Kakek saya dirawat di rumah sakit.

My grandfather is being treated in the hospital.

Breakdown of Kakek saya dirawat di rumah sakit.

• di: in
• saya: my
• rumah sakit: the hospital
• kakek: the grandfather
• dirawat: to be treated

Questions & Answers about Kakek saya dirawat di rumah sakit.

In Kakek saya dirawat di rumah sakit, what does each word literally mean?

Word by word:

• kakek = grandfather
• saya = I / me / my
• kakek saya = my grandfather (literally: grandfather I)
• dirawat = is/was being treated, is/was cared for (passive form of rawat = to care for, to treat)
• di = in / at
• rumah = house
• sakit = sick / ill / painful
• rumah sakit = hospital (literally: sick house)

So the whole sentence is: My grandfather is being treated in the hospital (or was treated…, depending on context).

Why is it kakek saya and not saya kakek for my grandfather?

In Indonesian, the possessed noun usually comes first, and the possessor comes after it. So the pattern is:

• NOUN + pronoun = my/your/his/her NOUN

Examples:

• buku saya = my book (literally: book I)
• rumah kamu = your house
• teman dia = his/her friend

So:

• kakek saya = my grandfather
• saya kakek is wrong in this meaning; it would sound like two separate nouns (I, grandfather) and not a possessive phrase.

Is saya in kakek saya the subject of the sentence?

No. In kakek saya, saya functions as a possessive pronoun (showing ownership/relationship), not as the subject.

• The subject of the sentence is kakek saya as a whole phrase (my grandfather).
• Within that noun phrase, kakek is the noun and saya tells you whose grandfather it is.

So grammatically, kakek saya = my grandfather (one unit, the subject).

What exactly does dirawat mean, and what is its basic form?

Dirawat comes from:

• root verb: rawat = to care for, to treat (medically or in general)
• passive prefix: di-

So:

• rawat = to treat, to care for
• dirawat = to be treated / to be cared for

In this context (with rumah sakit), dirawat almost always means receiving medical treatment (as a patient), often implying that the person is staying in the hospital, not just visiting briefly.

Does dirawat mean is being treated or was treated? What tense is it?

Indonesian verbs generally do not mark tense (past/present/future) the way English verbs do. Dirawat itself is neutral about time.

The sentence Kakek saya dirawat di rumah sakit could mean:

• My grandfather is being treated in the hospital.
• My grandfather was treated in the hospital.

Which one is correct depends on context or extra words:

• Kakek saya sedang dirawat di rumah sakit. = My grandfather is currently being treated in the hospital.
• Kemarin kakek saya dirawat di rumah sakit. = Yesterday my grandfather was treated in the hospital.

So dirawat just expresses the state/action, not the time; time is understood from context or time expressions.

What is the difference between di rumah sakit and ke rumah sakit?

• di rumah sakit = at/in the hospital (location)

  • Focus: where someone/something is.
  • Example: Kakek saya dirawat di rumah sakit. = My grandfather is being treated in the hospital.

• ke rumah sakit = to the hospital (direction/movement)

  • Focus: going toward a place.
  • Example: Saya pergi ke rumah sakit. = I go to the hospital.

In your sentence, the idea is that the grandfather is in the hospital receiving treatment, so di is correct.

Can you leave out di and say Kakek saya dirawat rumah sakit?

No, you should not omit di here.

• Kakek saya dirawat di rumah sakit. ✅ (correct and natural)
• Kakek saya dirawat rumah sakit. ❌ (ungrammatical)

You need di before rumah sakit to clearly mark it as a location. Without di, the phrase sounds incomplete and incorrect to native speakers.

Is rumah sakit always used for hospital? It literally looks like sick house.

Yes, rumah sakit is the normal, standard word for hospital in Indonesian.

Literally:

• rumah = house
• sakit = sick

So it is indeed sick house, but that literal meaning is not weird to Indonesian speakers; it’s just the regular word.

Some related points:

• In writing, you may see it abbreviated as RS (for example: RS Cipto Mangunkusumo).
• There’s also puskesmas (pusat kesehatan masyarakat = community health center), which is more like a clinic, not a full hospital.

But for a general hospital, rumah sakit is what you use.

What is the difference between Kakek saya dirawat di rumah sakit and Kakek saya di rumah sakit?

Both are possible, but the nuance is different:

1. Kakek saya dirawat di rumah sakit.

   • Emphasis: he is receiving treatment as a patient.
   • Implies a medical condition requiring care.

2. Kakek saya di rumah sakit.

   • Literally: My grandfather is at the hospital.
   • Focus: his location, not specifically that he is being treated.
   • He could be visiting someone, working there, or being treated; context decides.

So if you want to clearly say he is hospitalized/under treatment, use dirawat.

Can I add sedang in Kakek saya sedang dirawat di rumah sakit? Does that change the meaning?

Yes, you can, and it makes the ongoing aspect clearer.

• Kakek saya dirawat di rumah sakit.

  • Could be present or past, depending on context.
  • Often understood as he is/was being treated.

• Kakek saya sedang dirawat di rumah sakit.

  • sedang explicitly marks a currently ongoing action.
  • Best translated as: My grandfather is currently being treated in the hospital.

So sedang makes it clear that the treatment is happening right now.

Are there other ways to say my grandfather besides kakek saya?

Yes, there are a few common options:

1. kakek saya

   • Neutral, clear, standard.
   • Used in most situations.

2. kakekku

   • kakek
     • possessive suffix -ku (my).
   • A bit more informal / personal; often in writing (messages, stories) or speech.

3. Just kakek, in context

   • In a conversation where it is already clear you’re talking about your own grandfather, sometimes people just say kakek.
   • Example: Kakek lagi dirawat di rumah sakit. = (My) grandfather is being treated in the hospital.
   • The my is understood from context.

All three can refer to my grandfather; kakek saya is the safest and most neutral for learners.

Can kakek mean an old man in general, or only grandfather?

Kakek mainly means grandfather, but:

• It can also be used as a polite or affectionate way to refer to or address an older man, similar to English grandpa or old man in some contexts.
• For example, you might hear children call an elderly man kakek or kek.

In your sentence Kakek saya dirawat di rumah sakit, it is naturally understood as my grandfather is being treated in the hospital.