Indonesia is quite famous for the friendly people. Most of foreigner that came to Indonesia agree that Indonesian people are very hospitable. Not only they love to smile, Indonesian people also loves to greet people, even stranger, because it is the culture.
When people meet on the street, they usually greet each other with smile even though they do not know each other. Indonesian people also usually likes to greet foreigner in English. Even though some of them cannot speak English, they at least know how to say “hello” and “good morning”.
Bali is one of the most famous place in Indonesia. Beaches in Bali have magnificent scenery that can attract people from around the world. As a result, Bali people are used to meet and interact with foreigners. They are already aware that English is important to them, so most of them already able to speak in conversational English fluently. You don’t have to be afraid to interact with them as you will communicate smoothly.
People in Bali mostly a native that have culture from mix Balinese Hindu and Buddhist. There are many temples there. The people also preserve their culture well. We can see many shows on traditional dance, art gallery, and others. This make people more interested in coming to Bali. People in Bali are indeed proud of their arts and culture.
Not only proud of their arts and culture, Bali people are also very friendly. Being able to speak in English is one of their strength in communicate with foreigner. They will also very excited and glad if you try to greet them first. They will reply to you with another greeting and wide smile.
Greeting Balinese people with English is okay, as they will understand you. However if you can greet them in their native language, they will be more surprised and happy. Greeting people in Balinese is not difficult. Read explanation below to understand how do you greet people in Bali or how do you say hello in Balinese. This is one of the basic Balinese phrases.
There are many greetings that we can give to other people. From good morning, good afternoon, good evening, until hello. The most universal word is “hello”. That word is understood by many people. Using hello is also flexible because you can use it whenever and wherever, in the morning, in the afternoon, and in the evening.
In Balinese, “hello” can be said as “om suastiastu”. If translated directly, “om suastiastu” can be translated as peace and greetings from God.
You need to learn about:
How to Pronounce “Om Suastiastu”un
You may not be unfamiliar with it, but try to pronounce it as it spelled. Divide the words into several parts:
Om-swas-ti-as-tu
Using the Right Gesture While Giving Greeting in Bali
People in Bali have a culture to greet people using gesture in order to be polite. It’s a traditional Hindu greeting that is commonly used. You can hold your hand in front of your chest with the palm together in a praying position and your finger facing up. Several people maybe will greet you with a handshake. Touch your chest after the handshake as a culture.
Conversation Using “Om Suastiastu”
After you say “om suastiastu”, the other people will reply with the same phrase, as example below
A : Om suastiastu (Hello)
B : Om suastiastu (Hello)
You need to learn about:
- How to Say Thank You in Balinese
- Basic Balinese Phrases and Examples
- Balinese Phrases and Pronunciation
Other Balinese Expression That Can Be Used To Greet People in Bali
- Rahajeng semeng (good morning)
- Rahajeng wengi (good evening)
If you are still confused, you can also try to greet people using Indonesian.
That’s all from us about how do you say hello in Balinese. Enjoy your trip to Bali and don’t be shy to greet the local people. Thank you for reading.