20 Words to Get You (Almost) Anywhere in Indonesia

I once ordered “fried p*ss” instead of “fried potatoes” in a restaurant.

And, on presenting a landlady with her key, I announced, “I’m so sorry! Here’s your cat!”. So I’ve had my adventures in learning Indonesian.

And, my Bahasa still isn’t pretty.

All the same, if you’re thinking of getting off the beaten track in Indonesia, you’ll need a basic vocabulary. These 20 words of Indonesian will give you pretty much what you need to know.

Welcome to learning Indonesian 101.

1. Ada
Is there…? Do you have…? There is… I have….

Use this word to request things. Just stick the name of what you’re after onto it. “Ada kamar?” “Do you have a room?” “Ada.” “I do.”

2. Bisa
Is it possible…? Can you…? Can I…? It’s

possible…. I can…. You can…

Use this when you want to do something, or find out whether someone can do something for you. “Bisa ke Ubud?” “Can you [go] to Ubud?”

3. Ya
Yes. Yeah?

Also used as an interrogative on the end of questions, like the London “innit?” or “yeah?” or West Coast “y’know?”

4. Tidak
No. Not.

There are two negatives in Indonesian, but this one is always understood. You can use it to mean “no” or a “not”. “Tidak bisa.” “It’s not possible.” “Habis?” “Have you finished?” “Tidak.” “No.”

5. Habis
Finished. There is no more. Have you finished?

When being turned away from a petrol station, “Habis” means “We are out of petrol.” At a guesthouse, “habis” means their rooms are full.

6. Makan
Food. Eat. Meal.

One of the nice things about learning Indonesian is that many words can be used both as nouns and verbs. “Ada makan?” “Do you have food?” Just add times of day to make meals: “Makan pagi” (breakfast) “Makan siang” (lunch) “Makan malam” (dinner).

7. Selamat
Safe.

Add the times of day to make formal greetings: “Selamat pagi”: “Good morning.” “Selamat siang“: “Good day.” “Selamat malam“: “Good evening”. “Selamat jalan“: “Safe journey!” (Goodbye). You can also use it to ask if, for example, it’s safe to leave your bags somewhere.

8. Pagi
Morning. Morning! In the morning.

As in “Selamat pagi” (good morning), “makan pagi” (breakfast). “Ada bis ke Ubud?” “Is there a bus to Ubud?” “Pagi.” “In the morning.”

9. Siang
Midday, in the middle of the day.

“Selamat siang” (good day). “Makan siang” (lunch). (There’s a fourth Indonesian time word, “sore“, which covers the afternoon, but you don’t necessarily need to know that.)

10. Malam
Evening, night, in the evening.

“Selamat malam“: good evening. “Makan malam“: dinner. “Ada kamar?” “Do you have a room? “Ada! Berapa malam?” “I have one. For how many nights?”

11. Kamar
Room.

Used when booking hotels, for example. The word for toilet is “kamar kecil” (literally: the little room).

12. Orang
Person. People.

“Ada kamar?” “Ada. Berapa orang?” “Do you have a room?” “I do. For how many people?” Also as in “orang utan” – “man of the woods”.

13. Berapa
How many…? How much…? What number…?

In a shop: “Berapa?” “How much?” It’s worth learning your Indonesian numbers, but most Indonesians will write the price down for you on paper or a calculator, or hold up fingers or notes. “Jam berapa?” “What time….?”

14. Jam
Hour. Time.

“Jam berapa?” “What time is it?” “Berapa jam ke Ubud?” “How many hours to Ubud?”

15. Dari
From.

“Dari mana?” “Where are you from?”

16. Ke
To.

“Ke mana?” “Where are you [going] to?”

17. (Di) Mana
Where?

“Di mana kamar kecil?” “Where is the toilet?” “Ke mana?” “Where are you [going] to? “Ke Kuta.” “I am going to Kuta.”

18: Bis
Bus.

“Jam berapa bis ke Ubud?” “What time is the bus to Ubud?”

19: Kapal
Boat

There are many, many different words for different types of boat. “Kapal” means big boats, or ferries, but will be understood for most other types of boats.

20: Sudah
Already. Finished. Have you yet?

In a restaurant: “Sudah?” “Have you finished?” “Sudah.” “I have.” In conversation: “Sudah ke Bali?” “Have you [been] to Bali yet?”

Pronunciation

Learning Indonesian pronunciation is pretty intuitive. Three oddities? K is silent – or, rather glottal — at the end of a word, c is pronounced as a “ch” sound, and the “ng” sound is like the “ng” in the middle of “singing”.

Do you have any language shortcuts you can share? I’d love to hear them. Drop me a comment and let me know.

Need more? Read my post on the best books for learning Indonesian.

Or head on over to BookDepository.com, the Amazon-owned bookshop which ships free to almost everywhere in the world, including Indonesia, the US, Europe, Australia, India, the Philippines, Singapore and Malaysia, and pick up a copy of the wonderful Instant Indonesian. I didn’t know it existed when I wrote this post.

While travelling in Indonesia, it is so useful to access your Windows Desktop from CloudDesktopOnline and your online SharePoint with CloudAppsPortal.