Selamat datang kembali di MasteringBahasa! How’s your progress in learning Indonesian so far? Are you enjoying Indonesia? If you’ve stayed in Indonesia for just a while, you’ll know that one of our most crowded places here are traditional markets.
Indonesian people usually shop for groceries in markets as it is cheaper and bargainable! Do you know the Indonesian word for market? It’s pasar. But actually, this word is not purely Indonesian. It’s derived from another language: Persian language, that influenced Indonesian language back in the day where Persian traders came to Indonesia.
Thus, there are many loanwords in Indonesian such as Sanskrit Words in Indonesian Language and Indonesian Words Derived from Dutch
Persian Words in Indonesian Language Vocabulary
Pasar is not the only Persian word adapted into Indonesian. Let’s learn more of these Persian loanwords below!
| Word | Meaning | Example |
| anggur | grape | Anggur merupakan hasil tani penting bagi kami (Grape is an important agricultural commodity to us) |
| bandar | port | Batavia dulunya digunakan sebagai bandar dagang (Batavia was once used as a trading port) |
| cadar | veil | Ia memilih cadar pernikahan kesukaannya (She picks her favorite wedding veil) |
| dewan | assembly, meeting | Dewan itu memutuskan untuk mencari karyawan baru (The assembly decided to look for a new employee) |
| firdaus | eden, bountiful garden | Ia merasa seperti berada di firdaus (He feels like he was in Eden) |
| gandum | wheat | Kami membuat tepung singkong untuk mengurangi impor gandum (We made cassava flour to decrease wheat imports) |
| juang | battle | Ia terus berjuang sampai nafas terakhirnya (He keeps battling until his last breath) |
| kaisar | emperor | Lukisan ini berasal dari zaman kaisar (This painting is from the emperor’s era) |
| kismis | raisin | Anak itu sangat suka roti kismis (The kid really likes raisin bread) |
| kurma | date | Ia membeli kurma untuk cemilan sore (She buys dates for evening snacks) |
| medan | area, field, square | Kakek saya tewas di medan perang (My grandfather was killed in the battlefield) |
| nakhoda | captain of a ship | Sewaktu kecil, Rony ingin menjadi nakhoda (When he was young, Rony wanted to be a captain of a ship) |
| pahlawan | hero | Papa adalah pahlawan pertama saya (My dad is my first hero) |
| pasar | market/bazaar | Pasar itu sangat ramai oleh pengunjung di hari libur (The market is so crowded with visitors on holidays) |
| pesona | charm | Artis itu digemari karena mempunyai pesona tersendiri (The actress was adored because she had her own charm) |
| piala | cup, trophy | Edo mendapat piala karena memenangkan pertandingan sepakbola (Edo gets a trophy for winning the soccer tournament) |
| pirus | turquoise | Ia mengenakan gaun pirus untuk pesta nanti malam (She is wearing a turquoise dress for tonight’s party) |
| rubah | fox | Ekor rubah itu sangat indah (The fox’s tail is so beautiful) |
| sihir | magic | Anak itu masih percaya sihir dan dongeng (The kid still believes in magic and fairytales) |
| syahbandar | portmaster | Kami mendatangi syahbandar untuk memberikan penawaran (We approached the portmaster to give him an offer) |
| takhta | throne | Raja itu menolak turun takhta (The king refuses to leave his throne) |
| ustad | teacher (religious, Islam) | Paman saya seorang ustad (My uncle is a religious teacher) |
| zirah | armor | Baju zirah itu berasal dari zaman perang (The armor was from the war times) |
That’s all Persian words in Indonesian. Hopefully you’ll pick up these words fast! Although we have many loanwords from different languages, we also have purely Indonesian words. Check out these untranslatable Indonesian words with no English equivalents.
Improve your conversation skills too! Learn these Indonesian Conversation Phrases, common Indonesian words for tourists, and how to say have a great day in Indonesian. Don’t forget to check out Indonesian greeting and etiquette manners too to make sure you leave a good lasting impression too!