Hi! Are you ready to learn more Indonesian words today?
Being familiar with common Indonesian words is not enough, you also need to master how to pronounce these words the right way. Before we dive more into Indonesian pronunciation, you might want to check out about Indonesian alphabets – vowels and pronunciation.
The Indonesian language we use today is the same language family as Malay language. These languages share similar sounds but you can see loanwords adapted from other languages, such as Sanskrit, Arabic, and European languages such as Dutch and Portugese. However, Indonesian words are written in Latin alphabet, just like English words. What makes them different is the way you pronounce them.
Indonesian Words Pronunciation
A little review, here is how you pronounce Indonesian vowels:
- a like a in “father”
- i like ea in “neat”
- u like ou in “soup”
- é like e in “mechanic”
- è like e in “permit”
- ó like o in “ok”
- ò like o in “ton”
- ai like ie in “tie”
- au like ow in “how”
Apply these vowel pronunciation in saying these Indonesian words aloud!
- Apa = what
- mInum =to drink
- pUlang = to go home
- Léwat = to pass
- bèrbicara = to talk
- sóre = afternoon
- bòla = ball
- pantAIÂ = beach
- mAUÂ = to want
You may also learn here about Indonesian Words A-Z List
Now let us take a look at pronouncing some consonants.
- N like nd in “band”
- R like r in ” super”
- dengaNÂ = with
- besaRÂ = big
- BA like bu in “but”
- BI like bee in “bee”
- BU like boo in ” booking”
- BE like pe in “perfect”
- BE like pe in “pet”
- BÃ’ like bo in “boss”
- CA like cha in “cha cha”
- CI like chee in “cheese”
- CU like choo in “choose”
- CE like ge in ” genius”
- CO like jo in “job”
- DA like dam in “dam”
- DI like di in “disability”
- DU like du in “due”
- DE like the in “the”
- DO like do in “dormitory”
You may also learn here about Indonesian Words in Alphabetical Order
Here are some common Indonesian words that involve the consonant sounds above!
- BAhaya = danger
- berBIcara = speaking
- BUku = buku
- BElajar = learning
- BEsok = tomorrow
- BÃ’san = bored
- meriCAÂ = pepper
- CInta = love
- CUriga = suspect
- CErita = story
- COba = try
- DAri = from
- taDIÂ = last
- DUnia = world
- DErmaga = harbour
- DOsa = sin
You may also learn here about How to Pronounce Indonesian Words
See if you can pronounce these common Indonesian words as well as Indonesian words pronunciation
| 1 | Aku (I) uh-kooh |
| 2 | Tidak (no) tee-duck |
| 3 | Yang (which) young |
| 4 | Kau (you) kow |
| 5 | Ini (this) ee-nee |
| 6 | Itu (that) ee-too |
| 7 | Di (preposition indication in/on/at) dee |
| 8 | Dan (and) dunn |
| 9 | Akan (will) uh-kunn |
| 10 | Apa (what) uh-puh |
| 11 | Dia (she/he) dee-uh |
| 12 | Anda (you; formal) un-duh |
| 13 | Kita (we) Â kee-tuh |
| 14 | Untuk (for) unn-took |
| 15 | Saya (I; formal) suh-yuh |
| 16 | Mereka (they) me-ray-kuh |
| 17 | Ada (there is) uh-duh |
| 18 | Bisa (can) bee-suh |
| 19 | Tahu (know/tofu) tuh-hoo |
| 20 | Dengan (with) duh-ngunn |
As you can see, how you pronounce these words are pretty different from the English pronunciation you’re familiar with, so take time to practice with the guide above. Keep on learning!
Well, this is the full video to learn Indonesian alphabet pronunciation: