remains safe, inspections will be carried out every week. (formal)
Compare neutral Saya membeli ubat untuk ibu “I bought medicine for mother” with Saya membeli ubat demi ibu. The second is possible only in a dramatic context where the act is presented as a sacrifice for mother’s sake; it is not a polished synonym for untuk ibu.
A role-based decision guide
The four relators divide semantic labour. Start with the relation, not with the English translation.
| Question | Relator | Typical phrase |
|---|---|---|
| Whose account or authority? | menurut | menurut kajian itu |
| What is targeted by a stance or effect? | terhadap | kesan terhadap alam sekitar |
| For which constituency, benefit, or formal purpose? | bagi | bagi penduduk setempat |
| For the sake of which overriding interest? | demi | demi keselamatan awam |
Menurut penilaian jabatan itu, langkah tambahan diperlukan bagi melindungi orang ramai daripada risiko tersebut.
According to the department’s assessment, additional measures are needed to protect the public from that risk. (formal)
This sentence can legitimately contain menurut and bagi because they do different work: one attributes the assessment, and the other states the institutional purpose. Such precision is why formal prose uses a larger inventory of relators.
Orthography and phrase boundaries
Write each relator separately from its complement: menurut laporan, terhadap pekerja, bagi tujuan ini, and demi keselamatan. This follows the same principle as free locative di rumah and directional ke pejabat. By contrast, passive di- and ordinal ke- attach to their bases: ditulis, kedua. Formal vocabulary does not change these Standard Malaysian Rumi word boundaries.
Fronted relator phrases are commonly followed by a comma when they frame a whole substantial clause, especially Menurut laporan itu, ... and Demi keselamatan orang ramai, .... Short integrated phrases need no automatic comma. Punctuation reflects clause organization, not the presence of a “formal word” by itself.
Common Mistakes
1. Using menurut for the target of an attitude
❌ Kajian itu meneliti sikap belia menurut politik tempatan.
Incorrect—politics is the target of the attitude, not its reporting source.
✅ Kajian itu meneliti sikap belia terhadap politik tempatan.
The study examines young people’s attitudes toward local politics. (academic)
2. Using terhadap for a recipient
❌ Urus setia menghantar surat terhadap semua peserta.
Incorrect—the participants receive the letter.
✅ Urus setia menghantar surat kepada semua peserta.
The secretariat sent a letter to all participants. (formal)
3. Replacing a routine beneficiary with rhetorical demi
❌ Kaunter ini disediakan demi pelanggan yang hendak membuat bayaran.
Register and meaning mismatch—routine service provision is not an overriding sacrifice.
✅ Kaunter ini disediakan bagi pelanggan yang hendak membuat bayaran.
This counter is provided for customers who wish to make a payment. (public-service/formal)
4. Treating bagi as an attribution source
❌ Bagi laporan audit, tiga prosedur perlu diperbaiki.
Incorrect for ‘according to the audit report’—bagi frames relevance or perspective, not documentary attribution here.
✅ Menurut laporan audit, tiga prosedur perlu diperbaiki.
According to the audit report, three procedures need improvement. (formal)
5. Using a formal relator merely to ornament untuk
❌ Saya singgah di kedai demi membeli roti.
Overdramatic for an ordinary purpose—demi adds ‘for the sake of’ force.
✅ Saya singgah di kedai untuk membeli roti.
I stopped at the shop to buy bread.
Key Takeaways
Choose menurut to attribute a claim, terhadap to identify the target of a stance or effect, bagi to frame a beneficiary, constituency, or institutional purpose, and demi to present an overriding interest. Their formal value comes from semantic precision, not elegance alone. If the intended relation is simply an everyday beneficiary or purpose, neutral untuk is usually the accurate choice.
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