Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Kami kehujanan di jalan, tetapi sarung tangan saya tetap kering. - We got rained on on the road, but my gloves stayed dry.

Kehujanan is built with the affix ke- -an on the root hujan “rain,” and it means “to get rained on” or “to be caught in the rain,” typically unintentionally. It describes an experience that happens to you, not something you actively do.

Common ke- -an words for unintended experiences:

kecopetan = got pickpocketed
ketinggalan (bus/dompet) = got left behind/missed (the bus)/left (your wallet)
kepanasan / kedinginan = overheated / too cold
kemalaman = out too late (night fell before you finished)

How is kehujanan different from kena hujan or just hujan?

hujan = rain (a noun), or “to rain” when used as a verb with a weather-subject: “It’s raining” = Sedang hujan.
kena hujan = “to get hit by rain,” neutral/literal.
kehujanan = “to get rained on” with a nuance of an unwelcome, accidental event. It’s the most idiomatic for “we got caught in the rain.”

Could I say hujan-hujanan instead of kehujanan?

Not here. Hujan-hujanan usually implies doing it on purpose or playfully being out in the rain (e.g., kids playing in the rain). Kehujanan is the involuntary experience.

Why is kami used instead of kita?

Indonesian distinguishes:

kami = we (excluding the listener)
kita = we (including the listener)

Use kami if the person you’re speaking to was not part of the group that got rained on. If the listener was with you, use kita.

Is it okay to have kami in the first clause and saya later in the sentence?

Yes. Kami refers to the group that got rained on; saya refers specifically to the speaker’s own gloves. That mix is natural if the second part is about your personal item.

Does sarung tangan mean one glove or a pair? How do I be specific?

Nouns in Indonesian don’t change for plural. Sarung tangan can mean “glove” or “gloves,” depending on context. To be explicit:

one glove: satu (buah) sarung tangan or sebelah sarung tangan (one of the pair)
a pair of gloves: sepasang sarung tangan
two pairs: dua pasang sarung tangan If you want to stress all of them stayed dry: sarung tangan saya semuanya tetap kering or sepasang sarung tangan saya tetap kering.

What nuance does tetap add before kering? Could I use masih or just say tidak basah?

tetap kering = “remained/stayed dry,” highlighting that it stayed that way despite a condition that could have changed it (the rain). It implies contrast or resistance to change.
masih kering = “still dry,” more neutral continuation, less contrastive.
tidak basah = “not wet,” factual but less idiomatic. In this sentence, tetap fits best because of the explicit contrast set up by “but.”

Why use tetapi here? Can I use tapi, namun, or sedangkan?

tetapi = “but” (more formal/neutral). Your sentence is standard.
tapi = informal “but.” Also fine in conversation: “…, tapi sarung tangan saya tetap kering.”
namun = “however,” usually starts a sentence or clause after a period/semicolon: “…. Namun, sarung tangan saya tetap kering.”
sedangkan = “whereas/while (in contrast).” It can work here to juxtapose different subjects: “…, sedangkan sarung tangan saya tetap kering.” It sounds a bit more contrastive/explanatory. Avoid padahal here; it means “whereas/though (contrary to expectation)” and is typically used like: “Sarung tangan saya basah, padahal saya pakai jas hujan.”

Is the comma before tetapi necessary?

Yes, it’s standard to place a comma before conjunctions like tetapi and sedangkan that join two independent clauses.

Does di jalan mean “on the road” physically or “on the way” figuratively?

It can mean either, depending on context. It often means you were out on the street/road when the rain started. If you want to stress the sense of “while in transit,” you can also say:

di perjalanan or dalam perjalanan = “on the trip/on the way”
For a specific road: di Jalan Sudirman, di jalan tol, di jalan raya.

What’s the difference between di jalan, di jalanan, and di jalannya?

di jalan = on the road/street (neutral, specific or generic depending on context)
di jalanan = out on the streets (more general/public thoroughfares, sometimes with a rough “street” nuance)
di jalannya = on the (aforementioned) road; the suffix -nya points to a specific road already known in the discourse.

Any spelling rules about di here?

Yes. di as a preposition is written separately: di jalan, di rumah. When di- is a passive verb prefix, it attaches to the verb: ditangkap, dilihat.

What’s the word order rule for nouns, possessives, and adjectives in this sentence?

Possessives come after the noun: sarung tangan saya (“my gloves”).
Adjectives also come after the noun they modify: sarung tangan … kering.
Adverbs like tetap come before the adjective/verb they modify: tetap kering. So: sarung tangan (noun) + saya (possessor) + tetap (adverb) + kering (adjective).

Indonesian doesn’t mark tense. How would I show this happened in the past?

Add a time word:

tadi = earlier today: Tadi kami kehujanan di jalan…
barusan = just now
kemarin = yesterday
waktu/ketika = when: Waktu di jalan, kami kehujanan…

Can kehujanan be used about things, like a bike or clothes?

Yes, conversationally you’ll hear it with things: Sepeda saya kehujanan semalaman. More neutral/literal options are kena hujan or terkena hujan, e.g., Tasnya kena hujan. For people, kehujanan is the most idiomatic.

Could I rephrase with “even though”?

Yes:

Walaupun/Meskipun kami kehujanan di jalan, sarung tangan saya tetap kering. You can also shorten to Meski in informal speech.

Can I just say Kami kehujanan without di jalan?

Yes. Kami kehujanan already conveys the key idea. Di jalan adds where it happened; include it if location matters.

Is mixing registers like kami … gue okay?

In casual speech people do mix, but it’s cleaner to keep a consistent register. Formal/neutral: kami … saya. Informal: kita … aku (if inclusive), or kami … aku (if exclusive). Regional slang like gue (Jakarta area) is very informal.

Is sarung tangan written as two words?

Yes, standard spelling is two words: sarung tangan. You may see it closed up informally, but the dictionary form is spaced.

Any handy vocabulary around this topic?

rain types: gerimis (drizzle), hujan rintik-rintik (light rain), hujan deras (heavy rain)
wetness: basah (wet), basah kuyup (soaking wet), kebasahan (got overly wet)
gear: payung (umbrella), jas hujan (raincoat)
waterproof: tahan air / kedap air (for watertight)