bukan hanya ... melainkan juga ...

Formal Not Only but Also

Level 4

bukan hanya [Noun A] melainkan juga [Noun B]
Meaning: "Not only A, but also B."

How It Works

The pattern bukan hanya ..., melainkan juga ... is a hallmark of formal Indonesian (Bahasa Indonesia yang baik dan benar) and is officially known as a Konjungsi Korelatif (correlative conjunction).

1. Nominal and Prepositional Usage:
According to standard grammar (TBBBI), this pair is used for linking nouns, pronouns, and prepositional phrases (e.g., bukan hanya uang, melainkan juga waktu). For verbs and adjectives, a common formal alternative is tidak hanya ... tetapi juga .... Do not treat ordinary noun negation as a ban on verbal or adjectival content in an additive correlative. Both actions occur in Dia bukan hanya menangis, melainkan juga berteriak (She not only cried, but also screamed). Verbs can also occur as nominalized activities, for example: Hobinya bukan hanya membaca, melainkan juga menulis.

2. Base Pattern vs. Addition:
The base pattern is bukan X, melainkan Y (meaning 'not X, but rather Y'), which is used for direct correction. Adding hanya (only) and juga (also) shifts the meaning from a correction to an inclusive addition ('not only X, but also Y').

3. Conventional Pairings:
Use consistent pairings when following a formal model. The conventional pair taught here is bukan with melainkan; the familiar alternative has tidak with tetapi. These are useful models for balanced formal prose. The wider additive pattern has variation, so do not treat every different pairing or noun after tidak hanya as automatically ungrammatical.

4. Punctuation:
EYD V requires a comma before melainkan when it joins contrasting clauses. Standard grammar examples also commonly use a comma between shorter parallel phrases, but that clause rule is not an absolute punctuation ban covering every short phrase.

5. Parallelism:
The elements linked must be grammatically parallel. If you use a noun phrase after bukan hanya, you must follow with a noun phrase after melainkan juga.

6. Colloquial Usage:
Although conventional pairings are useful models for formal writing, in spoken or colloquial Indonesian, native speakers frequently mix these pairs, shorten them, or replace hanya with cuma (e.g., bukan cuma ... tapi juga ...). In highly informal spoken Indonesian, bukan is frequently replaced by nggak (e.g., nggak cuma ... tapi juga ...). Recognizing this mixed usage is important for daily conversation, while conventional full forms are preferable when a formal style is required.

7. Word Order and Subject Placement:
The subject typically precedes the entire pattern when both elements share the same subject (e.g., Dia bukan hanya seorang guru, melainkan juga seorang penulis). However, for emphasis, or when linking two different subjects, the pattern can frame the subjects themselves. When fronting the pattern to frame subjects, a focused construction can use yang to connect the subjects to the predicate (e.g., Bukan hanya dia, melainkan juga saya yang pergi).

Examples (4)

  1. Masalah itu menyangkut bukan hanya bidang ekonomi, melainkan juga bidang sosial.

    That issue involves not only the economic field, but also the social field.

    Word by Word: Problem that involve not only field economy, but also field social.

    This example shows the pattern linking two noun phrases: 'bidang ekonomi' and 'bidang sosial'.

  2. Dia bukan hanya seorang guru, melainkan juga seorang penulis.

    He is not only a teacher, but also a writer.

    Word by Word: He not only a teacher, but also a writer.

    In formal prose, this pattern links nouns or noun phrases, such as professions in this case.

  3. Pencapaian ini adalah hasil kerja keras bukan hanya staf, melainkan juga para relawan.

    This achievement is the result of the hard work of not only the staff, but also the volunteers.

    Word by Word: Achievement this is result work hard not only staff, but also plural volunteers.

    Here, the pattern links two groups of people (nouns), emphasizing the contribution of the volunteers.

  4. Program ini bermanfaat bukan hanya bagi anak-anak, melainkan juga bagi orang dewasa.

    This program is beneficial not only for children, but also for adults.

    Word by Word: Program this beneficial not only for children, but also for person adult.

    This demonstrates the use of the pattern with prepositional phrases acting as nominal complements.

Common Mistakes

  • Assuming the ordinary tidak/bukan word-class distinction rigidly determines every additive correlative.

    Tidak hanya guru tetapi juga siswa hadir.
    Bukan hanya guru, melainkan juga siswa yang hadir.

    Ordinary tidak negates verbs and adjectives, and bukan negates nouns. In the larger not only ... but also ... construction, however, the restriction expressed by hanya is denied. Bukan hanya is a clear model with guru, but standard grammar also records tidak hanya before nominal material; the first example is not automatically ungrammatical.

  • Using a different correlative pairing when a prescribed formal model is requested.

    Bukan hanya uang tetapi juga waktu.
    Bukan hanya uang, melainkan juga waktu.

    For the conventional models, pair bukan with melainkan and tidak with tetapi. Other combinations occur, but these models are a reliable choice for exercises that specifically ask for the standard pair.

  • Omitting the comma when melainkan links contrasting clauses.

    Bukan hanya dia melainkan juga adiknya.
    Bukan hanya dia, melainkan juga adiknya.

    EYD V specifies a comma before melainkan in a compound sentence expressing contrast. A comma also commonly marks the balance between shorter phrases in edited prose, but the rule should be taught with its clause-level scope.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

bukan hanya ... melainkan juga ...Level 4Formal Not Only but Also

Learn This First

To understand 'bukan hanya ... melainkan juga ...', you first need to be comfortable with the basic negation 'bukan' and the standard 'not only but also' construction. This pattern is a formal variation where 'melainkan' replaces 'tetapi' to provide a more sophisticated corrective contrast.

Words in This Pattern

hanyamelainkan