Indonesia is the country who has the widest area of the sea and it is one of the choices for the foreigners to visit this country. The swimmer, the diver and the surfer choose Indonesia for their recreation place to try the beauty of the sea or the wave. Those reasons make foreigner to visit Indonesia and learn Indonesian language in order to assimilate with the locals.
If you or other foreigners decide to visit Indonesia in short time, you had better learn Indonesian language soon. The Indonesian language has two different level, they are formal and informal.
The formal language is spoken among the older people to younger, the parents, or the people who are in the formal meeting among the government or in the summit. The formal language is recommended to be spoken when you are coming to Indonesia for the first time.
The informal language is spoken as the slang word (usually) and the parents to the children or among the same-age friends. New visitors of Indonesia may speak slang or informal words if they have already had strong relationships with Indonesian or the local.
After knowing two level of Indonesian language, it is recommended for you to learn new basic words. One of the basic words in Indonesian language is how to say No in Indonesia. No has become one of the basic words to all languages.
No in Indonesian language has different form of words and different ways to speak it.
- The Meaning of No Word in Indonesia
The word No in English has the meaning of the word Tidak in Indonesia. Other than Tidak, No has other meaning which has the equal meanings to Tidak.
No: Tidak (read: Ti:d^k, Bukan (read: Buk^n), and Jangan (read: J^ŋ^n) (Formal Language)
No: Enggak (read: ŋg^k), Gak (G^k), and Kagak (K^g^k) (Informal Language)
- Combination of No Word in Indonesia (Most Spoken)
There are also some words which are combined with the word Tidak. Here are the examples:
| Indonesia | Meaning in English |
| Tidak ada | Nothing |
| Tidak bisa | (Subject) Cannot |
| Tidak mau | (Subject) Don’t/Doesn’t want to |
| Tidak apa/ Tidak apa-apa | It is okay |
| Tidak punya | (Subject) Don’t/Doesn’t have |
| Tidak boleh | (Subject) may not |
- How and When to Speak No (Tidak) in Indonesia
The word No in Indonesia, Tidak, is spoken as the negative sense or meaning. This word are also used as the behavior or the choice of disagreement toward something or someone’s thought, decision, choice, and behavior.
The word Bukan, which has the equal meaning of Tidak also shows the clarification of someone’s choice or mind and emphasizes one’s thought. Here are the expressions of how to say no in Indonesia.
- Example of Expressions
| Indonesian Language | Meaning in English |
| Saya tidak tahu beritanya. (Formal) | I don’t know about the news. |
| Renata tidak boleh pergi. (Formal) | Renata may not leave. |
| A: Apakah kamu tidak mengunjungi pesta itu? B: Tidak, saya tidak pergi. (Formal) |
A: Don’t you visit the party? B: No, I don’t go. |
| Anak kecil itu tidak bisa tidur. (Formal) | The little child cannot sleep. |
| A: Apakah itu Ibu kamu?
B: Bukan, itu bukan Ibu saya. (Formal) |
A: Is she your mother?
B: No, she isn’t my mother. (Emphasizes one’s thought) |
| Gue enggak suka gaya lo! (Informal/Slang) | I don’t like your style. |
| Kok, duit gue kagak ada?!? (Informal/Slang) | OMG, where is my money going?!? |
| Mohon, jangan pergi! (Formal) | Please, don’t go! |
You may also read about:
- How to Say I Don’t Know in Indonesian
- Learn How to Say Yes in Indonesian
- Basic Words You Should Know If You Want to Study in Indonesia (Important Vocabularies)
Those are the example of the expressions of how to say No in Indonesia. They can be practiced now and please use them wisely!