106 Essential Bahasa Phrases for Travellers to Indonesia (2023)

FAQs

How do you say common phrases in Indonesian? ›

Rumput tetangga selalu lebih hijau. Literal translation: The neighbor's grass is always greener than ours. English equivalent: The grass is always greener on the other side. Meaning: This proverb is a classic, and it exists in many different languages and cultures.

This has become a common and polite way to respond to someone thanking you. So when someone says makasih to you, simply reply with: kembali.

It's usually around 2000 for most language, but I've subtracted a couple hundred because of the unique simplicity of Bahasa Indonesia. To have a cordial non-business conversation and survive in the country with ease - I recommend around 1200. More or less depending on the subjects you want to be versed on.

Indonesians normally address a lady as Ibu and a man as Pak or Bapak. It doesn't mean you look old. It is not uncommon for a lady in her 20s to be called Ibu especially if she has some social standing. Kamu means 'you'.

Greetings in local Indonesian includes selamat pagi (good morning), selamat siang (good afternoon), or selamat malam (good evening), and apa kabar? (how are you?). Saying terima kasih (thank you) after receiving services or favours demonstrate good manner.

Use flashcards with Indonesian words to memorize, and use the flashcards with pictures only to test your memory. It's always good to test yourself after your memorize your words. Don't forget to also test yourself from time to time.

The rule is pretty simple, just call yourselves with 'saya' when talking to elderly people, at work/school, business, in public, when talking to strangers, and some other formal situations. Call yourselves with 'aku' when talking to your friends, younger persons, and some other informal situations.

Adult men are addressed by Bapak (short Pak) and adult women by Ibu (short Bu). This can be translated to Mr. and Mrs. but can also mean Father/Mother.

How long does it take to be fluent in Indonesian? ›

As we mentioned above, according to the FSI, Indonesian is a Level II language and thus requires 900-950 hours of study time if you want to reach total proficiency. This means that if you dedicate 15 hours a week to studying, you'll be fluent in just over a year!

Bahasa Indonesia increasingly has gained popularity as one of the easiest foreign languages to learn, especially for English speakers.

Native speakers of English will be relieved to learn that Indonesian is considered one of the easier languages for English speakers to learn because of Indonesian's relatively simple grammar and vocabulary and its use of the Latin alphabet, unlike many other Asian languages.

olokan {noun} boo (also: gibe) ejekan {noun}

Manis can mean both “cute” and “sweet.”

Sayangku – “my dear” A common term of endearment you'll hear in Indonesian is sayangku. It translates as “my dear”.

Sitting with good posture (rigid) and both feet on the floor is a sign of respect. Don't allow the bottom of your feet to face or point at another person. Looking someone straight in the eyes is considered staring. Avoid prolonged eye contact, which may be viewed as a challenge and may cause anger.

Conservative rather than bright colors are advisable. Despite the heat and humidity, men and women should avoid wearing shorts outside of resort areas. And take care not to offend local sensibilities. Wear plenty of sunscreen (we love the Riemann P20 range for 10 hour protection), sunglasses and a sunhat.

The motto Bhinneka Tunggal Ika ("Unity in Diversity") is enshrined on a banner held in the eagle's talons, signifying the unity of the Indonesian people despite their diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds.

Almost 90% of the population of Indonesia is Muslim, gaining the archipelago the title of largest Muslim population in a country. However, Sharia law, the Islamic law, isn't implemented in all of Indonesia where there are 6 official religions: Islam, Protestantism, Catholicism, Hinduism, Confucianism and Buddhism.

What are Indonesia spiritual beliefs? ›

Religion in Indonesia

The Indonesian government recognises six religions: Islam, Protestantism, Catholicism, Hinduism, Buddhism and Confucianism. Muslims are a large majority (85%), with almost all practicing the Sunni branch of Islam. Protestants make up about 6.5% of the population and are well established in Papua.

A jury consisting of 1,500 film artists, critics, and historians selected "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn", spoken by Clark Gable as Rhett Butler in the 1939 American Civil War epic Gone with the Wind, as the most memorable American movie quotation of all time.

Indonesian (in its standard form) has essentially the same material basis as the Malaysian standard of Malay and is therefore considered to be a variety of the pluricentric Malay language. However, it does differ from Malaysian Malay in several respects, with differences in pronunciation and vocabulary.

