berkenaan dengan

Concerning with Berkenaan Dengan

Level 5

Berkenaan dengan is a formal way to say 'about' or 'regarding' in Malay. It is primarily used in professional, academic, and official contexts.

How It Works

Berkenaan dengan is a staple of Standard Malay (Bahasa Melayu Baku). Becoming proficient in its usage is key for professional communication.

1. Prepositional Usage (Intransitive)
In standard prose, berkenaan functions as an intransitive verb. It requires dengan to link to a noun phrase. A parallel pattern is berkaitan dengan (related to).
Example: Aduan berkenaan dengan kerosakan jalan... (The complaint regarding the road damage...)

2. Adjectival Usage
In certain contexts, berkenaan functions as an adjective meaning 'relevant' or 'concerned'. In this specific case, dengan is omitted.
Example: Pihak yang berkenaan (The relevant party).

3. Distinction from Royal Malay (Bahasa Istana)
Do not confuse berkenaan with the royal term berkenan. While they look similar, berkenan is a specific verb meaning 'to be pleased' or 'to graciously agree'.
Example: Sultan telah berkenan untuk merasmikan majlis. (The Sultan has graciously agreed to officiate the ceremony).

4. Register and Nuance

  • Formal: Used in government circulars, legal documents, and formal speeches.
  • The 'Mengenai' Trap: mengenai is a transitive verb (Kata Kerja Transitif) and takes an object directly. Berkenaan is intransitive and needs dengan.
  • Comparison: While tentang is neutral, berkenaan dengan implies a direct official relevance.

Examples (4)

  1. Saya ingin bertanya berkenaan dengan syarat-syarat permohonan biasiswa tersebut.

    I would like to ask concerning the application requirements for that scholarship.

    Word by Word: I want ask concerning with requirements application scholarship that.

    Here, 'berkenaan dengan' introduces the specific topic of the inquiry in a formal tone.

  2. Sila hubungi pihak yang berkenaan untuk maklumat lanjut.

    Please contact the relevant party for further information.

    Word by Word: Please contact party which relevant for information further.

    In this example, 'berkenaan' acts as an adjective meaning 'relevant', so 'dengan' is not used.

  3. Mesyuarat itu adalah berkenaan dengan projek pembangunan bandar.

    The meeting is regarding the city development project.

    Word by Word: Meeting that is concerning with project development city.

    Using 'berkenaan dengan' after the copula 'adalah' is common in formal reports.

  4. Aduan berkenaan dengan gangguan bekalan air telah diterima.

    The complaint regarding the water supply disruption has been received.

    Word by Word: Complaint concerning with disruption supply water already received.

    This demonstrates the pattern's use in official administrative contexts.

Common Mistakes

  • Omitting 'dengan' when using it as a preposition in standard contexts.

    Saya bercakap berkenaan isu itu.
    Saya bercakap berkenaan dengan isu itu.

    In standard formal Malay, 'berkenaan' is an intransitive verb (Kata Kerja Tak Transitif). When used to mean 'regarding', it requires the preposition dengan to link to the following noun phrase.

  • Using 'dengan' after the synonym 'mengenai'.

    Laporan itu adalah mengenai dengan masalah tersebut.
    Laporan itu adalah mengenai masalah tersebut.

    Learners often confuse 'berkenaan dengan' with mengenai. Unlike 'berkenaan', 'mengenai' is a transitive verb (Kata Kerja Transitif) and must take its object directly without a preposition.

  • Confusing 'berkenaan' with the royal term 'berkenan'.

    Baginda berkenaan untuk berangkat.
    Baginda berkenan untuk berangkat.

    These are different words. 'Berkenaan' means 'regarding', while 'berkenan' means 'to be pleased' or 'to graciously agree', and is especially used for royalty (Baginda berkenan).

How It Connects

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

berkenaan denganLevel 5Concerning with Berkenaan Dengan

Learn This First

To understand 'berkenaan dengan', learners need to be familiar with the 'ber-' prefix system and how the preposition 'dengan' (with) is used to form complex connectors. It is a formal synonym for 'tentang', so knowing basic topic markers is also helpful.

Words in This Pattern

berkenaan dengan