bapanya

Bapaknya is an Indonesian term that means his father or her father. It is formed from the noun bapak, meaning father, plus the possessive suffix -nya, which marks third-person possession. In standard Indonesian orthography the possessive form is written as bapaknya. In casual speech or informal writing, speakers may pronounce or spell it as bapanya, but bapaknya is the form most commonly used in formal contexts.

Usage and meaning: Bapaknya refers to the father of someone known from context. For example, in a sentence such as "Bapaknya bekerja di rumah sakit," the meaning is "His father works at the hospital." The possessor can be inferred from the surrounding discourse; if the speaker is talking about someone else’s father, bapaknya means that person’s father. For first-person possession, different forms are used, such as bapakku for "my father." For second-person possession, you would use bapakmu for "your father." The word can function as a noun phrase within a larger clause.

Variations and related terms: Bapak is the more formal word for father, while ayah is another common term that can be more intimate or traditional, depending on regional usage. The possessive forms of these roots follow the same pattern (e.g., bapaknya, ayahnya, bapakku, ayahku). Regional dialects may affect pronunciation or preference for one term over another, but bapaknya remains a clear, standard way to refer to someone’s father in third-person possession.

See also: ayah, bapak, orang tua.