Jangan membuang makanan.

Jangan is used to make a negative command: don’t ...

So:

• Jangan membuang makanan. = Don’t throw away food.

By contrast, tidak is used to negate statements, not commands:

• Saya tidak makan. = I am not eating.

So for prohibitions or telling someone not to do something, jangan is the normal choice.

The base word is buang, which means to throw away / discard.

The form membuang adds the verbal prefix meN-, which often makes the word sound more like a standard active verb in a full sentence.

• buang = throw away
• membuang = to throw away / throwing away

In commands, both can appear, depending on style:

• Jangan buang makanan.
• Jangan membuang makanan.

Both are understandable. Jangan membuang makanan sounds a bit more formal or complete.

This is due to a common sound change with the Indonesian meN- prefix.

When meN- attaches to a base beginning with b, it becomes mem-:

• buang → membuang
• baca → membaca
• beli → membeli

So meN- + buang becomes membuang.

Makan usually means to eat or eat!, depending on context.

Makanan means food.

The ending -an often turns a root into a noun. Here:

• makan = eat
• makanan = food

So:

• Jangan makan. = Don’t eat.
• Jangan membuang makanan. = Don’t throw away food.

It can be singular or plural, depending on context.

Indonesian nouns usually do not have a separate form for singular and plural the way English does. So makanan can mean:

• food
• a food item
• foods

In this sentence, it most naturally means food in a general sense.

If you really wanted to emphasize plurality, Indonesian can use reduplication:

• makanan-makanan = foods / various food items

But that would sound less natural in this sentence.

In Indonesian, commands often omit the subject when it is understood.

So Jangan membuang makanan. naturally means:

• Don’t throw away food.
• literally: Don’t throw away food.

There is no need to say you. If you add a pronoun, it can sound more emphatic, less natural, or context-specific.

Yes. Jangan buang makanan is very natural and common in everyday speech.

Compare:

• Jangan buang makanan. = very common, direct
• Jangan membuang makanan. = also correct, a bit more formal or careful

A learner should understand both. In conversation, people often prefer the shorter version.

It is generally neutral.

It is a straightforward prohibition:

• Jangan membuang makanan.

Whether it sounds polite depends on context, tone of voice, and who you are speaking to. If you want to sound softer or more polite, you could say:

• Tolong jangan membuang makanan. = Please don’t throw away food.

So the sentence itself is not rude, but it is direct.

The order is:

• jangan
  • verb
    • object

So:

• jangan = don’t
• membuang = throw away
• makanan = food

This is a very common pattern for negative commands in Indonesian.

A simple pronunciation guide is:

• jangan ≈ JAHN-gahn
• membuang ≈ mem-BOO-ahng
• makanan ≈ mah-KAH-nahn

A few notes:

• ng is like the sound at the end of song
• buang has two vowel sounds: bu-ang
• Indonesian stress is usually not as strong as in English, but a rough guide is:
  • memBUang
  • maKAnan

Yes, in many contexts that is a very natural English translation.

Literally, membuang makanan is throw away food, but in real use it often overlaps with the idea of wasting food.

So depending on context, the sentence could be understood as:

• Don’t throw away food.
• Don’t waste food.

If the meaning shown to the learner is one of those, that is perfectly reasonable.

You could say:

• Jangan pernah membuang makanan.

Here pernah with jangan gives the idea of ever, so it means:

• Never throw away food.

That is stronger than the original sentence.