Kakak perempuan saya memakai lipstik merah di pesta kecil itu.

My older sister wears red lipstick at that small party.

Breakdown of Kakak perempuan saya memakai lipstik merah di pesta kecil itu.

• itu: that
• di: at
• kecil: small
• saya: my
• pesta: the party
• merah: red
• memakai: to wear
• kakak perempuan: the older sister
• lipstik: the lipstick

Questions & Answers about Kakak perempuan saya memakai lipstik merah di pesta kecil itu.

What exactly does kakak perempuan mean, and how is it different from just kakak?

Kakak by itself means “older sibling” (gender-neutral).
Perempuan means “female / woman.”

So:

• kakak = older sibling (could be brother or sister)
• kakak perempuan = older female sibling → “older sister”
• kakak laki-laki = older male sibling → “older brother”

In everyday speech, many people just say kakak and rely on context to know the gender, but kakak perempuan makes it explicit that it’s an older sister.

Why is it kakak perempuan saya and not saya kakak perempuan?

In Indonesian, possessive pronouns (my, your, his, etc.) normally come after the noun they possess.

• kakak perempuan saya
  = kakak perempuan (older sister) + saya (my)
  = my older sister

If you say saya kakak perempuan, it means something like:

• saya kakak perempuan = “I am an older sister” (and even then it sounds incomplete, you’d expect “…saya kakak perempuan dia” = I am her/his older sister).

So the typical pattern is:

• noun + possessor
  • rumah saya = my house
  • mobil kamu = your car
  • kakak perempuan saya = my older sister

Can kakak mean things other than “older sister/brother,” like “cousin” or just “older person”?

Yes, kakak has a broader use in real life than just “older sibling”:

1. Family relations

   • Formally, kakak is an older sibling.
   • In everyday talk, people sometimes also use it loosely for an older cousin or another slightly older relative, especially if they grew up together.

2. Polite address

   • Kakak (often shortened to Kak) is also used to politely address a slightly older young person:
     • to a shop assistant,
     • to an older student,
     • to a young adult you don’t know well.
   • Similar to saying “big sis/bro” or using someone’s “older sibling” title as a polite form of address.

In this sentence, with kakak perempuan saya, it clearly means my older sister, not just a random older person.

What’s the difference between memakai and pakai? Could I say kakak perempuan saya pakai lipstik merah?

Both memakai and pakai come from the same root and both mean to use / to wear.

• memakai
  • more “complete” / formal form
  • commonly used in writing and neutral speech
• pakai
  • more informal / colloquial
  • very common in spoken Indonesian

In this sentence, both are grammatically fine:

• Kakak perempuan saya memakai lipstik merah di pesta kecil itu.
• Kakak perempuan saya pakai lipstik merah di pesta kecil itu.

Meaning is the same: “My older sister wore/is wearing red lipstick at that small party.”

You’ll hear pakai a lot in speech; memakai feels a bit more standard or careful.

Why is it lipstik merah and not merah lipstik?

In Indonesian, adjectives normally come after the noun:

• lipstik merah = red lipstick
• buku baru = new book
• mobil besar = big car

So the pattern is:

• noun + adjective

Putting the adjective first (merah lipstik) is incorrect here and sounds like you’re saying two separate words without a clear grammatical link.

So:

• ✅ lipstik merah = correct
• ❌ merah lipstik = wrong as a normal noun phrase

Is lipstik just the Indonesian spelling of English “lipstick”? Are there other words for lipstick?

Yes, lipstik is the Indonesianized spelling of English “lipstick.” It’s fully accepted and very widely used.

There is also a more traditional word:

• gincu = lipstick

Both are understood, but:

• lipstik sounds more modern / neutral.
• gincu can sound a bit old-fashioned or literary in some contexts, though it’s still used.

In this sentence, lipstik merah is totally natural and common.

How does pesta kecil itu work? Why is itu at the end, and what exactly does it mean?

Pesta kecil itu breaks down like this:

• pesta = party
• kecil = small
• itu = that

Order in Indonesian noun phrases is:

1. Noun
2. Adjective(s)
3. Demonstrative (ini / itu)

So:

• pesta kecil itu = that small party
• pesta kecil ini = this small party

This is different from:

• pesta itu kecil = That party is small. (full sentence: “that party is small”)
• itu pesta kecil = that is a small party (less natural, but can occur in certain contexts)

So pesta kecil itu is a single noun phrase meaning “that small party”, not a whole sentence.

Can di pesta kecil itu go at the beginning of the sentence, like Di pesta kecil itu, kakak perempuan saya memakai lipstik merah?

Yes, absolutely. Indonesian word order is quite flexible for adverbial phrases (time, place, manner).

Both are correct:

• Kakak perempuan saya memakai lipstik merah di pesta kecil itu.
• Di pesta kecil itu, kakak perempuan saya memakai lipstik merah.

The meaning is the same.
Putting di pesta kecil itu at the beginning adds a bit more emphasis on the location, like in English:

• “At that small party, my older sister wore red lipstick.”

Why is it di pesta kecil itu and not pada pesta kecil itu? What’s the difference between di and pada?

Both di and pada can be translated as “at / in / on,” but they have different typical uses:

• di

  • used for physical locations and places
  • very common in everyday speech
  • di pesta kecil itu = at that small party

• pada

  • more formal, often used for:
    • time expressions: pada hari Senin (on Monday)
    • abstract locations (in documents, in sections, etc.)
  • can sometimes replace di in formal writing, but sounds stiff in casual speech

In this sentence, di pesta kecil itu is the natural, everyday choice.
Pada pesta kecil itu is grammatically possible but feels more formal or written.

There’s no past tense marker here. How do I know if it means “was wearing” or “is wearing”?

Indonesian verbs generally do not change form for tense (past, present, future).
Memakai stays the same whether it’s “wears,” “is wearing,” or “was wearing.”

The tense is understood from:

• context
• time words, if needed:
  • tadi / tadi malam = earlier / last night
  • kemarin = yesterday
  • besok = tomorrow
  • nanti = later

Your sentence by itself can mean:

• “My older sister is wearing red lipstick at that small party.”
• “My older sister was wearing red lipstick at that small party.”

Often, mentioning pesta kecil itu (“that small party”) implies a specific event, which many listeners will assume is past, but grammatically it’s ambiguous.

To make it clearly past, you could add a time word:

• Kemarin, kakak perempuan saya memakai lipstik merah di pesta kecil itu.
  = Yesterday, my older sister wore red lipstick at that small party.

What changes if we remove itu and just say di pesta kecil?

Itu makes the noun phrase definite and specific.

• di pesta kecil itu
  = at that small party (a particular party we both know about)

• di pesta kecil
  = at a small party or just at small parties (more general or indefinite; context decides)

So:

• With itu → we are both referring to one specific, known small party.
• Without itu → it could be any small party; you haven’t identified which one.

In English terms, itu often works like “that” or sometimes like the definite article “the.”