The -kan to -in Suffix Swap in Casual Indonesian (Bikinin, Ambilin, Beliin)
Your textbook teaches you buatkan. Your teacher drills ambilkan. You memorize belikan and carikan. All correct. All formal.
Then you step outside the classroom. And nobody is using -kan.
They're using -in.
The basic swap
In formal Indonesian, -kan is the suffix that makes verbs transitive or directional. It signals "do this action for someone" or "do this action to something." Standard stuff.
In casual speech, -kan becomes -in. Every time. No exceptions worth worrying about.
But here's the thing.. the base verb often shifts too. It's not just buatkan minus kan plus in. The whole word can morph. Buat becomes bikin, so buatkan becomes bikinin. That double shift trips people up.
The core examples
| Formal | Casual | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| buatkan | bikinin | make for someone |
| ambilkan | ambilin | get/fetch for someone |
| belikan | beliin | buy for someone |
| carikan | cariin | find for someone |
| tutupkan | tutupin | close for someone |
Now hear them in real sentences:
Bikinin kopi dong. = Make me a coffee. Ambilin dong. = Get it for me. Beliin gue makan. = Buy me food. Cariin dong. = Find it for me. Tutupin pintunya. = Close the door.
Notice something? The word dong keeps showing up. That's not a coincidence. Dong softens a request. And -in verbs are almost always requests. So they're natural partners. Without dong, these sentences can sound.. blunt. Almost like commands. Adding dong makes it friendly. Casual. The way you'd actually talk to a friend.
The causative trick
Here's where -in gets even more useful. It doesn't just replace -kan. It also turns adjectives and states into causative verbs. Meaning "make something [adjective]."
| Base word | With -in | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| besar (big) | besarin | make bigger / turn up |
| kecil (small) | kecilin | make smaller / turn down |
| panas (hot) | panasin | heat up |
So when someone says "Besarin dong volumenya" they mean "turn up the volume." And "Kecilin AC-nya" means "turn down the AC." You're literally saying "make it smaller" or "make it bigger." Clean and intuitive once you see the pattern.
Why this matters
The -in suffix is one of the strongest casual markers in Indonesian. If you use -kan in a warung or with friends, you'll sound like a textbook. Not wrong.. just stiff. Like saying "Would you be so kind as to pass the salt" at a barbecue.
Switch to -in and you immediately sound more natural. More relaxed. More like someone who actually lives in Indonesia.
Quick recap
Formal -kan becomes casual -in. The base verb might change too (buat to bikin). Pair it with dong to soften requests. And use -in on adjectives to make causative verbs. That's the whole system. 🔥
So here's my question. What's the first -in verb you'd actually use in conversation?