Ya Kan Meaning In Bahasa

Halo semuanya, ketemu lagi sama saya, Iman Prabawa. In this article, I want to talk to you about the phrase [ya kan?] in the Indonesian language, and as always, we will watch examples, mostly from movies, where the phrase is spoken by Indonesians.

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, let's get started!

Meaning Of Ya Kan In the Indonesian Language

[Ya, kan?] is short for [iya, kan?], and this phrase is usually spoken when the speaker assumes that they are right and looking for confirmation. It is like [am I right?] in English, or sometimes it can mean like [I told you so] in English.

How to Pronounce Ya Kan In Indonesian

This is how you pronounce [iya, kan?], the complete ones, in bahasa Indonesia.

And this is how you pronounce [ya, kan?], the shorter ones.

Both are mean the same, so don't get confused when you hear those two are spoken by Indonesians.

Examples of Ya Kan In-Use

The first scene we are about to watch is taken from Cek Toko Sebelah, Season 1, Episode 1 (2018). Let's watch the scene below.

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For the first scene that doesn't have Indonesian captions, you can read my article here, Kurang Ajar Meaning In Bahasa, because, in that article, there is that scene with English translations and vocabulary discussed.

Below is the conversation from the (second) scene above with English translations.

(*laughing)

Natalie: Tuh, kek gitu tuh! Jaman sekarang udah ngga cukup cuman jual makanan doang kek gini. Harus ada wifi, ada colokan, ya kan? (See? That's one example. Nowadays, only selling food like this is not enough. You need to provide wifi, electrical outlets, right?)

Erwin: Jadi, aku harus pasang wifi di toko? (So, you mean I need to provide wifi in my store?)

Natalie: Ih, ngga juga. Kamu ngaco ah. Ya, maksudnya.. Apa pun bidang usahanya kita tuh harus bisa ngikutin jaman. Modernisasi. (No, I don't mean that. It's not like that. Well, I mean.. Whatever the business is, we need to keep up with the trend. Modernization.)

Erwin: Modernisasi. (Modernization.)

Natalie: Betul! (Right!)

In the scene above, Natalie and Erwin see a couple eating at the restaurant, and the woman asks for the Wi-Fi password. Then Natalie refers to them and makes them as an example that nowadays, it is not enough if the restaurant only sells food; the customers, like the couple, for example, come to the restaurant not only to eat but also while they are eating they need wifi to browse the internet.

That's why, after Natalie delivers the fact, she then says,

Ya kan?

So, as you can see, [ya kan] in this context is used by Natalie to confirm that she is right.

Vocabulary From the Scene

[Tuh] is usually used to refer to something or to point at something. In this context, Natalie says [tuh] to refer to the couple they saw before them.

[Kek] = [kaya] = like (something). [Kaya], when pronounced in a daily conversation where Indonesians say it fast, will sound [kek].

[Tuh, kek gitu tuh!] = [Tuh, kaya gitu tuh!] = [Tuh, seperti itu tuh!] <--- These phrases have the same meaning and have the same use. The last one, [tuh, seperti itu tuh!], sounds a bit more formal than the previous ones.

[Jaman] = era.

[Sekarang] = now.

[Jaman sekarang] = Nowadays, today's world.

[Udah] is a common reduction for [sudah] = already.

[Cuman] = [cuma] = [hanya] = only. [Cuman] is usually used in daily conversations.

[Ngga cukup] = not enough.

[Jual] = sell.

[Makanan] = food.

[Doang] = just, only.

[Kek gini] = [seperti ini] = like this.

[Harus ada...] = it must have... [Harus ada wifi] in literal translation is [it must have wifi].

[Colokan] = electrical outlet.

[Pasang] is the colloquial way of saying [memasang] = to install something. [Jadi, aku harus pasang wifi di toko?] <--- if I change this into a more formal sentence, it will become [Jadi, apakah saya harus memasang wifi di toko (saya)? (So, do I need to install wifi in my store?)]

[Ih, ngga juga] in the scene is used by Natalie to say that Erwin does not need to do that.

[Ngaco] = wrong, mistake.

[Kamu ngaco ah] in this scene, said by Natalie, means that what Erwin has just said is wrong and unnecessary because the store Erwin has is a small grocery store that doesn't need Wi-Fi.

[Ya maksudnya..] = [I mean..] is a filler word. In this scene, Natalie uses [ya maksudnya] to clarify what she said before.

[Apa pun] = whatever.

[Bidang usaha] = field of a business.

[Ngikutin] is the colloquial way of saying [mengikuti] = to follow.

[Ngikutin jaman] = to follow trend.

[Betul] = right. In daily conversations, you will sometimes hear Indonesian people shorten it into [tul]. In this scene, Natalie says it fast and sounds like [tul] or [btul].

     Read also: What Are You Thinking About In Bahasa

So, I guess this is a wrap, and if I find another example, Insha Allah, I will update this article again. Thank you for reading my writing, and I'll talk to you soon. Bye now.