The yang particle

By Speak Indo, from the Speak Indo Indonesian course.

'yang' connects a noun to a description or relative clause. Similar to 'which' or 'that' in English.

How it works

yang is one of Indonesian's most useful little words. It introduces a description that follows a noun: • orang yang tinggi = the person who is tall (lit. 'person yang tall') • buku yang saya baca = the book that I read • rumah yang besar itu = that big house Think of it like 'which' or 'that' in English, it links a noun to what describes it. Without an explicit noun, yang can mean 'the one that': • Yang merah = the red one • Yang mana? = Which one?

Examples

• Saya suka baju yang biru.
  I like the blue shirt. (the shirt that is blue)
• Anak yang sedang tidur adalah adik saya.
  The child who is sleeping is my sibling.
• Yang mana mau kamu beli?
  Which one do you want to buy?
• Ini kopi yang paling enak.
  This is the most delicious coffee.