With the exception of handshakes, there is no public contact between the sexes in Indonesia. Hugging and kissing, even between husbands and wives, are forbidden in public. Moreover, if a woman touches a Muslim man, he must ritually cleanse himself before praying again.

And that's the glorious moment when I learnt, that in Indonesian culture, if you want to start eating something, and there are others in your presence, you seek permission from them to start eating by saying “Makan, iya” (I eat, yes). To which they should reply: “Silahkan!” (Go ahead!)

1- Terima kasih.

In Indonesian “Thank you.” is Terima kasih. The first word of the phrase, terima, means “to accept.” This is followed by kasih, which in Indonesian means “love.” And the entire expression again is terima kasih.

Pak means Mr. or Sir and mbak means Miss. or Madame. I encourage you to use these words when you're talking to the locals as it's what the locals do.

What is the name rule in Indonesia? ›

Indonesian naming traditions. Most Indonesians do not have family names. Both men and women usually have a given name and then take the name of their father as a last name. Some, but not all, married Indonesian women take the last name of their husband.

Across multiple sources, Mandarin Chinese is the number one language listed as the most challenging to learn. The Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center puts Mandarin in Category IV, which is the list of the most difficult languages to learn for English speakers.

Indonesians speak Indonesian, but some Indonesians do speak English. How many Indonesians speak English is difficult to say however, perhaps 10% of Indonesians can speak English reasonably well, in fact some can speak fluently.

If you count both native and non-native speakers, the Indonesian language is one of the most-spoken languages in the world. And yet, almost every single one of those speakers comes from a single country: Indonesia.

1. Indonesian (or Malay) are the easiest Asian languages to learn.

According to a UNESCO survey, Bengali has been classified as the sweetest language in the world. As a language, Bengali is widely spoken all over India, including Assam and the Andaman & Nicobar Islands. The sweetest language in the world is also recognized in the Constitution of India.

Indonesian is Pretty Easy

In the example above, there's nothing wrong with learning membaca as “to read” and membacakan as “to read for.” Another advantage that Indonesian-learners have is that the pronunciation is quite easy in general.

The language is highly phonetic, meaning the words are pretty much pronounced exactly as they're spelled. It also contains fewer words than most languages. The grammar rules are also very relaxed, and there are no grammatical genders or verb conjugations to memorize.

Learn Indonesian for Free

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Is Babbel Indonesian good? ›

Babbel Overview

Babbel is the best overall app to learn Indonesian because it has a complete Indonesian course. It also helps you improve all of your communication skills, like reading, writing, speaking, and listening.

Javanese. In Javanese and broadly speaking in Java, Mbak is used for "older sister" and Mas is used for "older brother". "Mas" and "Mbak" are also used as formal honorifics for men and women in Java generally.

Pak means Mr. or Sir and mbak means Miss. or Madame. I encourage you to use these words when you're talking to the locals as it's what the locals do.

Bule (Indonesian: [ˈbule]) is an Indonesian word for foreigners and/or non-Indonesian national, specifically people of European descent ('white', 'Caucasian').

The word “Keparat” is equivalent to swear word “Bangsat” “Anjing” and “Monyet”. In English, it is equivalent to an expression “SOB” and “sc*mbag.” It is used to direct your hatred or despise towards someone.

Don't show the soles of your feet.

This also includes touching someone with your foot or pointing to something with your foot. It's considered disrespectful.

( used by or to children grandmother.

Lola is an Austronesian language spoken on the Aru Islands of eastern Indonesia.

Older sister. Kakang/Kang. Older brother. Sunda (West Java)

What is susu mean in Indonesia? ›

"Milk" in bahasa Indonesia is called "susu."

selamat siang - good middle of the day (10 to 2) selamat sore - good afternoon.

to end, to finish, to come to an end.

List of Common Indonesian swear words: Goblok! – stupid! Anjing! – dog!

Beb - “babe” Indonesian borrowed the English term of endearment “babe”, but it has its own spelling--beb.

In the Scandinavian languages, Oi! or the Swedish variant, Oj!, is commonly used as an exclamation of surprise, like "Oh" or "Whoops". In Indonesian hoi, oi, and woi (from Cantonese 喂 (wai²) and Hokkien 喂 (oeh)) are used to call someone.