Austronesian · Latin
IndonesianBahasa Indonesia
200M speakers · Southeast Asia
250 terms
Hello
A casual greeting used at any time of day.
Good morning
A morning greeting; selamat plus a time of day forms most greetings.
Good evening
A greeting used at night.
Good night
Said before going to bed, literally safe sleep.
Goodbye
A farewell said by the person leaving; the one staying says selamat jalan.
See you later
A casual way to say goodbye, literally until we meet.
Thank you
The standard expression of gratitude, literally receive love.
You're welcome
The standard reply to thanks, literally same-same.
Sorry; excuse me
An apology, also used to get someone's attention politely.
Yes
An affirmative answer.
No; not
A negative answer; also negates verbs and adjectives.
How are you?
A common greeting question, literally what news.
Fine; good; kind
Good or well; the standard reply to apa kabar.
My name is
Used to introduce yourself by name.
Nice to meet you
Said when meeting someone for the first time.
Welcome
Used to welcome guests or new arrivals.
Good luck
A wish for success, literally may you succeed.
I don't understand
A useful phrase for learners when something is unclear.
One
The number one.
Two
The number two.
Three
The number three.
Four
The number four.
Five
The number five.
Six
The number six.
Seven
The number seven.
Eight
The number eight.
Nine
The number nine.
Ten
The number ten.
Hundred
The number one hundred.
Thousand
The number one thousand; Indonesia is the land of a thousand islands and more.
Today
The present day.
Tomorrow
The day after today.
Yesterday
The day before today.
Now
At the present moment.
Hour; clock; o'clock
An hour, a clock, or the time of day.
Minute
A period of sixty seconds.
Week; Sunday
A period of seven days; capitalized, Minggu means Sunday.
Year
A period of twelve months.
Family
A group of people related by blood or marriage.
Mother; Mrs.
A female parent; also a polite title for women.
Father
A male parent; bapak is also used and doubles as Mr.
Older sibling
An older brother or sister; gender is added if needed.
Younger sibling
A younger brother or sister.
Son; boy
A male child.
Daughter; girl
A female child.
Grandfather
The father of your parent.
Grandmother
The mother of your parent.
Husband
The man a woman is married to.
Wife
The woman a man is married to.
Child
A young person, or someone's son or daughter.
Friend
A person you know well and like.
Man; male
An adult male person.
Woman; female
An adult female person.
Teacher
A person who teaches.
Student; pupil
A person who studies at school.
Neighbor
A person who lives next to or near you.
Water
The clear liquid essential for life.
Tea
A drink made from tea leaves; sweet iced tea, es teh manis, is everywhere.
Coffee
A drink made from coffee beans; Indonesia grows world-famous coffee.
Cooked rice
The staple food; nasi goreng, fried rice, is the national dish.
Noodles
Noodles; mie goreng is fried noodles, a street-food favorite.
Bread
A baked food made from flour and water.
Meat
The flesh of animals eaten as food.
Chicken
A chicken, or chicken meat; ayam goreng is fried chicken.
Fish
An animal that lives in water, eaten as food.
Egg
An egg laid by a hen, a common breakfast food.
Vegetables
Plants grown for food; gado-gado is a famous vegetable dish.
Fruit
Sweet plant foods; Indonesia grows wonderful tropical fruit.
Mango
A sweet tropical fruit.
Milk
A white drink produced by cows.
Juice
A drink made from pressed fruit; jus alpukat, avocado juice, is a favorite.
Sugar
A sweet substance added to food and drinks.
Salt
A white substance used to season food.
Breakfast
The first meal of the day.
Lunch
The meal eaten in the middle of the day.
Dinner
The meal eaten in the evening.
Airport
A place where airplanes take off and land.
Airplane
A flying vehicle; essential for island-hopping in Indonesia.
Train
A connected line of carriages that runs on rails.
Station
A place where trains stop for passengers.
Bus
A large road vehicle that carries many passengers.
Taxi
A car you pay to be driven somewhere in.
Motorbike taxi
The motorbike taxi, now mostly ordered through apps like Gojek.
