Indonesian

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Etymology

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apa +‎ -kah.

Pronunciation

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Conjunction

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apakah

  1. whether
    Aku tidak tahu apakah suratku sudah sampai.I don't know whether (or not) my letter has arrived.

Further reading

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Malay

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Etymology

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Affixation of apa +‎ -kah.

Pronunciation

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Interjection

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apakah (Jawi spelling اڤاکه)

  1. Used to express surprise or disbelief; "what!".
    Apakah, dia yang main tipu rupanya?!
    What, so he was the one who's been cheating?!

Pronoun

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apakah (Jawi spelling اڤاکه)

  1. Interrogative pronoun used to inquire something about a certain thing; what.
    Apakah nama buku yang kita baca malam semalam?
    What is the name of the book that we read last night?
    • 2003, Nor Arlisa Irena Abu Bakar, Penulis buku politik Kelantan tiada agenda:
      Apakah tujuan Ikmal sebenarnya?
      What is Ikmal's true motive?
  2. Interrogative pronoun used to inquire about the truth of a statement; "is it that", "is it the case that".
    Synonym: adakah
    Apakah kita tidak mampu berdikari lagi?
    Is it the case that we can't stand by ourselves anymore?
    • 2017, Mahizan Husain, Cahaya Delima:
      Apakah akhirnya dia akan kembali pada tanah?
      Is it that he will finally return to land?

Usage notes

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The -kah suffix is only used in formal or literary contexts. Usually, the suffix is avoided in regular everyday speech.

Further reading

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