juga

Also with Juga

Level 1

The word juga is the standard Malay way to say 'also' or 'too'. It follows the word or phrase it modifies. It can also mean 'quite' or 'pretty' when used with adjectives.

How It Works

juga (often shortened to jua in fixed phrases or literature) serves five main functions in Malay:

1. Addition ('Also' / 'Too'): The most common use. It follows the word it is adding to the context.
Example: Saya juga mahu makan. (I also want to eat.)
2. Emphasis ('Even'): It can highlight a subject to show something is unexpected or universal.
Example: Kanak-kanak juga faham. (Even children understand.)
3. Degree ('Quite' / 'Fairly'): When placed after an adjective, it softens the intensity.
Example: Buku itu bagus juga. (That book is pretty good.)
4. Persistence ('Still' / 'Anyway'): Indicates an action happened despite obstacles.
Example: Dia pergi juga. (He went anyway.)
5. Correlative ('Not only... but also'): Paired with bukan sahaja. Note that juga usually follows the subject of the second clause.
Example: Bukan sahaja Ali, tetapi Siti juga hadir.

In modern Malay, jua is found in fixed expressions like apa jua (whatever) and di mana jua (wherever). In casual speech, you will often hear the colloquial form jugak.

Examples (5)

Ali suka epal, saya juga suka epal.
Ali likes apples, I also like apples.
Word by Word: Ali like apple, I also like apple.
Here, juga follows 'saya' because the speaker is adding themselves to the group of people who like apples.
Rumah itu besar juga.
That house is quite big.
Word by Word: House that big also.
When juga follows an adjective like 'besar' (big), it acts as a mitigator meaning 'quite' or 'pretty'.
Kanak-kanak juga tahu perkara itu.
Even children know that matter.
Word by Word: Children also know matter that.
In this context, juga provides emphasis, translating to 'even' to show that something is surprising or obvious.
Dia bukan sahaja pandai, tetapi adiknya juga rajin.
He is not only smart, but his younger sibling is also hardworking.
Word by Word: He not only smart, but younger-sibling-his also hardworking.
In the bukan sahaja... tetapi juga structure, juga typically follows the subject of the second clause.
Kita mesti berusaha di mana jua kita berada.
We must work hard wherever we are.
Word by Word: We must work-hard at where also we exist.
The variant 'jua' is used in fixed phrases like 'di mana jua' (wherever) or 'apa jua' (whatever).

Common Mistakes

Placing 'juga' before the subject like the English 'Also, I...'
Juga saya mahu pergi.
Saya juga mahu pergi.
In Malay, 'juga' must follow the word it is modifying. It rarely starts a sentence unless it is part of a fixed phrase like 'Begitu juga' (Likewise).
Confusing 'juga' with 'pula' for contrast.
Saya makan nasi, dia juga makan mi.
Saya makan nasi, dia pula makan mi.
While 'juga' means 'also', 'pula' is better for showing contrast between two different subjects doing different things.

How It Connects

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jugaLevel 1Also with Juga

Learn This First

To use 'juga' (also/too), you need to understand basic Malay sentence structures, including how subjects are linked to verbs, adjectives, or nouns, as 'juga' typically follows the specific element it is adding information to.

Nouns can be simple predicates
'Juga' is often used to identify a subject as belonging to an additional category in simple noun-based sentences.
Level 1

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