Indonesian/Important Phrases
(Redirected from Indonesian/Useful words)
These are some of the most commonly used words and phrases.
Common phrases
[edit | edit source]| Translation | Phrase | IPA (Formal Modern Indonesian) | Syllables |
|---|---|---|---|
| Indonesian | Bahasa Indonesia | [baˌhasa indoˈnesia] | ba·ha·sa In·do·ne·sia |
| Hello! | Halo! (both in casual speech and on the telephone) | [ˈhalo↘] | ha·lo |
| Welcome! | Selamat datang! | [səˌlamat ˈdatang↘] | se·la·mat da·tang |
| Good morning. | Selamat pagi. | [səˌlamat ˈpagi↘] | se·la·mat pa·gi |
| Good afternoon. | Selamat siang. (from 12 o’clock in the afternoon) | [səˌlamat ˈsiaŋ↘] | se·la·mat si·ang |
| Good afternoon. | Selamat sore. (from 3 p.m.) | [səˌlamat ˈsore↘] | se·la·mat so·re |
| Good evening. | Selamat malam. (from 6 p.m.) | [səˌlamat ˈmalam↘] | se·la·mat ma·lam |
| Good night. | Selamat beristirahat. | [səˌlamat bəristiˈrahat↘] | se·la·mat ber·is·ti·ra·hat |
| Goodbye! | Dadah! (commonly-used, informal) | [ˈdadah↘] | da·dah |
| Goodbye. | Selamat tinggal. (said by the person leaving) | [səˌlamat ˈtiŋgal↘] | se·la·mat ting·gal |
| Goodbye. | Selamat jalan. (said by the person staying) | [səˌlamat ˈdʒalan↘] | se·la·mat ja·lan |
| Please. | Tolong. | [ˈtɔlɔŋ↘] | to·long |
| Thank you. | Terima kasih. | [təˌrima ˈkasih↘] | te·ri·ma ka·sih |
| You’re welcome. | Terima kasih kembali. | [təˌrima ˌkasih kəmˈbali↘] | te·ri·ma ka·sih kem·ba·li |
| this | ini | [ˈini] | i·ni |
| that | itu | [ˈitu] | i·tu |
| How much? | Berapa? | [bəˈra↗pa] | be·ra·pa |
| Yes. | Ya. | [ja] | ya |
| No. | Tidak. | [ˈtidaʔ] | ti·dak |
| generic toast (when drinking) | Selamat minum! | [səˌlamat ˈminʊm↘] | se·la·mat mi·num |
| Let’s toast! | Mari bersulang! | [ˈmari bərˌsulang↘] | ma·ri ber·su·lang |
| Sorry. | Maaf. | [maˈʔaf] | ma·af |
| I don’t understand. | Saya tidak mengerti. | [ˈsaja ˌtidaʔ məŋərˈti↘] | sa·ya ti·dak meng·er·ti |
| I don’t know. | Saya tidak tahu. | [ˈsaja ˌtidaʔ ˈta(h)u↘] | sa·ya ti·dak ta·hu |
| I don’t know. | Saya tidak paham. | [ˈsaja ˌtidaʔ ˈpaham↘] | sa·ya ti·dak pa·ham |
| The English language | Bahasa Inggris | [baˌhasa ˈiŋgrɪs] | ba·ha·sa Ing·gris |
| Do you speak English? | Bisa bahasa Inggris? | [ˈbisa baˌhasa ˈiŋgrɪs↗] | bi·sa ber·ba·ha·sa Ing·gris |
| I cannot speak Indonesian. | Saya tidak bisa berbicara bahasa Indonesia. | [ˈsaja ˌtidaʔ ˌbisa bərbiˈtʃara baˌhasa ˈindonesia↘] | sa·ya ti·dak bi·sa ber·ba·ha·sa In·do·ne·sia |
| I want to go to… | Saya mau pergi ke… | [ˈsaja maʊ pərˈgi kə] | sa·ya ma·u per·gi ke |
| Where is the restroom? | Di mana toiletnya? | [di ˈmana toilɛtˈɲa↗] | di ma·na toi·let·nya |
| Happy birthday! | Selamat ulang tahun! | [səˈlamat ˌulaŋ ˈtahʊn↘] | se·la·mat u·lang ta·hun |
⁂ Click here for more information on Standard Indonesian phonology, how it differs from Standard Malay phonology. Vowel reduction is evident in modern Indonesian phonology due to the influence of Javanese.
Helpful vocabulary for asking about words
[edit | edit source]When you're trying to find the right word, these can help you ask for suggestions:
- same → sama
- almost the same → hampir sama / mirip
- antonym → lawan kata
If you forget these, you can fall back on:
- sinonim → synonym
- antonim → antonym
Sinonim and antonim are not common words, but they are easy to remember, many Indonesian speakers understand them, and they can be helpful in your early stages of trying to communicate.
Kata-kata Penting (Important Phrases)
[edit | edit source]Lost traveller's guide for important phrases.
- Thank you → Terima kasih
- Yes → Ya
- No, not → Tidak (used to negate anything but nouns)
- No, Not a X → Bukan X (where X is a noun)
- Sorry → Maaf
- Excuse me → Permisi
- Never mind / It's okay → Tidak apa-apa
- Okay → Baik
- Please (to let other people pass) → Silahkan
- Please (to order something) → Tolong
- Please give me X → Tolong berikan saya X
- My name is X → Nama saya X
- I am from Y → Saya dari Y
- Where is Z? → Di mana Z?
- Where is X embassy? → Di mana kedutaan X?
- I lost my passport → Paspor saya hilang (Literally, my passport is lost)
- Taxi → Taksi (almost the same pronunciation)
- Where are you going? → Ke mana? (Literally = to where?)
- To X? → Ke X
- Turn left → Belok kiri
- Turn right → Belok kanan
- Go straight ahead → Lurus (Terus)
- There / Over there → Di situ
- What's this/that? → Apa ini/itu? (pointing to something)
- I want to see it. → Saya mau lihat itu
- How much? → Berapa?
- How much is this/that? → Berapa ini/itu?
- Too expensive → Kemahalan
- Give me a lower price → Kurang sedikit harganya
- Cannot → Tidak bisa
Time
[edit | edit source]- sudah (already)
- belum (not yet)
These are the words used to deal with almost any situation involving past or future. If neither word is used, it likely means that the action is happening around now.