-kah

Question Suffix -kah

Level 3

The suffix -kah is a formal question marker in Malay. It attaches to the word you want to emphasize in a question, which is then moved to the beginning of the sentence.

How It Works

The suffix -kah acts as an interrogative focus marker. While informal Malay relies on rising intonation, formal Malay uses -kah to clearly signal a question.

1. Fronting Requirement
When you use -kah, the word it attaches to must be moved to the start of the sentence. For example, instead of saying "Dia guru?" (Is he a teacher?), you say "Gurukah dia?".

2. Usage with Question Words
It is frequently attached to question words like apa (what), siapa (who), and di mana (where) to make them formal: Apakah, Siapakah, Di manakah.

3. Yes/No Questions and Negation
In formal contexts, -kah is attached to the predicate (the verb, adjective, or noun) to create a polar question. It is also commonly attached to the negator bukan to form Bukankah (Isn't it...?), used for rhetorical or negative questions.

4. Subject Focus
If the subject itself is the focus of the question, -kah attaches to the subject pronoun or noun, and the rest of the sentence must be introduced by the focus marker yang. Example: Diakah yang mencuri epal itu? (Is he the one who stole the apple?)

5. Indirect Questions
Note that -kah is generally not used in indirect questions (reported speech). Instead, the conjunction sama ada (whether) is used. Example: "Saya tidak tahu sama ada dia datang" (I don't know whether he is coming).

6. Register
This suffix is strictly for formal writing, news broadcasts, and official speeches. In daily conversation, Malaysians usually omit it or use the colloquial particle ke instead.

Examples (5)

  1. Apakah hobi kegemaran anda?

    What is your favorite hobby?

    Word by Word: What-kah hobby favorite you?

    Here, -kah is attached to 'apa' (what) to form a formal question word at the start of the sentence.

  2. Siapakah nama guru besar sekolah ini?

    Who is the name of this school's principal?

    Word by Word: Who-kah name teacher big school this?

    Using 'siapakah' instead of just 'siapa' makes the question appropriate for a formal written context.

  3. Benarkah berita yang kita dengar itu?

    Is the news that we heard true?

    Word by Word: True-kah news that we hear that?

    The adjective 'benar' (true) is fronted and marked with -kah to ask a Yes/No question.

  4. Sudahkah murid-murid menghantar tugasan mereka?

    Have the students submitted their assignments?

    Word by Word: Already-kah students send assignment they?

    The aspect marker 'sudah' is fronted to focus the question on whether the action is completed.

  5. Di manakah letaknya bangunan Parlimen?

    Where is the Parliament building located?

    Word by Word: At where-kah location-its building Parliament?

    Attaching -kah to the location question word 'di mana' is standard for formal inquiries.

Common Mistakes

  • Placing -kah at the end of a sentence without fronting the word.

    Dia tinggikah?
    Tinggikah dia?

    In formal Malay, the word carrying -kah must be moved to the beginning of the sentence.

  • Using -kah in casual, everyday conversation.

    Kau nak makankah?
    Kau nak makan ke?

    -kah sounds overly stiff and robotic in casual settings; 'ke' or simple intonation is preferred.

How It Connects

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

-kahLevel 3Question Suffix -kah

Learn This First

To understand the -kah question focus suffix, learners first need to be familiar with basic Malay question words (like apa and siapa) and the standard formal yes-no question marker (apakah), as -kah is the component that provides the formal interrogative force and focus to these words.

Words in This Pattern

-kah