Asking Questions in Malay: Apa, Siapa, Di Mana and Adakah

Questions in Malay are easy to form because the word order usually stays the same.

Question words

Malay	Meaning
apa	what
siapa	who
di mana	where (at)
ke mana	where (to)
dari mana	where (from)
bila	when
kenapa / mengapa	why
bagaimana / macam mana	how
berapa	how much, how many
yang mana	which

Examples

• Apa ini? — What is this?
• Siapa nama awak? — What is your name?
• Awak tinggal di mana? — Where do you live?
• Awak nak pergi ke mana? — Where are you going?
• Bila awak sampai? — When did you arrive?
• Kenapa awak lambat? — Why are you late?
• Berapa harganya? — How much is it?

Yes/no questions

There are three ways:

1. Intonation: raise your voice. Awak sudah makan?
2. Adakah: a formal marker. Adakah awak sudah makan?
3. Kah: an emphasis ending. Sudahkah awak makan?

Answers: ya (yes), tidak (no), or repeat the verb: Sudah. / Belum.

Everyday questions

• Apa khabar? — How are you?
• Dari mana awak datang? — Where do you come from?
• Boleh saya bertanya? — May I ask?
• Boleh tolong saya? — Can you help me?
• Apa maksudnya? — What does it mean?

Word order

The question word often stays in the same place as the answer would:

• Awak makan apa? — What are you eating? (literally "you eat what")

Common mistakes

1. Mixing di mana and ke mana.
2. Overusing adakah in casual speech.
3. Forgetting to raise your voice when there is no marker.

Tips

1. Learn the ten question words.
2. Practise the everyday questions.
3. Use the dictionary to check phrases.

Look up any word with English Malay Dictionary →