Learn Hardcore Malay: Ini bukannya salah awak, tetapi kesilapan sistem. - This is not your fault, but a system error.

Both are correct here. Bukannya is the emphatic form of bukan and is especially common when contrasting two things (not X but Y). It adds a “it’s not that…” or corrective emphasis.

Ini bukan salah awak… = neutral “This is not your fault…”
Ini bukannya salah awak… = stronger correction/assurance You’ll often see it in patterns like: Bukannya X, tetapi Y.

Why is it bukan, not tidak?

Malay has two main negators:

bukan negates nouns/pronouns and equative statements.
tidak negates verbs and adjectives. Here, salah is functioning as a noun (“fault”), so you use bukan: Ini bukan/bukannya salah awak. Compare:
Awak tidak salah. = “You are not wrong” (adjective)
Ini bukan salah awak. = “This is not your fault” (noun phrase)

What’s the difference between salah, kesilapan, and kesalahan?

salah: can be an adjective (“wrong”) or a noun (“fault/blame”). Examples: Jawapan itu salah (the answer is wrong); Ini salah saya (this is my fault).
kesilapan: a noun meaning “a mistake/error” (usually non-culpable). Example: kesilapan sistem (system error).
kesalahan: a noun meaning “an offense/wrongdoing” (often legal/culpable). Example: kesalahan lalu lintas (traffic offense).

In your sentence, kesilapan sistem sounds like a technical/impersonal error, which fits well.

Does salah awak mean the same as Awak salah?

No.

salah awak = “your fault” (possessive noun phrase)
Awak salah = “you are wrong” (adjective describing the person) So, Ini bukan salah awak = “This isn’t your fault,” while Awak tidak salah = “You are not wrong.”

Why use awak here, and what about anda/kamu/kau?

awak: common in Malaysia for peers; friendly-neutral. Can also sound intimate depending on tone.
anda: polite/formal, often used in writing, customer service, advertising.
kamu: varies by region; in Malaysia can sound informal or blunt; in Indonesia it’s common but still informal.
kau/engkau: very informal/intimate; can sound rude if used with the wrong person. In Indonesian contexts, awak isn’t standard; you’d typically use Anda or kamu instead.

Why ini and not itu?

ini (“this”) points to something near the speaker or the current situation. itu (“that”) points to something more distant or already mentioned. If you’re talking about the situation at hand, ini fits. If you’re referring back to something just discussed or something “over there,” itu could be used.

Is ini required? Can I just say: Bukan salah awak, tetapi kesilapan sistem?

Yes, you can omit ini. Starting with Ini just foregrounds “this (situation)” explicitly. Without it, the sentence still reads naturally.

What’s the difference between tetapi, tapi, namun, and sebaliknya?

tetapi = “but” (neutral/formal). Your sentence is fine with this.
tapi = informal tetapi. Everyday speech: … tapi …
namun = “however,” often starts a new sentence/clause: Namun, …
sebaliknya = “instead/on the contrary”: Ini bukan …; sebaliknya, … All can express contrast; choose based on formality and sentence flow.

Why is there a comma before tetapi?

It’s optional. Malay punctuation varies; many writers include a comma before tetapi to mark the clause break, especially when joining two independent clauses. Omitting it is also acceptable in modern usage.

Could I use adalah/ialah here, like Ini adalah bukan salah awak?

Avoid that. The natural way to negate is simply Ini bukan/bukannya salah awak. Malay usually drops a copula (“is/are”), and adalah/ialah are not used with bukan in this structure. You might see Ini bukanlah salah awak (with -lah as a softener), but not Ini adalah bukan…

The second part is just … tetapi kesilapan sistem. Is something omitted?

Yes, Malay often omits repeated elements. Implicitly it’s “but this is a system error.” You could make it explicit:

… tetapi ini kesilapan sistem.
In formal style: … tetapi ia merupakan kesilapan sistem.

Can I say salah sistem instead of kesilapan sistem?

Yes. Both are acceptable, with a slight nuance:

salah sistem = “the system’s fault” (blame-oriented, colloquial).
kesilapan sistem = “a system error” (more neutral/technical). In a tech or service context, kesilapan sistem often sounds more professional.

Any quick pronunciation tips, especially for bukannya?

bukannya: stress typically on the second syllable; ny is a single sound [ɲ], like the “ny” in Spanish “señor” → boo-KAN-nyah.
awak: a-WAK (final k is unreleased).
kesilapan: ke-si-LA-pan.
sistem: SIS-tem.