Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Kakak saya suka membaca buku di sore hari. - My older sibling likes to read books in the afternoon.

Kakak means an older sibling (older than the speaker). It is gender-neutral.
To specify gender: kakak laki-laki (older brother) and kakak perempuan (older sister).
In address, Indonesians often say Kak to someone slightly older, even outside the family, as a polite term of address.

Why is it kakak saya and not saya kakak? How else can I say “my older sibling”?

Indonesian places the possessor after the noun: kakak saya = my older sibling.
You can also attach the enclitic -ku to the noun: kakakku (more informal/intimate).
Don’t write it with a space: not kakak ku, but kakakku.

Can I replace kakak saya with a pronoun like dia or beliau?

Yes. Dia = he/she (neutral, everyday). Example: Dia suka membaca buku di sore hari.
Beliau is a respectful third-person pronoun used for elders or respected figures: Beliau suka…
Using dia/beliau loses the “older sibling” nuance; it just means “he/she.”

What’s the difference between saya, aku, and -ku here?

saya: neutral/formal “I, my.”
aku: casual/intimate “I, my.”
-ku: enclitic “my” attached to a noun or verb (e.g., kakakku = my older sibling; kubaca = I read it—literary/poetic or very casual).

Is suka the best word? What about senang, gemar, or menyukai?

suka is the most common/natural: suka membaca.
senang (pleased/happy to): senang membaca is fine.
gemar (fond of) is a bit more formal or bookish: gemar membaca.
menyukai is transitive and normally takes a noun, not a verb: menyukai buku (not natural to say menyukai membaca).
Avoid suka untuk membaca; just use suka membaca.

Do I need membaca, or can I say baca? Why the prefix?

membaca is the standard form (meN- + baca). The meN- prefix is typical in formal/neutral style.
In casual speech, dropping the prefix is very common: suka baca sounds natural in conversation.
Both are fine; choose based on formality: suka membaca (neutral), suka baca (casual).

Does buku mean one book or books?

buku is number-neutral; context decides.
To say one book: sebuah buku or satu buku.
To emphasize plural: buku-buku, beberapa buku (some books), banyak buku (many books).
To make it specific: buku itu (that/the book), buku-buku itu (those/the books).

Is di sore hari correct for time, or should it be pada sore hari?

Both are used. Many style guides prefer pada for time and di for location, so pada sore hari is the “safe” formal choice.
In everyday Indonesian, di sore hari is very common and widely accepted.

Do I need hari after sore? What about petang or senja?

sore alone is fine: di/pada sore or just sore as a time adverbial.
sore hari is also common; it slightly emphasizes the time-of-day idea. Meaning is essentially the same.
petang roughly equals sore; it’s common in Malaysia and understood in Indonesia, though sore is more common there.
senja is “dusk/twilight,” a narrower period near sunset and more literary.

Can the time phrase go at the beginning of the sentence?

Yes. Examples:
- Di/pada sore hari, kakak saya suka membaca buku.
- Sore hari, kakak saya suka membaca buku.
- Kakak saya suka membaca buku di/pada sore hari.
A comma after the fronted time phrase is optional but helps readability.

How do I say “every afternoon” or show habit more clearly?

setiap sore or tiap sore = every afternoon: Kakak saya membaca buku setiap sore.
biasanya = usually: Biasanya, kakak saya membaca buku sore hari.
Colloquial: sore-sore to mean “in the afternoons/late afternoons”: …membaca buku sore-sore.

How do I negate this sentence?

Use tidak with verbs/adjectives: Kakak saya tidak suka membaca buku di/pada sore hari.
Don’t use bukan here; bukan negates nouns/pronouns (e.g., Itu bukan buku.).

Roughly what time does sore cover?

In Indonesia, sore is roughly late afternoon to early evening, about 3 p.m. to sunset (≈18:00).
Useful related phrases: tadi sore (this/earlier afternoon), nanti sore (this coming afternoon).