3.3 The meN- Prefix (Nasal Assimilation)
Key Takeaways
- The meN- prefix has six allomorphs (me-, mem-, men-, meny-, meng-, and underlying meN-) selected by the root's first sound.
- Before vowels and k/g/h/q, meng- is used; the k of the root drops (kumpul → mengumpulkan).
- Before b/p/f/v, mem- is used; the p of the root drops (pukul → memukul).
- Before c/d/j/t/z, men- is used; the t of the root drops (tari → menari).
- Before s, meny- is used and the s drops (sapu → menyapu); before l/m/n/r/w/y, me- is used unchanged.
The meN- Prefix and Nasal Assimilation
Quick Answer: The Indonesian active-verb prefix meN- has six surface forms (me-, mem-, men-, meny-, meng-, and the underlying meN- itself). Which form appears depends entirely on the first sound of the root. This process — nasal assimilation — is one of the most heavily tested topics in Merespons Kaidah. Learn the table below and the assimilation rule becomes mechanical.
Why meN- Has Multiple Forms
Indonesian prefixes are subject to phonological assimilation: the prefix-final consonant changes to ease pronunciation when it meets the root-initial sound. The abstract prefix meN- (where N stands for a nasal consonant) surfaces as one of six allomorphs depending on the root. The rule is predictive: given a root, you can compute the correct form without exception. There are no irregulars.
The Full Assimilation Table
| Root-initial sound | Allomorph | Notes | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vowel (a, i, u, e, o) | meng- | inserts ng | ajar → mengajar; ucap → mengucap; erti → mengerti |
| k (k drops) | meng- | k assimilates | kumpul → mengumpulkan; kira → mengira; kupas → mengupas |
| g, h, q | meng- | no drop | gali → menggali; hitung → menghitung; qasar → mengqasar (rare) |
| b | mem- | — | baca → membaca; beli → membeli |
| p (p drops) | mem- | p assimilates to m | pukul → memukul; pilih → memilih; putus → memutus |
| f, v | mem- | loanwords | foto → memfoto; vonis → memvonis |
| c | men- | — | cium → mencium; cari → mencari |
| d | men- | — | dengar → mendengar; datang → mendatang |
| j | men- | — | jual → menjual; jemput → menjemput |
| t (t drops) | men- | t assimilates to n | tari → menari; tulis → menulis; tunggu → menunggu |
| z | men- | loanwords | zaman → menzamani (rare) |
| s (s drops) | meny- | s fully assimilates to ny | sapu → menyapu; siram → menyiram; suara → menyuarakan |
| l | me- | no assimilation | lihat → melihat; lari → melari |
| m | me- | no assimilation | makan → memakan; minum → meminum |
| n | me- | no assimilation | nikah → menikah; nama → menamai (with -i) |
| r | me- | no assimilation | rusak → merusak; rencana → merencana |
| w, y | me- | semi-vowels | wujud → mewujud; yakin → meyakin |
How to Apply the Rule in Three Steps
- Identify the root — strip any prefixes/suffixes you can see. memukulkan — root is pukul (after removing mem- and -kan).
- Identify the root's first sound — pukul starts with p.
- Apply the rule for that sound — p drops and the allomorph is mem-. Result: memukul. Add -kan: memukulkan.
The same root can appear with the prefix meN- (active), di- (passive), peN- (noun), and ter- (accidental/comparative), and the nasal assimilation rule applies only to meN- and peN-. The prefix di- never assimilates (di-pukul, not dimukul).
Common Traps in Merespons Kaidah
- Forgetting that p, t, k drop: candidates pick mempukul, mentari, mengkumpulkan — all wrong. The correct forms are memukul, menari, mengumpulkan.
- Treating s like c: candidates write mensapu instead of menyapu. Only s takes meny-, never c.
- Applying assimilation to di-: ditulis is correct; the di- stays unchanged even though t follows. The passive prefix di- does not assimilate.
- Misclassifying f and v: these are loan consonants and take mem-: memvonis, memfoto. They do not take men-.
- Confusing me- before ny with meny- before s: when the root itself begins with ny (e.g. nyanyi, to sing), the form is me- + nyanyi + -kan = menyanyikan — no s-drop occurs, because the root has no s. The meny- allomorph applies only before s-initial roots.
Two Worked Examples
Example 1: meN- + seleksi. Root = seleksi, starts with s. Rule for s: drop s, use meny-. Result: menyeleksi. The wrong distractors would be menseleksi, memseleksi, or mengseleksi.
Example 2: meN- + karang. Root = karang, starts with k. Rule for k: drop k, use meng-. Result: mengarang. Note that the k of karang is lost; the surface form is meng- + arang. The wrong distractors would be menkarang, memkarang, or mengkarang.
Memory Aids
- "Vowels and back consonants (k, g, h, q) take meng-." Think: the ng matches the velar place of k, g.
- "Labial consonants (b, p, f, v) take mem-." The m matches the labial place.
- "Alveolar consonants (c, d, j, t, z) take men-." The n matches the alveolar place.
- "s is special — it takes meny- (full palatal assimilation)."
- "Liquid and nasal consonants (l, m, n, r) plus w, y take me- (no change)."
These five rules plus the assimilation table cover every meN- item you will see on UKBI.
What is the correct form of meN- + seleksi?
Which of the following is the correct prefixed form of the root pukul with the meN- prefix?
Which root-initial consonants trigger the meng- allomorph in meN- prefixation?