The most important letters to watch are A (ah) and R (air— sound the r!), E (é) and I (ee), because they can get confused; and also H (ha) and K (ka).
Some letters, like Q, V, X and Z, are very rare in Indonesian, and are only found in loanwords.
Instant Indonesian
Words 1 to 100
PART 1 Words 1–10
| 1 | SELAMAT(a word used in greetings) Literally, safe, good, well |
Selamat pagi! Good morning! (until around 10.30 a.m.)
Selamat siang! Good day! Good afternoon!
This applies to any time in the middle of the day, between 10.30 in the morning and late afternoon.
Selamat soré! Good afternoon!
This applies to a time from late afternoon till sunset. Note the pronunciation: soré. The é is pronounced like the e in the English word “pet.”
Selamat malam! Good evening!
Selamat makan! Enjoy your meal!
Selamat jalan! Have a safe journey!
Selamat tidur! Have a good sleep!
From the range of expressions, you can see that selamat is a general word for well-wishing. Make use of it any time, and people will be happy.
| 2 | APA? what? |
Apa? What (did you say)?
Apa kabar? How are you?
Literally, “What news?”
Mau minum apa, Bu? What would you like to drink? (to a woman)
You will find that where English puts the “what” at the beginning of a question such as this one, in Indonesian the apa comes after the verb concerned.
Mau makan apa, Pak? What would you like to eat? (to a man)
Ada apa, Bu/Pak? What’s up?; What’s wrong?
Apa (Bahasa) Indonesianya “stomach-ache?” What’s the Indonesian for “stomach-ache?”
You can put any word in place of “stomach-ache” in order to ask for its Indonesian equivalent.
| 3 | INI this |
Ini apa?/Apa ini? What’s this?
The meaning is the same, but the stress is different: the first word in the sentence gets more stress.
Ini durian. This is a durian.
You will frequently meet the simple sentence structure illustrated by the preceding example. Note that Indonesian does not need a word such as the English “is”—the sentence is quite clear without it.
Ini kamar anda. This is your room.
Durian ini mahal. This durian is expensive.
Hari ini. Today.
Literally, “this day.”
| 4 | ITU that |
Itu apa? / Apa itu? What’s that?
The meaning is the same, but the stress is different: the first word in the sentence gets more stress.
Itu siapa? Who’s that?
In Indonesian we say: “That is who?”
Itu isteri saya. That’s my wife.
Literally, “wife of me”; in Indonesian, the thing possessed comes first, and the possessor second. This mere positioning is all that is required to express possession.
Itu mahal. That is expensive.
Itu murah. That is cheap.
| 5 | ADA there is/are |
Ada kamar? Is there a room?
In Indonesian, you will quickly find that questions are indicated not by grammatical features, but by intonation. In this example, the question would be indicated by a raised, questioning tone at the end of the sentence. The same sentence, with different intonation, would be a statement.
Ada kamar. There is a room.
Pak Tirto ada? Is Mr Tirto there?
So ada can mean “to be present.”
Pak Tirto ada di rumah? Is Mr Tirto at home?
Ada. Yes, he is.
Tidak ada. No, he’s not.
Ada bir? Do you have a beer?
So ada can also mean “to have.”
Ada. Yes.
| 6 | IBU mother; a mature woman; madam, Mrs |
Ibu saya. My mother.
Ibu itu. That woman.
Ibu ada? Is your mother/wife at home?
You will have to use the words Ibu and Bapak very often. The words are often abbreviated to Bu and Pak. Ibu should be used when addressing any woman older than yourself or whom you do not know. Younger women may be addressed as Mbak, although if you are speaking with a younger woman whom you do not know, there is nothing wrong in addressing her as Ibu also.
Apa kabar, ibu? How are you? (to a woman)
Ibu sudah makan? Have you already eaten?
Ibu and Bapak can have names added after them. It is not polite to use someone’s name without using Ibu or Bapak before it, except with people with whom you are very familiar.
Ibu Sri. Mrs Sri, or Sri.
Ibu Hasan sudah makan. Mrs Hasan has already eaten.
Ibu and Bapak are used with everyday, first names, not usually surnames as in English.
| 7 | BAPAK father; a mature male; Mr, sir |
Pak Hasan. Mr Hasan, or Hasan.
Pak Hasan sudah makan. Hasan has eaten.
Mau ke mana, Pak? Where are you going? (to a man)
Something that can take a little getting used to is the preference in Indonesian for using Ibu or Bapak, or even the name of a person, in sentences where English uses the pronoun “you.” Speakers of Indonesian often avoid using the Indonesian equivalent of “you.” Try to use Ibu or
Bapak whenever you address a woman or man of the same or older age—you cannot go wrong!
Bapak sudah makan? Have you already eaten? (to a man)
Ini kamar Bapak. This is your room. (to a man)
Pak Hasan ada kamar? Do you have a room, (Mr) Hasan?
| 8 | LAGI in the process of; still(used to express the present continuous tense) |
Lagi apa, Bu? What are you doing? (to a woman)
Lagi apa, Pak? What are you doing? (to a man)
Lagi makan. Eating.
Pak Hasan lagi makan. (Mr) Hasan is (currently) eating.
Bu Tirto lagi sibuk. Mrs Tirto is busy (in the middle of doing something).
Pak Tirto lagi keluar. Mr Tirto is out.
Lagi also has another meaning, namely “more” or “again.”
| 9 | SUDAH already |
Pak Tirto sudah pulang. Mr Tirto has come home.