Hotel
A place where travelers pay to stay overnight.
Restaurant
A place where you pay to eat meals; a small eatery is a warung.
City
A large town where many people live and work.
Village
A small settlement in the countryside.
Street; road
A road; jalan-jalan means to go for a stroll.
Passport
An official document needed for traveling abroad.
Ticket
A piece of paper that allows you to travel or enter a place.
Map
A drawing showing streets, cities, or countries.
Bank
A place where people keep and borrow money.
Market
A place where goods are sold; traditional markets are the heart of town life.
Beach
A sandy shore by the sea; Bali's beaches are world-famous.
Trip; journey
The act of traveling to a place.
Sun
The star that gives Earth light and warmth, literally eye of the day.
Moon; month
The bright object in the night sky; the same word means month.
Star
A point of light in the night sky; also means a celebrity or rating star.
Sky
The space above the earth where clouds and stars appear.
Sea
The large body of salt water; Indonesia is the world's largest archipelago.
River
A large natural stream of water flowing to the sea.
Mountain; volcano
A very high hill; Indonesia has over a hundred volcanoes.
Forest; jungle
A large area covered with trees; home to orangutans in Sumatra and Borneo.
Tree
A tall plant with a trunk, branches, and leaves.
Flower
The colorful blossom of a plant; also means bank interest.
Rain
Water that falls from clouds; the rainy season is musim hujan.
Snow
Soft white frozen water; in Indonesia it exists only on Papua's peaks.
Wind
Moving air that you can feel.
Weather
The condition of the air, such as sun, rain, or wind.
Animal
A living creature; Indonesia is home to komodo dragons and orangutans.
Cat
A small pet animal that meows.
Body
The whole physical structure of a person.
Head
The top part of the body; also means a chief, as in kepala desa.
Eye
The part of the body used for seeing; appears in matahari, the sun.
Ear
The part of the body used for hearing.
Nose
The part of the face used for smelling and breathing.
Mouth
The part of the face used for eating and speaking.
Hand; arm
The upper limb, covering both hand and arm in everyday speech.
Leg; foot
The lower limb used for walking; kaki lima are street vendors.
Heart
The organ that pumps blood.
Hair
The hair on a person's head.
Stomach; belly
The front part of the body below the chest.
Doctor
A person trained to treat sick people.
Hospital
A place where sick people are treated, literally sick house.
Medicine
Something you take to treat an illness.
Health
The condition of the body and mind.
Sick; painful
Ill, or hurting; sakit kepala means headache.
Work; job
A job, or the activity of working.
Company
A business organization that sells goods or services.
Office
A room or building where people work at desks.
Boss
The person in charge at work.
Colleague
A person you work with.
Meeting
An occasion when people come together to discuss something.
Money
Coins and banknotes; the Indonesian currency is the rupiah.
Salary
The money you receive regularly for your work.
Computer
An electronic machine used for work and entertainment.
Telephone
A device used for calling people; a mobile is ponsel or HP.
Profession
The type of work a person is trained to do.
Project
A planned piece of work with a clear goal.
Customer
A person who buys goods or services.
Contract
A formal written agreement.
Manager
The person who leads a company, shop, or team.
Factory
A building where goods are made with machines.
Culture
The art, customs, and traditions of a society; Indonesia has hundreds of cultures.
History
The study of past events, or the events themselves.
Language
A system of words; Indonesia has over 700 local languages.
Book
Written pages bound together for reading.
Music
Sounds arranged in a pleasing way; gamelan is traditional Indonesian music.
Film; movie
A story shown in moving pictures.
Art
Painting, sculpture, dance, and other creative work; batik is a famous Indonesian art.
Museum
A building where important objects and art are shown.
Festival
A special time of celebration.
Religion
Belief in and worship of a god; Indonesia recognizes six religions.
Government
The group of people who rule a country.
News
Reports about recent events.
Society; community
People living together in an organized community.
Tradition
A custom passed down through generations; gotong royong, mutual help, is a famous one.
