A lot of things in Indonesian are (arguably) much simpler than English.  Many questions words that we have in English are simplified into 1 question word in Indonesian. However, Indonesian treat the question word “where” much differently.

There are 3 kinds of “where” in Indonesian language. First one is ke mana (to where), second one is dari mana (from where), and last one is di mana (at where).  All of them must be used at the right time.

If you are talking about going to somewhere else, you will use ke mana. For example: Besok kamu mau pergi ke mana? (Where will you go tomorrow?)

If you are talking about coming from somewhere, you will use dari mana. For example: Kamu berasal dari mana? (Where do you come from?)

If you are talking about staying at a place, you will use di mana. For example: Kamu tinggal di mana? (Where do you live?)

To sum up, there are 3 kinds of “where” in Indonesian language. Use them correctly!