Introduction to Bahasa Indonesia
Bahasa Indonesia, also known simply as Indonesian, is the official language of Indonesia, a Southeast Asian country located between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It is spoken by more than 260 million people as a first or second language, making it the world’s most widely spoken Austronesian language.
As a tourist visiting Indonesia, learning some basic Indonesian phrases and understanding the culture can go a long way in making your trip more enjoyable and enriching. Here is a beginner’s guide to Bahasa Indonesia for tourists:
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Greetings and basic phrases:
- Selamat pagi (sah-LAH-maht PAH-ghee): Good morning
- Selamat siang (sah-LAH-maht SEE-ahng): Good afternoon
- Selamat sore (sah-LAH-maht SOH-reh): Good evening
- Selamat malam (sah-LAH-maht mah-LAHM): Good night
- Selamat datang (sah-LAH-maht dah-TAHNG): Welcome
- Halo (HAH-loh): Hello
- Baik (BYEK): Good
- Saya senang bertemu dengan Anda (SAH-yah seh-NAHNG behr-TEH-moo DEHN-gan AHN-dah): Nice to meet you
- Terima kasih (teh-REE-mah KAH-seeh): Thank you
- Maaf (MAH-af): Sorry
- Silakan (SEE-lah-kahn): Please
- Tidak apa-apa (TEE-dak ah-pah-AH-pah): It’s okay
Numbers and counting:
- Satu (SAH-too): One
- Dua (DOO-ah): Two
- Tiga (TEE-gah): Three
- Empat (EH-pmaht): Four
- Lima (LEE-mah): Five
- Enam (EH-nam): Six
- Tujuh (TOO-joo): Seven
- Delapan (deh-LAH-pahn): Eight
- Sembilan (sehm-BEE-lahn): Nine
- Sepuluh (seh-POO-loo): Ten
Colors:
- Merah (meh-RAH): Red
- Kuning (KOO-neeng): Yellow
- Hijau (HEE-jow): Green
- Biru (BEE-roo): Blue
- Hitam (HEE-tahm): Black
- Putih (POO-teeh): White
Days of the week:
- Senin (SEH-neen): Monday
- Selasa (seh-LAH-sah): Tuesday
- Rabu (RAH-boo): Wednesday
- Kamis (KAH-mees): Thursday
- Jumat (JOO-maht): Friday
- Sabtu (SAH-boo-too): Saturday
- Minggu (MEENG-goo): Sunday
Food and drinks:
- Makanan (mah-KAH-nahn): Food
- Minuman (mee-NOO-mahn): Drink
- Nasi (NAH-see): Rice
- Ayam (AH-yam): Chicken
- Ikan (EE-kahn): Fish
Here are twenty common food and drink items that might be ordered while visiting Indonesia, with Indonesian to English translations and pronunciation:
- Nasi goreng (NAH-see GOH-rehng): Fried rice
- Mie goreng (MEE-eh GOH-rehng): Fried noodles
- Sate (SAH-teh): Grilled meat skewers
- Gado-gado (GAH-doh GAH-doh): Vegetables with peanut sauce
- Bakso (BAHK-soh): Meatballs
- Satay (SAH-tay): Grilled meat skewers
- Rendang (REHN-dahng): Spicy meat dish
- Soto (SOH-toh): Soup
- Ayam goreng (AH-yam GOH-rehng): Fried chicken
- Nasi uduk (NAH-see OO-dook): Coconut rice
- Nasi campur (NAH-see CHAHM-poor): Mixed rice
- Nasi kuning (NAH-see KOO-neeng): Yellow rice
- Soto ayam (SOH-toh AH-yam): Chicken soup
- Gudeg (GOO-dehg): Sweet jackfruit dish
- Pepes (PEH-pehs): Grilled or steamed food in banana leaves
- Bubur ayam (BOO-boor AH-yam): Chicken congee
- Karedok (KAH-reh-dohk): Raw vegetables with peanut sauce
- Es teh (EH-seh TEH): Ice tea
- Es jeruk (EH-seh JEH-rook): Ice citrus juice
- Es campur (EH-seh CHAHM-poor): Mixed ice dessert
Asking for directions and locations:
- Di mana (dee MAH-nah): Where
- Ke mana (keh MAH-nah): Where to
- Kemana (keh-MAH-nah): Where (informal)
- Jalan (JAH-lahn): Road
- Apakah ini jalan ke (ah-PAH-kah EE-nee JAH-lahn keh): Is this the way to
- Saya ingin pergi ke (SAH-yah eeng-EEN pehr-GEE keh): I want to go to
- Apakah ada (ah-PAH-kah AH-dah): Is there
- Tempat (TEHM-paht): Place
- Bandara (bahn-DAH-rah): Airport
- Stasiun (stah-SOO-oon): Train station
Shopping and negotiating:
- Beli (BEH-lee): Buy
- Jual (JOO-ahl): Sell
- Harga (HAHR-gah): Price
- Berapa (beh-RAH-pah): How much
- Mahal (MAH-hahl): Expensive
- Murah (MOO-rah): Cheap
- Diskon (dee-SKOHN): Discount
- Saya mau (SAH-yah mah-OO): I want
- Saya tidak mau (SAH-yah TEE-dak mah-OO): I don’t want
Transportation:
- Bis (bees): Bus
- Taksi (tahk-SEE): Taxi
- Kereta (keh-REH-tah): Train
- Pesawat (peh-SAH-waht): Plane
- Angkutan (ahng-koo-TAHN): Transportation
- Berangkat (beh-RAHNG-kaht): Depart
- Tiba (TEE-bah): Arrive
- Terminal (TEHR-mih-nahl): Terminal
- Tiket (TEE-keht): Ticket
Accommodation:
- Hotel (hoh-TEHL): Hotel
- Kamar (KAH-mahr): Room
- Satu kamar (SAH-too KAH-mahr): One room
- Dua kamar (DOO-ah KAH-mahr): Two rooms
- Kosong (KOH-sohng): Empty
- Penuh (PEH-noo): Full
- Check-in (chehk-IN): Check-in
- Check-out (chehk-OH-teh): Check-out
Health and Emergencies:
- Hotel (hoh-TEHL): Hotel
- Kamar (KAH-mahr): Room
- Satu kamar (SAH-too KAH-mahr): One room
- Dua kamar (DOO-ah KAH-mahr): Two rooms
- Kosong (KOH-sohng): Empty
- Penuh (PEH-noo): Full
- Check-in (chehk-IN): Check-in
- Check-out (chehk-OH-teh): Check-out