To be (is/are)
Links a subject with a noun; often omitted in casual speech.
To have
To own or possess something.
To go
To move from one place to another.
To come
To move toward the speaker or a place.
To eat
To put food in your mouth; sudah makan, have you eaten, is a common greeting.
To drink
To take liquid into your mouth and swallow it.
To see; to look
To notice something with your eyes.
To hear; to listen
To notice sounds with your ears.
To speak
To say words, to talk.
To read
To look at words and understand them.
To write
To form letters and words on paper or a screen.
To buy
To get something by paying money.
To sell
To give something in exchange for money.
To make
To create or produce something.
To work
To do a job, especially for money.
To think
To use your mind to form ideas or opinions.
To want
To wish for or desire something.
To love
To feel deep affection; also the noun love.
To like
To find something pleasant or enjoyable.
To learn; to study
To gain knowledge or skill.
To know (facts)
To have information; with different stress, tahu also means tofu.
To know (people)
To be familiar with a person.
To give
To hand something to someone.
To take
To pick something up or accept it.
To look for
To try to find something.
To help
To make something easier for someone.
To begin
To start doing something.
To finish
To be done or completed.
Good; nice
Of high quality; used for things, while baik describes character.
Bad
Of poor quality or unpleasant.
Big
Of great size.
Small
Of little size.
New
Recently made or bought; also means just now.
Old; a long time
Having existed long, or taking a long time.
Old (age)
Advanced in age; orang tua means parents.
Tall; high
Of great height.
Short
Of little height or length.
Long
Of great length.
Hot
Having a high temperature; Indonesia is hot year-round.
Cold
Having a low temperature.
Fast
Moving or happening quickly.
Slow
Moving or happening without speed.
Expensive
Costing a lot of money.
Cheap
Costing little money.
Beautiful
Very pleasing to look at; indah is used for scenery.
Easy
Not difficult to do or understand.
Difficult
Hard to do or understand.
Important
Having great value or significance.
Clean
Free from dirt.
Delicious; comfortable
Tasty, or pleasant in general — one of the most useful Indonesian words.
What
Used to ask about things.
Who
Used to ask about people.
Where
Used to ask about places.
When
Used to ask about time.
Why
Used to ask about reasons; kenapa is the casual form.
How
Used to ask about manner or condition; gimana is the casual form.
How much; how many
Used to ask about quantity or price.
Which one
Used to ask about a choice between things.
Whose
Used to ask about ownership; casually punya siapa.
Question particle
Introduces a formal yes/no question.
House; home
A building where people live, or your home.
Apartment
A set of rooms for living in, part of a larger building.
Kitchen
The room where food is prepared.
Bathroom
The room for washing, literally bathing room.
Bedroom
The room where you sleep.
Door
The entrance to a room or building.
Window
An opening in a wall with glass that lets in light.
Table
A piece of furniture with a flat top.
Chair
A seat with a back for one person.
Bed
A piece of furniture for sleeping, literally sleeping place.
To sleep
To rest with your eyes closed at night.
Clothes
Things you wear, such as shirts and trousers.
Shoes
Footwear; removed before entering an Indonesian home.
Key
A metal object used to open locks.
Watch
A small clock worn on the wrist, literally hand clock.
Television
A device for watching programmes; often shortened to TV.
Lamp; light
A device that gives light.
Bag
A container with handles for carrying things.
To cook
To prepare food by heating it.
To shop
To buy things for daily needs or pleasure.
Happy; glad
Feeling pleasure and joy.
Sad
Feeling unhappy.
Angry
Feeling strong displeasure.
Afraid
Feeling fear.
Tired
Needing rest; capek is the casual word.
Hungry
Feeling the need to eat.
Thirsty
Feeling the need to drink.
Worried
Feeling anxious about something.
Bored
Feeling tired because something is not interesting.
Excited; enthusiastic
Full of energy and anticipation.
Surprised
Feeling wonder because of something unexpected; kaget is the casual word.
Hope
The feeling that something good will happen.
Happiness
The state of feeling happy.