Voiced and sonorant initials remain

Level 3

Unlike voiceless consonants (p, t, k, s) which are replaced by nasals, voiced consonants like b, d, g, j and sonorants like l, m, n, r, w, y, ny, ng are kept when adding the meN- prefix.

How It Works

When forming active verbs with the meN- prefix, learners must distinguish between consonants that 'disappear' and those that 'stay'.

1. The Baseline: Dropping P, T, K, S
Before understanding retention, it is crucial to know the general rule for native roots starting with voiceless consonants (p, t, k, s). These initial letters are dropped and replaced by the corresponding nasal sound (e.g., pakai becomes memakai, tulis becomes menulis).

2. Voiced Stops and Affricates (b, d, g, j)
These consonants are always retained. The prefix nasal 'N' adapts to the point of articulation:

  • mem- + b: membaca (to read)
  • men- + d/j: mendengar (to hear), menjual (to sell)
  • meng- + g: mengganggu (to disturb)

3. Sonorants (l, m, n, r, w, y, ny, ng)
When the root starts with a sonorant sound, the nasal 'N' is dropped entirely, and the prefix becomes me-. The root remains unchanged:

  • me- + l: melihat (to see)
  • me- + r: merasa (to feel)
  • me- + ny: menyanyi (to sing)
  • me- + ng: menganga (to open the mouth wide)

4. Vowels and 'h'
Roots starting with a vowel or the letter 'h' are also retained, using the meng- allomorph:

  • meng- + a: mengambil (to take)
  • meng- + h: menghargai (to appreciate)

5. The 'c' Exception
Although c is voiceless, it is the only native voiceless stop or affricate that is retained in standard Malay, unlike p, t, k, and s. It uses the men- allomorph:

  • men- + c: mencari (to search)

6. Monosyllabic Roots
For roots with only one syllable, the prefix becomes menge-. In these cases, the initial consonant is always retained, even if it is p, t, k, or s:

  • menge- + cat: mengecat (to paint)
  • menge- + pos: mengepos (to post)
  • menge- + bom: mengebom (to bomb)

7. Loanwords, Fricatives, and the 'kaji' Exception
Voiced fricatives like v and z, as well as f and sy, are retained (e.g., memveto, menziarah, memfitnah, mensyukuri). However, there are major exceptions for fully assimilated Arabic loanwords like faham (to understand) and fikir (to think), which drop the 'f' to become memahami and memikirkan. Additionally, modern loanwords often retain p, t, k, and s to keep the root recognizable. Note that words starting with a consonant cluster always retain the initial consonant (e.g., memproses, mengkritik, memplagiat). Finally, a famous native exception is the root kaji, which retains the 'k' to become mengkaji (to research or study) specifically to distinguish it from mengaji (to recite the Quran).

8. Other Native Exceptions
A few native roots unexpectedly retain their initial voiceless consonants. For example, the root punya retains its 'p' to become mempunyai (to own or have). Other common exceptions include percaya (mempercayai - to believe), peduli (mempedulikan - to care about), pesona (mempesonakan - to enchant), and ternak, which retains its 't' to become menternak (to breed or farm).

Examples (5)

  1. Dia sedang membaca surat khabar di ruang tamu.

    He/She is reading the newspaper in the living room.

    Word by Word: He/She [progressive] read [active] letter news at room guest.

    The root 'baca' (read) starts with 'b', a voiced stop, so it is retained as 'membaca'.

  2. Kita perlu menghargai jasa para guru.

    We need to appreciate the service of teachers.

    Word by Word: We need appreciate [active] service [plural marker] teacher.

    The root 'hargai' starts with 'h', which is retained after the 'meng-' allomorph.

  3. Syarikat itu menjamin kualiti produk mereka.

    That company guarantees the quality of their products.

    Word by Word: Company that guarantee [active] quality product they.

    The root 'jamin' (guarantee) starts with 'j', so it is retained as 'menjamin'.

  4. Adik sedang mencuci kasut sekolahnya.

    Little sibling is washing their school shoes.

    Word by Word: Younger-sibling [progressive] wash [active] shoe school-his/her.

    Even though 'c' is voiceless, it is retained in 'mencuci' (root: cuci).

  5. Saya melihat burung itu terbang tinggi.

    I see that bird flying high.

    Word by Word: I see [active] bird that fly high.

    The root 'lihat' starts with the sonorant 'l', so the prefix becomes 'me-' and the 'l' is kept.

Common Mistakes

  • Dropping the 'b' in words like 'membawa'.

    Dia memawa beg itu.
    Dia membawa beg itu.

    Learners often confuse 'b' (voiced) with 'p' (voiceless). While 'p' is dropped (pakai -> memakai), 'b' must be retained (bawa -> membawa).

  • Dropping the 'c' in words like 'mencari'.

    Polis sedang menyari bukti.
    Polis sedang mencari bukti.

    Because 'c' sounds similar to 's', learners sometimes replace it with 'ny'. However, in standard Malay, 'c' is always retained.

  • Using a future word with a past time.

    Saya akan membaca buku itu semalam.
    Saya membaca buku itu semalam.

    Malay verbs do not change for tense. Time comes from words like 'semalam' (yesterday) or 'esok' (tomorrow). A future marker such as 'akan' clashes with 'semalam'.

How It Connects

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

Voiced and sonorant initials remainLevel 3

Learn This First

To understand why certain consonants are retained when adding the meN- prefix, learners must first be familiar with the general meN- system and the specific allomorphs (mem-, men-, meng-, etc.) that are triggered by different initial sounds of the root word.

Learn Next

Patterns that build on this one.

Words in This Pattern

meng-