siapa

Who with Siapa

Level 1

Siapa asks who a person is, their name, or who owns something. It is the ordinary human-identity question word; fictional personification can extend human-like reference.

How It Works

The word siapa is a versatile question word in Indonesian. Its primary functions include:

  • Identity: Asking who a person is (e.g., Siapa dia? - Who is he/she?).
  • Names: In Indonesian, the clear standard model for a person’s name uses siapa, rather than a word-for-word translation with apa. The phrase Siapa nama Anda? literally translates to "Who is your name?"
  • Possession: To ask "whose," place siapa immediately after the noun (e.g., Buku siapa? - Whose book?). This follows the standard noun + possessor pattern.
  • Formal vs. Informal: In formal contexts, you may see siapakah (using the -kah suffix). In very casual speech, it is sometimes shortened to sapa.

Important Note: In ordinary factual questions, siapa asks human identity. For objects or animals, use apa.

Personified animals or objects can be treated as characters and addressed with siapa; the ordinary human/nonhuman model is not a ban on fictional personification. A name question with siapa is the standard model to practice, without labelling every contextual apa nama expression malformed.

Examples (5)

  1. Siapa nama kamu?

    What is your name?

    Word by Word: Who name you?

    This is the standard way to ask for someone's name in Indonesian.

  2. Siapa orang itu?

    Who is that person?

    Word by Word: Who person that?

    The question asks a person’s identity; itu follows orang to identify that person.

  3. Ini kunci siapa?

    Whose key is this?

    Word by Word: This key who?

    Placing 'siapa' after the noun 'kunci' creates a possessive question.

  4. Dengan siapa Anda pergi?

    With whom are you going?

    Word by Word: With who you go?

    Using 'siapa' with the preposition dengan.

  5. Siapa yang mau makan?

    Who wants to eat?

    Word by Word: Who that want eat?

    The word yang is often used after 'siapa' when it is the subject of a verb.

Common Mistakes

  • Using 'siapa' as a relative pronoun (like 'the man who...').

    Orang siapa tinggal di sini.
    Orang yang tinggal di sini.

    For an ordinary noun followed by a relative description, use yang: orang yang tinggal di sini. Siapa also occurs in questions and indefinite or free-relative constructions, but it does not replace yang after orang in this model.

  • Incorrect word order for possession.

    Siapa mobil ini?
    Mobil siapa ini?

    To ask 'whose,' the word 'siapa' must follow the noun it possesses, just like a normal possessor.

How It Connects

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

siapaLevel 1Who with Siapa

Learn This First

To use 'siapa' effectively, a learner needs to understand basic Indonesian sentence structure (SVO) and the fact that Indonesian often omits a copula (like 'is' or 'are') in identity-based sentences. Familiarity with the basic question word 'apa' also helps establish the pattern for interrogatives.

Words in This Pattern

siapa