Saya kena hujan di jalan pulang.

I got rained on on the way home.

Breakdown of Saya kena hujan di jalan pulang.

• saya: I
• di: on
• kena hujan: to get rained on
• jalan pulang: the way home

Questions & Answers about Saya kena hujan di jalan pulang.

What does the word kena do here?

In this sentence, kena means “to be affected by / get hit by / suffer.” With hujan, kena hujan means “got rained on” or “caught in the rain.” Common collocations:

• kena hujan (get rained on)
• kena flu (catch the flu)
• kena denda/tilang (get fined/ticketed)
• kena macet (get stuck in traffic)
• kena marah (get scolded)
• kena tipu (get scammed)

Is kena formal, informal, or neutral? How does it compare to terkena and kehujanan?

• kena: very common, neutral in everyday speech. Simple and direct.
• terkena: more formal/careful. Saya terkena hujan is correct, slightly more formal.
• kehujanan: specific to rain (ke– –an pattern), very idiomatic in speech. Saya kehujanan often sounds the most natural casually. Rough naturalness for everyday talk: Saya kehujanan ≈ Saya kena hujan > Saya terkena hujan.

Could I say Saya hujan to mean the same thing?

No. Hujan is “rain” (noun) and also used impersonally: Sedang hujan / Lagi hujan (“It’s raining”). To say “I got rained on,” use Saya kehujanan or Saya kena hujan.

What exactly does di jalan pulang mean? Is it a place or a time expression?

It literally means “on the way home” (location on your route home). Functionally it also sets the time/context (“while heading home”). Alternatives:

• More “journey”-focused/formal: dalam perjalanan pulang
• More explicit destination: di jalan ke rumah
• Very colloquial: pas pulang / pas lagi jalan pulang

Is jalan pulang a fixed phrase? How does pulang modify jalan?

Yes, it’s common. Jalan (“road/way”) + pulang (“go home”) = “the way home.” Indonesian allows this kind of modifier. Compare:

• jalan ke kantor (the way to the office)
• jalan ke sekolah (the way to school)

Can I change the word order to Saya di jalan pulang kena hujan?

Yes. Indonesian allows adverbial phrases to move. All of these are fine (slight emphasis differences):

• Saya kena hujan di jalan pulang. (default)
• Saya di jalan pulang kena hujan. (puts location first)
• Di jalan pulang, saya kena hujan. (fronted adverbial; common in writing)

Can I drop saya? What about using aku or gue?

• You can drop the pronoun if context is clear: Kena hujan di jalan pulang.
• Saya: polite/neutral.
• Aku: casual/intimate.
• Gue/Gua: Jakarta colloquial. Choose based on relationship and setting; keep it consistent.

How do I say it in the past, present, or as a habit?

Indonesian uses time/aspect words:

• Past: Tadi saya kena hujan di jalan pulang. / Barusan saya kehujanan.
• Present/progressive: Saya lagi kehujanan di jalan pulang. / Saya sedang kena hujan.
• Habitual: Saya sering kena hujan di jalan pulang.
• Completed (contextual): Saya sudah kehujanan di jalan pulang.

Is there any difference between di jalan pulang and dalam perjalanan pulang?

• di jalan pulang: more concrete/colloquial; literally on the road/route home.
• dalam perjalanan pulang: more formal/abstract; emphasizes the journey. Both are correct; pick the tone you want.

Why not use pada instead of di here?

Di marks location, which fits jalan (a place). Pada is used for time points or objects in formal style. You could say pada saat pulang (“at the time of going home”) as a time expression, but not pada jalan.

What’s the nuance difference between kena hujan and kehujanan?

• kena hujan: literal “get hit by rain,” neutral; can take degree: kena hujan sedikit.
• kehujanan: implies being caught in the rain (involuntary), often with the sense you got wet. Very idiomatic. Both are fine; kehujanan often feels a bit more natural in casual talk.

Is kena transitive? Can I add an agent like oleh?

With kena, the thing affecting you is the object (e.g., hujan, denda). Don’t add oleh:

• Natural: Saya kena hujan.
• Unnatural: Saya kena oleh hujan. If you need an agent, use a passive verb: Saya ditabrak mobil (“I was hit by a car”).

How do I negate it? Is Saya tidak kena hujan okay?

Yes: Saya tidak kena hujan. In casual speech:

• Aku nggak kehujanan.
• More formal: Saya tidak terkena hujan. All mean you didn’t get rained on.

Does this sentence sound like a complaint?

It’s neutral by itself. To sound like you’re complaining, add coloring:

• Aduh, saya kehujanan di jalan pulang.
• Gara-gara kena hujan di jalan pulang, baju saya basah.

Any pronunciation tips for this sentence?

• kena: first e is a schwa (uh): kə-NA.
• hujan: keep the initial h.
• pulang: final ng is [ŋ] (as in “sing”). Stress is light; don’t over-stress syllables.

Are there other natural ways to say the same idea?

Yes:

• Saya kehujanan pas pulang. (very colloquial)
• Saya kehujanan di jalan ke rumah.
• Dalam perjalanan pulang, saya terkena hujan. (more formal) To emphasize wetness: Saya basah kuyup di jalan pulang.

Can I say jalan balik or use balik instead of pulang?

Colloquially, yes in many areas:

• Aku kehujanan pas balik.
• Di jalan balik, aku kena hujan. This is informal; pulang is the standard choice.

Is there any difference between di jalan and di jalanan here?

• di jalan: on the (specific) road/way.
• di jalanan: “out on the streets” in general; broader/rougher feel. Use di jalan pulang for this sentence.

Should it be spelled kehujanan or keujanan?

Standard spelling is kehujanan (keep the h from hujan). You may hear the h dropped in casual speech, but don’t drop it in writing.

Could I say waktu pulang or ketika pulang instead of di jalan pulang?

Yes, if you want a time-link meaning “when (I was) going home”:

• Waktu pulang, saya kehujanan. (neutral)
• Ketika pulang, saya terkena hujan. (more formal) These set the time but don’t explicitly mention the road.