How to Say What Is This In Bahasa

Halo semuanya, ketemu lagi dengan saya, Iman Prabawa. In this article, I want to talk to you about how to say [what is this?] in the Indonesian language. As always, we will watch examples from movies where the phrase is spoken.

If you have any questions regarding the Indonesian language, you can ask me directly. You can see how to do that on my About Me page. 

If you are a beginner in the Indonesian language, you can learn step by step with My Lesson Here.

So, without further ado. Let's talk about this.

What Is This In the Indonesian Language

To say [what is this?] in the Indonesian language, you can say this phrase.

Ini apa?

And here is how you pronounce it.

You can switch the order of the words, and it becomes this.

Apa ini?

And here is how you pronounce it.

Both phrases [ini apa?] and [apa ini?] mean the same, and you can use both.

Examples From Movies

The first scene we are about to watch is taken from a serial called Wedding Agreement, Season 1, Episode 1 (2022). Let's watch the clip below.

Below is the conversation from the scene above with English translations.

Tari: Ini apa, mas? (What is this?)

Bian: Kesepakatan pernikahan. (A marriage agreement.)

Tari: Kesepakatan pernikahan? (Marriage agreement?)

Bian: Kesepakatan pernikahan selama kita nikah. (Marriage agreement, valid for as long as we are married.)

Tari: Maksudnya? (I don’t understand.)

Bian: Kita nikah karena dijodohkan bukan karena cinta. (We got married because we were arranged and not because we were in love.)

In this scene, Bian hands Tari a piece of paper, and then Tari asks what the paper is to Bian. She says,

Ini apa, mas?

[Mas] is an honorific title used to address older men, but in this case, [mas] is used to politely address Bian because Bian is Tari's husband. So, in order to be polite, Tari uses the honorific title [mas] when addressing her husband, Bian. For more about [mas], you can read my article, Mas Meaning In Bahasa.

Vocabulary From the Scene

[Kesepakatan] = agreement.

[Pernikahan] = marriage.

[Nikah] is a common reduction for [menikah] = get married, married.

[Maksudnya?] is usually used when you don't understand about something. In this case, Tari doesn't understand the piece of paper given to her, even when Bian explains it to her, and that's why she asks, "Maksudnya?"

[Dijodohkan] is when you have your marriage arranged.

[Cinta] = love.

     Read also: How to Say How Old Are You In Bahasa

So, I guess this wraps up today's article. If I find another example, Insha Allah, I will update this article again. Thank you for reading my article, and I'll see you soon. Bye now.