bukan ... tetapi ...
Not X but Y
Use bukan ... tetapi ... to say 'Not X, but [rather] Y.' It is the standard way to correct a misunderstanding or provide a specific contrast.
How It Works
The pattern bukan ... tetapi ... functions as a paired conjunction used for correction. It doesn't just negate a fact; it immediately provides the correct alternative.
Key usage rules:
- Nouns & Prepositions: In standard Malaysian Malay (SPM/STPM standard), bukan ... tetapi ... is the absolute standard for contrasting nouns and prepositional phrases.
- Verbs & Adjectives: While tidak is the default negator for verbs and adjectives, bukan is perfectly formal and expected when contrasting two actions or states with tetapi.
- Register: In casual speech, tetapi is almost always shortened to tapi.
- Structure: The word bukan introduces the 'wrong' information, and tetapi introduces the 'right' information.
- Note on Additive Patterns: Do not confuse this corrective pattern with additive patterns like bukan sahaja ... tetapi juga ... (not only ... but also ...), which add information rather than correcting it.
Examples (4)
- Dia bukan guru, tetapi kerani.
He is not a teacher, but a clerk.
Word by Word: He not teacher, but clerk.
A classic nominal correction. 'Bukan' negates the noun 'guru' and 'tetapi' introduces the correct noun 'kerani'.
- Buku ini bukan untuk saya, tetapi untuk adik saya.
This book is not for me, but for my younger sibling.
Word by Word: Book this not for me, but for younger-sibling me.
This shows the pattern used with prepositional phrases (untuk) to clarify the recipient.
- Budak itu bukan bodoh, tetapi malas.
That boy is not stupid, but [rather] lazy.
Word by Word: Boy that not stupid, but lazy.
Even though 'bodoh' is an adjective, 'bukan' is used here to create a strong contrastive correction.
- Saya bukan tidak mahu, tetapi saya sibuk.
It's not that I don't want to, but I am busy.
Word by Word: I not not want, but I busy.
A more complex usage where 'bukan' negates an entire clause to provide a reason.
Common Mistakes
Using 'tidak' to negate a noun in this pattern.
Dia tidak guru tetapi kerani.Dia bukan guru tetapi kerani.In Malay, nouns must be negated with 'bukan', never 'tidak'.
Omitting the conjunction 'tetapi' or 'tapi'.
Bukan saya, dia.Bukan saya, tetapi dia.While sometimes heard in very clipped speech, omitting the conjunction makes the sentence feel incomplete and less formal.
How It Connects
Learn This First
To understand 'bukan ... tetapi ...', you first need to know how to negate nouns using 'bukan' and how to use the conjunction 'tetapi' to show contrast. This pattern combines these two elements to correct a statement by saying it is 'not X, but Y'.
- bukanNegating Nouns with Bukan
The pattern uses 'bukan' to negate a noun or a specific framing, which is the first half of the construction.
Level 1 - tetapiContrast with Tetapi
The pattern uses 'tetapi' to introduce the contrasting correct information, which is the second half of the construction.
Level 1
Related Patterns
- tidak ... tetapi ...Not Doing X but Doing Y
The formal standard for negating and correcting verbs or adjectives.
Level 3 - tapiConversational Contrast with Tapi
The conversational version of 'tetapi' often used in daily speech.
Level 1 - tidakNegating Verbs and Adjectives with Tidak
The standard negator for verbs and adjectives, which is replaced by 'bukan' in this specific corrective construction.
Level 1 - tidak hanya ... tetapi juga ...Not Only but Also
An additive correlative conjunction (not only... but also) that learners often confuse with this corrective pattern.
Level 3
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
Words in This Pattern
Practice bukan ... tetapi ... in Bubblegum
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