tidak hanya ... tetapi juga ...

Not Only but Also

Level 3

The pattern tidak hanya ... tetapi juga ... means "not only ... but also ...". While widely used in Indonesian, it is often replaced by bukan sahaja ... malah ... in standard Malaysian Malay.

How It Works

The expression tidak hanya ... tetapi juga ... is a correlative conjunction used to combine two pieces of information for emphasis.

1. Register and Regional Variation:
This specific form is common in Indonesian. In formal Malaysian Malay (Standard Malay), the authoritative variant is bukan sahaja ... malah (juga) or bukan sahaja ... tetapi juga. Learners should be aware that 'tidak hanya' may be perceived as an Indonesianism in a strict Malaysian context.

2. Grammatical Parallelism:
To sound natural, the words following both parts of the conjunction should be of the same grammatical class. For example:

  • Verbs: Tidak hanya membaca tetapi juga menulis.
  • Adjectives: Tidak hanya cantik tetapi juga bijak.

3. Punctuation:
Punctuation rules for this phrase differ by country. In Indonesian orthography (EYD), a comma is mandatory before tetapi juga. However, in Malaysian Malay (DBP), the comma is usually omitted when these words function as a correlative pair.

4. Formal Variants:
In very formal contexts, the pair bukan hanya ... melainkan juga ... is used. Note that melainkan should always be paired with bukan; pairing it with tidak is considered a grammatical error.

Examples (4)

  1. Pembangunan itu tidak hanya bersifat kuantitatif tetapi juga kualitatif.

    The development is not only quantitative in nature but also qualitative.

    Word by Word: Development that not only character quantitative but also qualitative.

    This example shows the pattern connecting two adjectives (quantitative and qualitative). In Malaysian Malay, the comma is often omitted in this correlative structure.

  2. Kita tidak hanya harus bersetuju dengan keputusan itu tetapi juga harus mematuhinya.

    We not only must agree with the decision but also must obey it.

    Word by Word: We not only must agree with decision that but also must obey-it.

    Here, the pattern connects two verb phrases. This structure is common in formal texts influenced by regional standards.

  3. Masalah ini tidak hanya rumit tetapi juga memerlukan kos yang tinggi.

    This problem is not only complicated but also requires high costs.

    Word by Word: Problem this not only complicated but also requires cost which high.

    This demonstrates how the pattern can link an adjective (rumit) with a verb phrase (memerlukan kos).

  4. Dia tidak hanya pandai menyanyi tetapi juga berbakat dalam lakonan.

    She is not only good at singing but also talented in acting.

    Word by Word: She not only clever sing but also talented in acting.

    This shows the pattern used to describe multiple skills of a person.

Common Mistakes

  • Leaving out the comma before 'tetapi'.

    Dia tidak hanya rajin tetapi juga pandai.
    Dia tidak hanya rajin, tetapi juga pandai.

    In Malay writing a comma normally goes before 'tetapi' when it joins two parts, as 'but' does in English.

  • Omitting the word 'juga' at the end.

    Dia tidak hanya rajin tetapi pandai.
    Dia tidak hanya rajin tetapi juga pandai.

    The word 'juga' (also) is essential to complete the correlative structure. Without it, the sentence feels incomplete.

  • Using 'tidak hanya' before a noun where 'bukan hanya' is more standard.

    Tidak hanya Ali yang datang.
    Bukan hanya Ali yang datang.

    'Tidak hanya Ali' is understood and used, but tidak usually negates verbs and adjectives, while bukan negates nouns. Before a person or object, 'bukan hanya' is the more standard choice.

How It Connects

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tidak hanya ... tetapi juga ...Level 3Not Only but Also

Learn This First

To understand 'tidak hanya ... tetapi juga ...', you must first be familiar with basic negation using 'tidak', the restrictive adverb 'hanya' (only), and how to use 'tetapi' (but) and 'juga' (also) to add information.

Learn Next

Patterns that build on this one.

Words in This Pattern

juga