Every language has its own uniqueness. One factor that makes Bahasa Indonesia unique is the diversity of the vocabulary. Indonesian vocabulary can be used in the root form or adding prefix and suffix. In some cases, Indonesian vocabulary can also be combined with other vocabularies and form idioms and proverbs.
For foreign people leaning Bahasa Indonesia, sometimes it can be quite hard to differentiate between idioms and proverbs. In this article we are going to differentiate idioms and proverbs and see its use in sentence. Here is the Indonesian Idioms and Proverbs. Also learn about famous Indonesian phrases.
Indonesian Idioms
Idioms are a group of vocabulary arranged in certain order to create a new meaning. If each of the vocabulary is separated; they have a complete different meaning from the idioms. This is why idioms cannot be translated word by word unless you know the real meaning and able to explain it. Below is the example of Indonesian idioms along with meaning and the literal translation as well. Also learn about Indonesian idioms and expressions.
Indonesian Idioms and Proverbs
| Idioms | Literal translation | Meaning |
| Makan asam garam | Eat sour and salt | Through thick and thin |
| Empat mata | Four eyes | Eye to eye communication |
| Besar kepala | Big head | Arrogant |
| Banting tulang | To throw a bone | To work hard |
| Mata duitan | Money’s eye | A person who love money so much |
| Mata sapi | Cow’s egg | Sunny side up egg |
| Kupu-kupu malam | Night butterfly | Prostitute |
| Adu domba | Sheep fight | To divide and conquer |
| Hilir mudik | To go back and forth | |
| Panjang tangan | Long hand | thief |
| Campur tangan | Mixed hands | To get involved in one’s problem |
| Angkat kaki | Lift foot | To leave |
| Gulung tikar | Roll a mat | To go bankrupt |
| Naik darah | Raise of blood | To get angry |
| Buah tangan | Fruits hand | Gift |
| Buah cinta | Fruits of love | Beloved child |
| Rendah hati | Low heart | Down to earth |
| Buah bibir | Fruits of love | Byword |
| Kabar angin | Wind news | Issues |
| Mata-mata | Eyes | Spy |
| Tertangkap basah | Caught wet handed | Caught red handed |
| Bermuka dua | Two face | Two-faced person |
| Cinta monyet | Monkey love | Puppy love |
| Peras keringat | Squeeze sweat | Working hard |
| Gelap mata | Blind eyes | Loose control |
| Muka tebal | Thick face | Shameless person |
| Berat hati | Heavy heart | Unwilling |
| Perang dingin | Cold war | War without weapons |
| Liang lahat | Tomb | |
| Otak udang | Shrimp brain | Dumb person |
| Main mata | Eye play | To flirt |
| Banting stir | To change occupation | |
| Darah daging | Flesh of blood | Biological child |
| Makan angin | Eating wind | Go out for fresh air |
| Putar otak | Brain reverse | To find another solution |
| Badan dua | Two bodied | Pregnant, eating for two |
| Buang muka | Throw a face | Turn away |
| Sebatang kara | Living alone | |
| Datang bulan | Moon coming | Menstrual period |
| Hati kecil | Small child | Deepest heart |
| Tutup usia | Close age | Die, passed away |
| Gila harta | Crazy of wealth | Person who loves to pile up wealth |
| Main api | Playing fire | Do something risky |
| Pindah tangan | Move hands | Shifting of transition (property, belongings) |
| Kepala dingin | Cold head | To think logically |
| Lintah darat | Land leech | Loan shark |
| Unjuk gigi | Showing tooth | Demonstrate skill |
| Unjuk rasa | Utter the feelings | Demonstration |
| Besar mulut | Big mouth | Blabber mouth |
| Bunga desa | Flower of the village | The most beautiful girl in the block |
| Bunga tidur | Flower of the sleep | Dream |
| Kelinci percobaan | Experiment rabbit | Guinea pig |
| Balik kucing | Turn a cat | To go back home before even reach to destination |
| Dari mulut ke mulut | Mouth to mouth | Word of mouth |
| Kopi darat (kopdar) | Land coffee | To meet someone you know from internet |
| Cinta buta | Blind love | Head over the heel in love |
| Kebakaran jenggot | Flaming beard | Fire in the pants |
Example of idioms in sentences
- Ani ingin berbicara empat mata dengan Agus. (Ani wants to have an eye to eye conversation with Agus.)
- Berdasarkan berita yang beredar dari mulut ke mulut, besok sekolah akan libur. (according to word of mouth news, school will be off tomorrow.)
- Hujan deras membuat Ganda harus balik kucing dan libur bekerja. (The heavy rain forces Ganda to comb back home and take a day off.)
- Pencuri itu tertangkap basah sedang merampok sebuah toko. (The thief is caught red handed while robbing a store.)
