Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Karakter utama dalam cerpen saya adalah wartawan muda yang ramah. - The main character in my short story is a young, friendly journalist.

karakter utama = main character (emphasizes the character as a figure in a story, similar to English “character”)
tokoh utama = main figure / main character (slightly more “literary” or formal, often used in literary analysis, essays, school exams)

In everyday speech and writing about fiction, you will hear and see both. For a short story, tokoh utama might sound a bit more “textbook,” but karakter utama is completely natural too.

Why is dalam used in dalam cerpen saya instead of di?

Both dalam and di can sometimes translate as “in,” but:

di = physical location (“at / in / on” a place)
dalam = “inside / within” (often more abstract, or for things that contain other things)

Here, cerpen saya (my short story) is not a physical place; it’s a work that contains characters. So dalam cerpen saya (“in my short story”) sounds natural and slightly more formal/neutral.

Di cerpen saya is understandable, and you might hear it in casual speech, but dalam cerpen saya is stylistically better.

Could we just say karakter utama cerpen saya and drop dalam?

Yes, that is also correct:

karakter utama dalam cerpen saya
karakter utama cerpen saya

Both mean “the main character in my short story.”

Without dalam, it feels a bit more compact and slightly more informal. Both are widely used; adding dalam just makes the structure a bit clearer, especially for learners.

What is the function of adalah here? Can we leave it out?

Adalah works like a linking verb “is/are” when you’re equating two noun phrases:

Karakter utama … adalah wartawan muda …
“The main character … is a young journalist …”

In Indonesian, adalah is often optional in this kind of sentence. So you can also say:

Karakter utama dalam cerpen saya wartawan muda yang ramah.

This is grammatically acceptable, especially in speech or informal writing. Using adalah sounds more formal, clear, and written-style.

Why is there no word like “a” or “the” before wartawan?

Indonesian has no articles like a/an or the. Nouns are normally bare:

wartawan = “a journalist”, “the journalist”, or just “journalist” depending on context.

If you really want to emphasize “one” person, you can use seorang:

… adalah seorang wartawan muda yang ramah.
“... is a (single) young journalist who is friendly.”

Both with or without seorang are correct here. The version without seorang is slightly shorter and more neutral.

Why is the order wartawan muda and not muda wartawan?

In Indonesian, adjectives usually come after the noun:

wartawan muda = “young journalist”
rumah besar = “big house”
kota kecil = “small town”

So the normal pattern is:

noun + adjective

Putting the adjective first (muda wartawan) would be ungrammatical.

What exactly does yang ramah do here? Why use yang?

Yang is used to:

Turn an adjective into a descriptive clause about a noun, similar to “who is … / that is …” in English.
Introduce a relative clause.

In wartawan muda yang ramah:

wartawan = journalist
muda = young
yang ramah = who is friendly

So the full idea is: “a young journalist who is friendly.”

If you said wartawan muda ramah without yang, it would sound off. With multiple adjectives, you normally:

Either string them after the noun without yang if they are simple, descriptive adjectives of equal status, e.g. wartawan muda ramah dan pintar can appear in casual speech,
Or use yang to highlight a characteristic more like a clause: wartawan muda yang sangat ramah (“a young journalist who is very friendly”).

Here, yang ramah feels natural because it reads like a relative clause: (journalist) who is friendly.

Could the sentence start with Wartawan muda yang ramah instead?

Yes, you can reverse the order:

Karakter utama dalam cerpen saya adalah wartawan muda yang ramah.
Wartawan muda yang ramah adalah karakter utama dalam cerpen saya.

Both are correct. The difference is just emphasis:

Original: focuses first on the main character, then explains who it is.
Reversed: focuses first on the young, friendly journalist, then states this person is the main character.

What is the nuance of ramah compared with baik?

Both can translate as “nice,” but they’re different:

ramah = friendly, warm, pleasant to talk to
- Someone who smiles, greets others, easy to approach.
baik = good, kind, nice (morally or in behavior)
- Someone who helps others, behaves well, is kind-hearted.

So wartawan muda yang ramah emphasizes sociability and friendliness, not just general goodness.

Is wartawan male by default? What if the character is female?

Wartawan is gender‑neutral in modern usage. It can mean “male journalist” or “female journalist,” unless you specify:

wartawan pria = male journalist
wartawan wanita = female journalist

You may also see wartawati (female journalist) in older or more formal texts, but it’s less common in everyday modern usage.

What exactly is cerpen? Is it slang?

Cerpen is a standard, common abbreviation:

cerpen = cerita pendek = short story

It’s not slang; it’s widely used in schools, literature discussions, newspapers, and formal contexts. Writing cerita pendek is also correct, just longer.

How would I say “The main characters in my short story are young journalists who are friendly”?

You can make both the subject and complement plural:

Karakter-karakter utama dalam cerpen saya adalah para wartawan muda yang ramah.

Options/explanations:

Karakter-karakter utama = main characters (plural by repetition)
Or just karakter utama (context can show plural)
para wartawan muda = (a group of) young journalists
You can also pluralize simply as wartawan-wartawan muda instead of para wartawan muda.