Siapa

Siapa is an interrogative pronoun in Indonesian and Malay that means "who." It is used to ask about the identity of a person or people and serves as one of the core question words for referring to people in both spoken and written language.

In Indonesian and Malay grammar, siapa can function as the subject or the object of a question. It typically introduces a question clause, as in "Siapa itu?" (Who is that?) or "Siapa yang menelepon?" (Who called?). In more formal or literary contexts, siapakah is used instead of siapa, for example "Siapakah yang menelepon?" The form siapakah often conveys emphasis or a higher register.

Siapa is used specifically for people; to ask about things one would use apa (what), not siapa. It can also appear in indirect questions, such as "Saya tidak tahu siapa dia" (I don’t know who he is).

Etymology and history: The word is native to Malay and Indonesian and is attested in classical Malay texts as a basic interrogative pronoun. Its exact historical origins are uncertain, but it is widely regarded as a core element of Austronesian language question systems.

See also: Interrogatives in Indonesian, Bahasa Indonesia grammar, Pronouns in Malay and Indonesian.