- Dia harus putar otak agar bisa membayar hutang. (He has to think of another way to pay off debt.)
- Sebagai seorang ayah, ia harus bekerja banting dan peras keringat. (As a father, he has to work his ass off.)
Also learn about Indonesian figure of speech.
Indonesian Proverbs
Proverbs in bahasa Indonesia is translated as pepatah or peribahasa. It is a short figurative expression consists of sentences or group of words. Proverbs are famous expression used for generations and mostly contain moral value, wise words, norm, principle, and also general truth.
Understanding the true meaning of proverbs is important, so that the essential meaning or value can be described using the figurative speech or expression. Below are some examples of Indonesian proverbs along with English equivalent.
Also learn Indonesian words of wisdom.
Indonesian Idioms and Proverbs
| Indonesian proverbs | English equivalent |
| Alah bisa karena biasa | Practice makes perfect |
| Air tenang menghanyutkan | Still water runs deep |
| Tak ada gading yang tak retak | Even homers sometimes nod, nobody’s perfect |
| Sepandai-pandainya tupai melompat, akhirnya jatuh juga | The pitcher goes so often to the well that is broken at last |
| Rumput tetangga selalu lebih hijau | The grass is always greener on the other side |
| Nasi sudah menjadi bubur | There is no use to cry over the spilt milk |
| Sekali mendayung dua tiga pulau terlampaui Sambil menyelam minum air |
Killing two birds with one stone |
| Ada udang di balik batu | There is no such thing as free lunch |
| Siap cepat dia dapat | The early bird gets the worm |
| Gali lobang tutup lobang | Robbing Peter to pay Paul |
| Karena nila setitik rusak susu sebelanga | One rotten apple spoil the whole barrel |
| Seperti during dalam daging | A thorn in one’s flesh |
| Air susu dibalas dengan air tuba | Don’t bite a hand that feed you |
| Di mana tanah dipijak, di situ bumi dijunjung | When in Rome, do as the Romans do |
| Hemat pangkal kaya | A penny saved is a penny gained |
| Diberi hati minta jantung | Give him an inch and he will take a yard |
| Sudah jatuh tertimpa tangga | Misfortunes love company |
| Rajin pangkal kaya | Diligence is the mother of good luck |
| Buruk rupa cermin dibelah | It takes two to tango |
| Kebersihan sebagian dari iman | Cleanliness is close to godliness |
| Berat sama dipikul, ringan sama dijinjing | Many hands make light work |
| Tong kosong nyaring bunyinya | Empty vessels make the most noist |
| Buah jatuh tidak jauh dari pohonnya | Like father like son |
| Setali tiga uang | Two identical things |
| Ada asap ada api | Every why has its wherefore |
| Besar pasak dari pada tiang | Do not bite more than you can chew |
| Habis manis sepah dibuang | He is a fair weather friend |
| Bersatu kita teguh bercerai kita runtuh | United we stand, divided we fall |
| Jangan menilai seseorang dari penampilannya | Do not judge a book by its cover |
| Tak ada rotan akarpun jadi | A half loaf is better than none |
| Bagai air dengan minyak | Like a cat and dog |
Also learn Indonesian proverbs with English Equivalent.
Example of Indonesian proverbs in sentences
- Jangan sangka dia tidak bisa marah karena air tenang menghanyutkan. (Do not think that he cannot get angry because still water runs deep.)
- Tidak heran kalau dia jadi anak nakal, kan buah jatuh tidak jauh dari pohonnya. (No wonder if he becomes a bad boy, like father like son, eh?)
- Jangan jadi besar pasak dari pada tiang, selalu perhitungkan keuangan dengan benar. (do not bite more than you can chew, always calculate your finance correctly.)
- Apalah daya nasi sudah menjadi bubur, uangnya sudah hilang dan kita harus bertahan. (There is no used to cry over the spilt milk, the money is gone and we have to stand still.)
- Seumur hidupnya hanya gali lobang tutup lobang karena utang yang menumpuk. (Throughout his life, he is like robbing Peter to pay Paul because the debt is piling up.)
- Meskipun rumput tetangga selalu lebih hijau, tapi kita tetah harus bersyukur dengan yang kita punya. (Even though the grass is always greener on the other side, we have to count the blessing for everything we have.)
- Menabunglah sedikit demi sedikit karena hemat pangkal kaya. (Save up little by little because a penny saved is a penny gained.)
- Mereka bagai air dengan minyak, tidak pernah bersahabat. (They are like cat and dog, never be friend.)
- Lihat orang lain dari kepribadiannya, jangan menilai seseorang dari penampilannya. (Look other people from their characteristic, do not judge a book by its cover.)
The use of proverbs in everyday life is quite often. Even though there are not much people who understand the meaning of proverbs but it gives different sense of the language. You should try to use proverbs and idioms and enrich your vocabulary.