per-...-an

Per-...-an Nouns

Level 3

The per-...-an circumfix creates abstract or collective nouns. It often describes a domain (like agriculture), a location (like housing), or the result of an action (like a meeting).

How It Works

The per-...-an circumfix is a versatile tool for creating nouns in Indonesian. The following four groups illustrate common meanings; they are not an exhaustive division:

  • Field or Domain: Refers to an industry or area of study. Example: tani (farming/farmer) → pertanian (agriculture).
  • Place or Location: Refers to a site where something exists or happens. Example: rumah (house) → perumahan (housing complex).
  • Action or Result: Can name the event or its outcome. Example: temu (meet) → pertemuan (a meeting).
  • Collection: Refers to a group of related items. Example: alat (tool) → peralatan (equipment).

Morphological Rules:
1. Standard: Most roots use the full per-...-an form (e.g., batas → perbatasan).
2. Established pe-...-an Forms: The r-initial base rumah gives perumahan, with the r belonging to the base. Pekerjaan relates to bekerja and uses pe-...-an. Other schwa-plus-r bases need lexical checking; this is not a mechanical instruction to remove r from every such word.
3. Irregular: The root ajar becomes pelajaran (lesson) with pel-...-an, parallel to the established belajar family.

Different Derivations: Pemenjaraan names imprisonment and is a legitimate nasal-family noun. It should not be labeled a misspelling merely because a different noun can describe the prison system. Identify the intended meaning and related verb before choosing a nominalizer.

Examples (5)

  1. Sektor pertanian sangat penting bagi ekonomi Indonesia.

    The agriculture sector is very important for the Indonesian economy.

    Word by Word: Sector agriculture very important for economy Indonesia.

    'Pertanian' (agriculture) represents the field or industry derived from 'tani' (farming/farmer).

  2. Kami akan mengadakan pertemuan penting besok pagi.

    We will hold an important meeting tomorrow morning.

    Word by Word: We will hold meeting important tomorrow morning.

    Pertemuan names a meeting, the event or result associated with bertemu.

  3. Pemerintah sedang membangun perumahan rakyat.

    The government is building public housing.

    Word by Word: Government currently build housing people.

    'Perumahan' (housing) indicates a location or collection of houses. Note that the 'r' in 'perumahan' belongs to the root 'rumah', as the prefix 'r' is dropped.

  4. Dia sedang mencari pekerjaan baru.

    He is looking for a new job.

    Word by Word: He currently look-for work new.

    Pekerjaan is the established pe-...-an form associated with kerja and bekerja; do not generalize r-deletion to every schwa-plus-r word.

  5. Peralatan dapur itu sudah tua.

    That kitchen equipment is already old.

    Word by Word: Equipment kitchen that already old.

    'Peralatan' (equipment) represents a collection of 'alat' (tools).

Common Mistakes

  • Inventing perbukaan for the opening of the event.

    Perbukaan acara itu sangat meriah.
    Pembukaan acara itu sangat meriah.

    The established noun for this event opening is pembukaan, related to membuka. Choose that lexical form; the reason is not a universal rule that per-...-an cannot name actions or processes.

How It Connects

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per-...-anLevel 3Per-...-an Nouns

Learn This First

To understand per-...-an nouns, learners should be familiar with how Indonesian prefixes and suffixes combine to form abstract nouns. Understanding the nasal alternation rules in peN- helps with the spelling and pronunciation of per- forms, while familiarity with the -an suffix provides a foundation for how nouns for places and fields are constructed.

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Words in This Pattern

per- -an