As the biggest country with its isles, Indonesia also has different languages for its different regions and tribes. At first, Indonesian people will be introduced to speak into their own tribe’s language.
What if people who wants to visit Indonesia don’t know how to speak the tribe’s language? That is why, the government of Indonesia decide to make one language which gathered all the tribes’ languages in Indonesia. The language is the Indonesian language.
Indonesian language has also different type of words as same as English or other famous and International languages. It has verb, adjective, adverb, noun, and other types such as pronoun, determiner, conjunction and etc.
The verb, adjective, adverb, and noun are common types of words. To gather and connect those words, the words need the pronoun, conjunction and determiner. One of the important determiner in Indonesia is the word yang. Here how to use of yang in Indonesia.
The meaning of the word ‘yang’ and the type of the word
The word yang can be applied not only as the determiner but also as the conjunction or connection for and of other words. There are some meanings from the word yang in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia (KBBI: The Big Indonesian Dictionary). The main meaning of yang word is the determiner to explain a main word or a main sentence and the word or sentence are divided from others.
The word yang can be meant as noun. The word yang is usually spoken in formal ways. The combination of the words is usually find in the formal written and spoken Indonesian language.
However, there is small amount of words which use yang in informal way, for example yang which has the meaning of honey/my love, the short name from sayang.
The meaning of the word ‘yang’ and the meaning in English:
Yang: Which, What, Who, That (Relative Pronoun)
Yang: The, That, This, Those, and These (Determiner)
Yang: Which one? (Question)
Yang/yang-yang: gods/worshiping gods (Noun)
Yang-yang: Kind of plant roots, akar kerayun: Visti Hastata (Noun)
Yang (Sayang): Honey/My love
When and How to Use ‘yang’ word
There are some combinations for yang word with other words which is connected by pronoun or determiner. In Indonesia, if yang word is combined to other words, they become different meaning. The word yang is used as connection from two sentences and/or a word and a sentence.
The word yang has also to pay attention on how to write the words if it is applied in handwriting, for example the word Yang Mulia (Your Highness), Yang Maha Kuasa, to show the God’s or someone power.
The word yang can also has a meaning as a question word to choose among the choices. It is important to know the different meaning in order to use of yang in Indonesia correctly.
Example of Usage
| Usage | Phrase/Sentences | Meaning (in English) |
| As relative pronouns/pronouns | Roti lapis keju yang Ibu saya buat rasanya enak. | The Cheese Sandwich which my Mom made for me was delicious. |
| Seorang lelaki yang berdiri di sebelah Ibu saya adalah kakak tertua saya, John. | The man who is standing beside my Mom is my elder brother, John. | |
| Perkataan yang saya dengar tentangnya, tidaklah benar! | The words what I heard about her was not true! | |
| As Determiners | Yang Mulia/Yang Terhormat | Your majesty |
| Yang Maha Kuasa | The Almighty | |
| Yang kaya dan yang miskin | The rich and The poor | |
| Yang dipertuankan (from KBBI) | The King or The one who is in power | |
| Untuk yang mendapat kode pemesanan bagian pertama, harap maju! | For those who have got booking code part 1, please step forward! | |
| Yang dimakannya adalah makanan beracun! | These are the poisonous food! | |
| As Questions | Buah mana yang kamu suka, jeruk, apel, atau persik? | Which fruits do you like, orange, apple, or peach? |
| Film mana yang kamu suka setelah kita menonton kemarin? | Which movies did you like we watched yesterday? | |
| Nouns | Ia adalah penyembah Yang. | He is a worshiper of gods. |
| Seorang ilmuwan menemukan yang-yang di dalam hutan. | A biologist found yang-yang in the forest | |
| Kamu kenapa, Yang? | What’s wrong, My Love/Honey? |
Those are the explanations and the examples of the word yang in Indonesian language. After reading these examples then we can be ready to use of yang in Indonesia correctly in everyday life while we are in Indonesia.
After learning about 5 Indonesian Grammar Structures , you should check out these following articles to enhance your Bahasa Indonesia skills. Good luck and keep practice!