pelakunya

Pelakunya is an Indonesian noun phrase meaning “the perpetrator” or “the culprit,” referring to the person responsible for a wrongdoing or incident. It is used when the agent has already been identified or is being singled out in the context of the discussion.

Etymology and grammar: The term combines pelaku, meaning “perpetrator,” with the suffix -nya, which marks definiteness or possession and often translates to “the” or “its.” As a noun phrase, pelakunya can function as the subject, object, or complement in a sentence. For example, Pelakunya melarikan diri (The perpetrator fled), or Polisi telah menangkap pelakunya (The police have arrested the perpetrator).

Usage notes: In everyday Indonesian and media language, pelakunya is commonly used when the focus is on identifying the responsible person. In more formal writing, pelaku may be preferred, with pelaku pada kasus tersebut or pelaku yang dituduhkan clarified as needed. The sentence Siapa pelakunya? asks for the identification of the person responsible, often appearing in news reports or interviews.

Nuance: Pelakunya emphasizes that the perpetrator has been determined or pointed out in the narrative. It contrasts with pelaku (the perpetrator) without the -nya, which is a more general term and may refer to any perpetrator rather than a specific, known one.

See also: pelaku, kejadian, identitas.

In summary, pelakunya is a common Indonesian expression used to denote the person responsible for a specific act, with -nya signaling that the perpetrator is the definite referred subject in the discussion.