Dada saya sakit malam ini.

to be

Breakdown of Dada saya sakit malam ini.

• saya: my
• malam ini: tonight
• sakit: painful

Questions & Answers about Dada saya sakit malam ini.

In dada saya, why does saya come after dada? In English we say my chest, not chest my.

Indonesian possession is usually noun + possessor, the opposite of English.

• dada = chest
• saya = I / me (and as a possessive: my)

So dada saya literally means chest I / my chest.
This pattern is very common:

• rumah saya = my house
• teman saya = my friend
• mobil saya = my car

You can also say dada aku, dada kamu, etc., following the same rule: noun + pronoun.

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What exactly does dada mean? Is it always “chest,” and is it okay for both men and women?

dada means chest in a general, non-technical way and is used for both men and women.

Some nuances:

• dada = chest (front upper body area, including where the heart is)
• payudara = breasts (more specific, anatomical / medical / formal)
• buah dada = breasts (more colloquial, can be a bit sensitive in tone)

In your sentence Dada saya sakit malam ini, listeners will understand it as my chest hurts tonight, not as a reference to breasts specifically, unless the context clearly points that way (e.g. at a breast clinic).

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