-kan

Basic -kan Valency Change

Level 2

The suffix -kan is a powerful tool in Indonesian that changes how a verb interacts with its objects. It can turn an adjective into a 'make' verb (causative) or indicate that an action is being done for someone else (benefactive).

How It Works

The suffix -kan is a fundamental tool for building transitive verbs in Indonesian by attaching to adjectives, nouns, intransitive verbs, and transitive verbs. While it is most visible when paired with the meN- prefix or the di- passive, it is also essential in bare imperatives (e.g., Bersihkan!).

Its primary functions include:

  • Causative: Causing a state or action. For example, bersih (clean) becomes membersihkan (to clean).
  • Noun-to-Verb Conversion: Turning a noun into a causative action. For example, penjara (prison) becomes memenjarakan (to imprison/put into prison).
  • Benefactive: Performing an action for someone. For example, membelikan (to buy for someone).
  • Conveyance: Indicating that the object moves toward a target. Compare the locative use of the -i suffix, which can make a recipient or affected location the object. This is a useful contrast for certain verb pairs, not an exhaustive opposite meaning for every -kan and -i verb. For example, memasukkan (to put something in).
  • Referential: Indicating that the action is about the object. For example, cerita (story) becomes menceritakan (to tell about), and tanya (ask) becomes menanyakan (to ask about).
  • Transitivizing: Turning an intransitive verb into a transitive one. For example, lari (to run) becomes melarikan (to run away with/kidnap).
  • Instrumental: Indicating that the object is used as a tool or instrument. For example, memukulkan (to strike with something, e.g., Dia memukulkan tongkat pada anjing). A prepositional alternative makes the instrument explicit with dengan (e.g., Dia memukul anjing dengan tongkat).

Important Syntactic Rule (Object Promotion): Benefactive -kan creates a ditransitive structure: in the promoted-beneficiary model, the beneficiary immediately follows the verb as the direct object and the item is a complement. In Dia membelikan saya buku (He bought me a book), saya is the beneficiary and buku is the item; this promotion also allows saya to become the passive subject (Saya dibelikan buku olehnya). Instrumental -kan is different: it is monotransitive. The instrument is the sole direct object, while the target is expressed in a prepositional phrase, as in Dia memukulkan tongkat pada anjing.

The benefactive has a standard prepositional alternative without benefactive -kan: Dia membeli buku untuk saya. Here, buku is the direct object and untuk saya names the beneficiary.

These are clear models, but they do not exhaust the grammatical possibilities. TBBI also accepts Ida membelikan buku with the beneficiary understood from context, and explicitly illustrates Ida sedang mencarikan pekerjaan untuk adiknya. Thus a benefactive -kan verb followed by its item and an untuk-beneficiary phrase is not universally excluded from standard grammar.

In casual speech, the -in suffix often replaces -kan. Note that when this happens, the base verb often shifts to a slang equivalent as well (for example, buatkan becomes bikinin, and berikan becomes kasiin).

Examples (5)

  1. Ibu membangunkan adik pada jam enam pagi.

    Mother woke up my younger sibling at six in the morning.

    Word by Word: Mother [active]-wake-[causative] younger-sibling at hour six morning

    Here, '-kan' is causative: the mother 'causes' the sibling to wake up.

  2. Dia membelikan saya sebuah buku baru.

    He bought me a new book.

    Word by Word: He [active]-buy-[benefactive] me one-[classifier] book new

    This is benefactive. The suffix '-kan' shows the action was done for 'saya' (me).

  3. Tolong masukkan kunci itu ke dalam tas.

    Please put that key into the bag.

    Word by Word: Please [root]-enter-[conveyance] key that to inside bag

    This demonstrates 'conveyance': the object (the key) is moved to a new location.

  4. Mereka sedang membicarakan rencana liburan.

    They are discussing the vacation plan.

    Word by Word: They [progressive] [active]-speak-[referential] plan vacation

    This is the referential function. The suffix '-kan' indicates that the action of speaking is about the object (the vacation plan).

  5. Pencuri itu melarikan mobil tetangga saya.

    The thief ran away with my neighbor's car.

    Word by Word: Thief that [active]-run-[transitive] car neighbor my

    Here, '-kan' transitivizes the intransitive verb 'lari' (run), meaning to run away with or steal the object.

Common Mistakes

  • Separating the suffix -kan from the verb.

    Dia membeli kan saya buku.
    Dia membelikan saya buku.

    Write membelikan together. In this clear model saya is the beneficiary object and buku is the item complement. Dia membelikan buku saya can instead concern my book with an understood beneficiary; it does not mean he bought me a book.

  • Writing -kan separately in mengirimkan.

    Saya mengirim kan surat kepada ibu.
    Saya mengirimkan surat kepada ibu.

    Join -kan to the verb. -i gives the clear recipient model Saya mengirimi ibu surat. Mengirimkan ibu surat is also encountered with a recipient reading; do not infer a universal -kan ban before a human recipient.

How It Connects

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-kanLevel 2Basic -kan Valency Change

Learn This First

To understand the -kan suffix, you first need a solid grasp of basic Indonesian sentence structure (SVO) and how verbs are typically prefixed. Since -kan often creates transitive verbs that take an object, knowing how the active (meN-) and passive (di-) prefixes work is crucial for correctly placing the 'transferred object' or 'beneficiary' that the suffix introduces.

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