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Pergelangan tangan saya sakit setelah latihan kebugaran intensif.

Pergelangan tangan saya sakit setelah latihan kebugaran intensif.
My wrist hurts after intensive fitness training.
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Questions & Answers about Pergelangan tangan saya sakit setelah latihan kebugaran intensif.

What exactly does pergelangan tangan mean? Is pergelangan a word by itself?

Pergelangan tangan means wrist.

  • pergelangan by itself refers to a joint area (literally “wrist/ankle area”), but it’s not usually used alone in everyday speech.
  • You almost always see it followed by a body part:
    • pergelangan tangan = wrist (the joint of the hand/arm)
    • pergelangan kaki = ankle (the joint of the foot/leg)

So pergelangan is like “joint area,” and tangan = hand/arm → together: “wrist.”

Why is it “Pergelangan tangan saya sakit” and not something closer to English word order like “Saya sakit pergelangan tangan”?

In Indonesian, the usual pattern here is:

  • [Subject] + [Adjective/State]

So in this sentence:

  • Subject: pergelangan tangan saya (my wrist)
  • State/Predicate: sakit (is hurting / is sore)

So Pergelangan tangan saya sakit = “My wrist is sore / My wrist hurts.”

You can say Saya sakit pergelangan tangan, but it sounds odd and unnatural. It’s like saying “I am wrist-sick” rather than “My wrist is sore.” Indonesians normally make the body part the subject.

Is sakit a verb (“hurts”) or an adjective (“sore / ill”) here?

sakit is an adjective meaning sick / ill / in pain / sore.

Indonesian doesn’t always distinguish verbs and adjectives as strictly as English. sakit can function like:

  • adjective:
    • Saya sakit = I am sick / ill.
    • Kepala saya sakit = My head is sore / My head hurts.

In English we often translate it with a verb (“hurts”), but grammatically in Indonesian it’s describing a state: “is in pain / is sore.”

Could I say “Pergelangan tangan aku sakit” instead of “saya”? What’s the difference between saya and aku?

Yes, you can say Pergelangan tangan aku sakit.

Difference:

  • saya

    • More formal / neutral
    • Safe in almost all situations: with strangers, older people, at work, etc.

  • aku

    • More informal / intimate
    • Used with friends, family, or people of the same age in casual settings.

In writing aimed at a broad or formal audience, saya is preferred. Among close friends, aku is very common.

Could I leave out saya and just say “Pergelangan tangan sakit setelah latihan kebugaran intensif”?

Grammatically, yes, but it sounds a bit incomplete or impersonal.

  • Pergelangan tangan saya sakit… clearly means “My wrist hurts…”
  • Pergelangan tangan sakit… sounds more like “(The) wrist is sore…” in a general sense, unless context makes it obvious you’re talking about yourself.

In everyday conversation, people often still include the pronoun (saya / aku) when talking about their own body, especially in a full sentence like this.

What does latihan kebugaran mean, and is it a fixed phrase? Could I just say olahraga instead?
  • latihan = training / practice / workout
  • kebugaran = fitness (from bugar = fit, fresh, in good physical condition)

So latihan kebugaran = fitness training / workout. It sounds a bit more technical or gym-related.

You can often replace it with olahraga (“exercise / sports / working out”):

  • Pergelangan tangan saya sakit setelah olahraga intensif.
    = My wrist hurts after intense exercise.

olahraga is more general; latihan kebugaran emphasizes fitness training, like a gym or structured workout.

Why is intensif placed at the end: latihan kebugaran intensif? Can adjectives ever go before nouns in Indonesian?

In Indonesian, adjectives normally come after the noun they describe.

Pattern:

  • noun + adjective

So:

  • latihan kebugaran intensif
    • latihan kebugaran = fitness training / workout
    • intensif = intensive
      → “intensive fitness training / intensive workout”

You generally do not say intensif latihan kebugaran. That sounds unnatural in standard Indonesian.

Is setelah the same as sesudah? Could I say “…sakit sesudah latihan kebugaran intensif” instead?

Yes, setelah and sesudah both mean after and are largely interchangeable in this sentence.

  • setelah latihan kebugaran intensif
  • sesudah latihan kebugaran intensif

Both mean “after an intensive workout.”

In modern usage, setelah is a bit more common in writing, but both are standard and natural.

Can I move the setelah phrase to the beginning:
“Setelah latihan kebugaran intensif, pergelangan tangan saya sakit”?

Yes, that’s perfectly correct and natural.

Two possible word orders:

  1. Pergelangan tangan saya sakit setelah latihan kebugaran intensif.
  2. Setelah latihan kebugaran intensif, pergelangan tangan saya sakit.

Both mean the same thing. Putting setelah… at the start just changes the emphasis slightly to “After the workout, my wrist hurt.”

Are there more specific words than sakit for this kind of pain, like “sore” or “injured”?

Yes, there are more specific options:

  • nyeri = aching pain, often used in medical or more precise contexts
    • Pergelangan tangan saya nyeri setelah latihan…
  • pegal = sore / stiff (often from overuse or exercise)
    • Pergelangan tangan saya pegal setelah latihan…
  • cedera = injured (implies an actual injury)
    • Saya cedera pergelangan tangan setelah latihan…

sakit is the most general and common; it simply states that there is pain.

Could I use the -ku possessive instead of saya: “Pergelangan tanganku sakit …”?

Yes. Pergelangan tanganku sakit setelah latihan kebugaran intensif is correct.

  • -ku = my (attached to the noun)
    • tanganku = my hand / my arm
    • pergelangan tanganku = my wrist

Nuance:

  • tangan saya is neutral / more formal.
  • tanganku is more informal / personal, frequent in speech and casual writing.

Both are common and natural; choice depends on how formal you want to sound.