🇮🇩 Basic Bahasa Indonesia

Useful Words & Phrases

Julian De Rosa

Julian De Rosa

East Java, Bali, Lombok, Sumbawa, Indonesia

Indonesia is one of the world's most linguistically diverse countries, home to over 700 regional languages, with estimates ranging from around 700 to over 800, making it second only to Papua New Guinea in language count, while Bahasa Indonesia serves as the official national language for communication across the archipelago. 

👋 Greetings

  • Hallo – Hello

  • Selamat pagi – Good morning

  • Selamat madam – Good evening

  • Apa kabar? – How are you?

  • Terima kasih – Thank you

  • Terima kasih banyak – Thank you very much

  • Sama-sama – You’re welcome


😊 Polite Words

  • Tolong – Please / Help

  • Maaf – Sorry / Excuse me

  • Permisi – Excuse me (passing by)

  • Tidak apa-apa – No problem


💬 Helpful Travel Phrases

  • Ya / Tidak – Yes / No

  • Berapa harganya? – How much is this?

  • Mahal / Murah – Expensive / Cheap

  • Di mana…? – Where is…?

  • Saya tidak mengerti – I don’t understand

  • Bisa bahasa Inggris? – Do you speak English?

  • Nama saya - My name is


🍽️ Food & Drinks

  • Makan – Eat

  • Minum – Drink

  • Air – Water

  • Pedas – Spicy

  • Tidak pedas – Not spicy

  • Enak! – Delicious!


🚕 Getting Around

  • Jalan – Street / Walk

  • Kiri / Kanan – Left / Right

  • Berhenti – Stop

  • Ayo – Let’s go

  • Pelan-pelan – Slowly


💡 Good to know

Bahasa Indonesia is easy and friendly - no tones, no conjugations.

And you say it as you read it.
Even a few words will get you big smiles 😊

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