Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Sepupu perempuan saya belajar menjadi insinyur di universitas, sedangkan adiknya ingin jadi arsitek. - My female cousin studies to become an engineer at university, while her younger sibling wants to be an architect.

Saya sepupu perempuan would be ungrammatical in this sense; it would sound like you are trying to say “I (am a) female cousin” but even that is not how you would phrase it.

Why do we say sepupu perempuan? Isn’t sepupu already “cousin”?

Yes, sepupu already means cousin, and it does not contain gender information. It’s like English cousin (no “male/female” in the word itself).

To specify gender, you add a word such as:

sepupu perempuan = female cousin
sepupu laki-laki = male cousin

So sepupu perempuan saya is specifically my female cousin.
If gender is not important (or already clear from context), you can just say sepupu saya = my cousin.

What exactly does adiknya mean, and whose younger sibling is it?

adik by itself means younger sibling, and can be:

younger brother
younger sister
The word is gender-neutral unless you add laki-laki (male) or perempuan (female).

The suffix -nya often means his/her/their.

In this sentence, adiknya is understood as:

adik + -nya = her/his younger sibling
context: the last clear person we mentioned was sepupu perempuan saya (my female cousin)

So adiknya here means her younger sibling (the younger sibling of my female cousin).
From the speaker’s perspective, this “younger sibling” is also usually a cousin, but the sentence is framed from the cousin’s point of view (her younger sibling).

What’s the difference between menjadi and jadi here: belajar menjadi vs ingin jadi?

Both jadi and menjadi can mean to become, but:

menjadi
- more formal / neutral
- often used in more careful or written language
- common after verbs like belajar
- e.g. belajar menjadi dokter = to study to become a doctor
jadi
- slightly more casual, very common in speech
- still correct in many formal contexts
- often used after verbs like ingin, mau, akan
- e.g. ingin jadi arsitek = want to be(come) an architect

So:

belajar menjadi insinyur sounds natural and slightly more formal.
ingin jadi arsitek is a very natural spoken pattern.

You could also say ingin menjadi arsitek; that is also correct and a bit more formal.

Why do we say belajar menjadi insinyur, but ingin jadi arsitek? Could we swap them?

Patterns that sound most natural are:

belajar menjadi X
- belajar menjadi dokter
- belajar menjadi guru
- belajar menjadi insinyur
ingin/mau jadi X
- ingin jadi arsitek
- mau jadi pilot
- ingin jadi pengusaha

You can say:

belajar jadi insinyur – understandable; more casual; some people say this.
ingin menjadi arsitek – fully correct; a bit more formal.

So it’s not a strict rule, but the original combination (belajar menjadi & ingin jadi) matches common natural usage and register.

What does sedangkan do here? How is it different from dan or sementara?

sedangkan introduces a contrast between two clauses, similar to whereas or while in English:

Sepupu perempuan saya belajar menjadi insinyur di universitas, sedangkan adiknya ingin jadi arsitek.
→ My female cousin is studying to become an engineer at university, whereas her younger sibling wants to be an architect.

Compare:

dan = and (just adding information, no contrast)
- … belajar menjadi insinyur, dan adiknya ingin jadi arsitek.
  → Sounds more like “and her younger sibling also wants to be an architect”, with less emphasis on the difference.
sementara can mean “while/whereas” too, often for simultaneous actions or contrast; in many cases, sementara and sedangkan overlap. Here, sementara could work, but sedangkan feels slightly more typical for a clear contrast in plans or opinions.

So sedangkan highlights: this person does X, whereas that person does Y.

Why is there no word like “a” or “an” before insinyur and arsitek?

Indonesian does not have mandatory articles like a/an/the.

insinyur can mean:
- an engineer
- the engineer
- engineers (in general)
arsitek works the same way.

To add specificity or quantity, you use other words when needed, e.g.:

seorang insinyur = an engineer / one engineer (person)
seorang arsitek terkenal = a famous architect
para insinyur = the engineers (as a group)

In this sentence, the context already makes it clear it means an engineer and an architect, so no extra word is necessary.

Does di universitas mean “at university” in general or a specific university?

di universitas is slightly ambiguous, like English “at university” vs “at the university”. Which one it feels like depends on context:

Often it’s understood as at (a) university / in college, not focusing on which university.
To be more specific, you might say:
- di Universitas Indonesia
- di universitas negeri (at a public/state university)
- di sebuah universitas swasta (at a private university)

In everyday conversation, di universitas commonly just means she’s in college / at university.

Can adik be male or female? How would you specify?

Yes, adik is gender-neutral by default. It means:

younger sibling
younger brother or sister (gender unspecified)

To specify gender, you can say:

adik laki-laki = younger brother
adik perempuan = younger sister

So in this sentence:

adiknya could be male or female; the sentence doesn’t say.

Could I say sepupu perempuan saya kuliah untuk menjadi insinyur instead of belajar menjadi insinyur di universitas?

Yes, that’s possible, but the nuance changes a bit.

kuliah = to attend university / to be in college, or a lecture
- sepupu perempuan saya kuliah = my female cousin is in college

So:

Sepupu perempuan saya kuliah untuk menjadi insinyur.
= My female cousin goes to university in order to become an engineer.

Differences:

belajar menjadi insinyur di universitas
- focuses on the studying and the place (university).
kuliah untuk menjadi insinyur
- focuses more on attending university with the goal of becoming an engineer.

Both are correct; the original sentence is a bit more straightforward for beginners.

Is perempuan the only way to say “female” or “woman” here? What about wanita or cewek?

Several words are possible, but register and tone differ:

perempuan
- neutral, common, general
- works fine in almost any context
- sepupu perempuan saya is natural and safe.
wanita
- slightly more formal, often used in official or polite contexts
- sepupu wanita saya is understandable, but less common than sepupu perempuan saya.
cewek
- colloquial/slang: “girl / chick”
- sepupu cewek saya is very casual, used in informal speech among friends.

For learners, perempuan is the best default choice in this kind of sentence.