An imbuhan akhiran is a suffix, a piece added to the end of a base word. Malay has three everyday ones: -an, -kan and -i.
What your child will learn
- Find the base word inside a suffixed word
- Use -an to make nouns
- Use -kan and -i in commands
- Spot words that only look as if they have a suffix
Three endings
The ending -an turns a verb into a thing: makan (eat) becomes makanan (food), minum becomes minuman (a drink), lukis becomes lukisan (a drawing).
The endings -kan and -i make verbs, and are common in requests: “Tolong bukakan pintu” (please open the door for me), “Temani adikmu” (keep your brother company). Beware of look-alikes: ikan, makan and papan are base words.
Example questions
Here are a few questions like the ones in the first quest. Can you solve them?
1. Isi tempat kosong: “Adik menyimpan semua ___ di dalam kotak. (main)”
🧒- mainkan
- mainan
- maini
- bermain
Show answer
Answer: mainan. “Mainan” ialah benda untuk bermain.
2. Betul atau salah? Imbuhan akhiran terletak di belakang kata dasar.
- Salah
- Betul
Show answer
Answer: Betul. Contohnya: makan + -an menjadi “makanan”.
3. Apakah kata dasar bagi “makanan”?
🍽️- an
- makana
- kanan
- makan
Show answer
Answer: makan. “makanan” terbentuk daripada kata dasar “makan”. Kata dasar ialah perkataan asal sebelum ditambah imbuhan.
Tips for grown-ups
- Collect -an words in the kitchen: makanan, minuman, masakan, hidangan.
- Ask for things politely with -kan: “Tolong ambilkan…”, “Tolong bukakan…”.