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Affixes in Malay

Last updated on: 14 Apr 2026

Was really confused with affixes in Malay.
I first I didn't know when to use what...so a summary...

Root words are either nouns or verbs, which can be affixed to derive new words.
There are four types of affixes, namely:

Prefixes (awalan) Added to the beginning of a word
(e.g., ber-, meN-, di-, peN-, ter-, se-).
Suffixes (akhiran) Added to the end of a word
(e.g., -an, -kan, -i).
Circumfixes (apitan) Added to both the beginning and end simultaneously
(e.g., peN-...-an, ke-...-an, meN-...-kan).
Infixes (sisipan) Inserted into the middle of a word
(e.g., -el-, -em-, -er-).
These affixes are categorized based on the grammatical function they perform, creating noun, verb, or adjective forms.

Example Application:
The root word ajar (teach) can be transformed:
Noun: pelajar (student), pengajar (teacher), pelajaran (lesson).
Verb: belajar (to learn), mengajar (to teach), diajar (to be taught).
Adjective: terpelajar (educated).

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