Travelling to a non-English speaking country can be daunting for some. Though, it’s a valuable chance to learn some of the basics in a brand new language that you can keep with you for the rest of your travelling days. Your attempt in speaking the local language can also reward you with lots of respect from the locals.
Indonesians speak the official language of Indonesia, Bahasa Indonesian, and over 700 languages indigenous to the country are also spoken.
Bahasa Indonesian is incredibly easy to learn. You can’t be expected to learn the whole language before you travel, but you can learn some basics to get you through some common social situations during your stay.
Here are some basics to get the conversation started on a short stay to Indonesia.
Greetings and Exchanges
Goodmorning (used until 11am)
Selamat pagi
Good afternoon (used from 11am to 2pm)
Selamat siang
Good afternoon (used from 2pm to dusk)
Selamat sore (‘sore’ pronounced like ‘sore-ray’)
Good evening
Selamat malam
Good night
Selamat tidor (‘tidor’ is pronounced as ‘tee-door’)
How are you?
Apa kabar?
Fine
Baik
Please
Tolong
Thankyou
Terima kasih
You’re welcome
Sama-sama
My name is…
Nama saya…
Where are you from?
Anda dari mana?
I am from…
Saya dari…
Sorry
Ma’af
Some essentials
Where is the toilet?
Di mana kamar kecil? (the c in ‘kecil’ is pronounced like ‘ch’)
I want to order…
Saya mau pesan…
How much?
Berapa harga?
Take me to…
Bisa pergi ke…
I don’t understand
Saya tidak mengerti
Some common words
Noodles
Mei
Rice
Nasi
Temple
Pura
Church
Gereja
Mosque
Masjid
City
Kota
Village
Kampung
Shop
Warung
Market
Pasar
Open
Buka
Closed
Tutup
(The letter ‘u’ is pronounced like ‘oo’)
Counting to ten
Satu = One
Dua = Two
Tiga = Three
Empat = Four
Lima = Five
Enam = Six
Tujuh = Seven
Delapan = Eight
Sembilan = Nine
Sempuluh = Ten
(The letter ‘u’ is pronounced like ‘oo’)
Days of the week
Hari senin = Monday
Hari selasa = Tuesday
Hari rabu = Wednesday
Hari kamis = Thursday
Hari jumat = Friday
Hari sabtu = Saturday
Hari minggu = Sunday
(The letter ‘u’ is pronounced like ‘oo’)
Do you have any Bahasa Indonesian words or phrases to share?
