Most of Indonesian words consist of root words and additional prefix, suffix, infixes, or combination of the three. The additional suffix, prefix, and infixes create new meaning which sometimes different from the root words. Indonesian root words are originated from Melayu language, Arab, Dutch, and also some English words.
List of Indonesian Root Words
Take a look at below list of Indonesian root words. Learn more about Indonesian prefix ber-.
A
Abai (ignore)
Acak (random)
Adab (manner)
Agung (majestic)
Ajar (teach)
Akar (root)
Alamat (address)
Aman (safe)
Amal (charity)
Ambil (take)
Andai (as if)
Andil (share)
Angkat (lift)
Agama (religion)
B
Banyak (many)
Baca (read)
Bahaya (dangerous)
Basah (wet)
Batal (cancel)
Baris (line)
Batas (boundary)
Bilang (tell)
Bisa (can)
Beri (give)
Bocor (leak)
C
Cinta (love)
Caci (abuse)
Cacat (defect)
Cerah (bright)
Cari (search)
Citra (image)
Cocok (suitable)
Cantik (beautiful)
Celaka (accident)
D
Damai (peace)
Datang (come)
Dansa (dance)
Debu (dust)
Dana (fund)
Dekat (close)
Dekap (to hug)
Desak (urge)
Dorong (push)
E
Elak (avoid)
Embun (dew)
Edar (circulate)
Ejek (bully)
F
Faedah (benefit)
Favorit (favorite)
G
Gratis (free)
Gila (crazy)
Gagal (fail)
Gadai (pawn, mortgage)
Gerak (movement)
Gigih (persistent)
Gali (dig)
Giring (dribble)
Gempar (blatant)
H
Hari (day)
Hindar (avoid)
Harga (price)
Hilang (lost)
Hingga (almost)
Hisap (suck)
Hancur (destroy)
Habis (finish)
Hajar (beat someone up)
Related: Indonesian loanwords from English
I
Indah (beauty)
Ibadah (pray)
Istirahat (rest)
Ikhlas (sincere)
Istimewa (excellent)
J
Jarak (distance)
Jabar (elaborate)
Jejak (footstep)
Jenis (variety)
Jalan (walk, street)
Janji (promise)
Jajan (snack)
Jijik (disgust)
Jasa (service)
Jemput (pick up)
K
Kata (words)
Kalah (lose)
Kadang (rarely)
Kemas (package)
Kesal (annoyed)
Kembang (bloom, develop)
Kembali (come back)
Kotak (square, box)
Kondisi (condition)
Kosong (empty)
Kaca (mirror)
Related: Indonesian words to learn for beginner.
L
Lama (for a long time)
Lihat (see)
Lampir (enclose)
Lempar (throw)
Lambat (slow)
Lemah (weak)
M
Maaf (sorry)
Makan (eat)
Masak (cook)
Minum (drink)
Marah (angry)
Mulai (start)
Malam (night)
Learn more about bargaining words for traveler.
N
Nanti (later)
Nyata (real)
Nyanyi (sing)
Nafas (breath)
Nama (name)
Nampak (visible)
Nasihat (advice)
Negara (state, nation)
O
Oleh (by)
P
Pindah (move)
Paling (most)
Pacar (boy/girlfriend)
Pagi (morning)
Pandang (look, see)
Panggil (call)
Pandai (smart)
Pasang (set up, high tide)
Panjang (long)
Pendek (short)
Pinggir (edge)
Pikir (think)
Q
Qur’an (Quran)
R
Rasa (taste, feeling)
Rela (volunteer)
Reda (alleviate)
S
Sayang (love)
Sabar (patience)
Santai (easy going, relax)
Salam (greetings)
Siap (ready)
Simpan (keep)
Selesai (finish)
Sama (with, together)
Sapa (greet)
Simak (pay attention)
T
Tawar (bargain, plain)
Tanding (match)
Tambah (add)
Tarik (pull)
Tanya (ask)
U
Ulah (act of)
Ular (snake)
Untuk (for)
V
Vaksin (vaccine)
Versi (version)
Vokal (vocal)
W
Wisata (tourism)
Wacana (reading)
Wasiat (inheritance)
X
Xenofobia (xenofobia)
Learn more about Indonesian Words in Alphabetical Order
Y
Yakin (sure)
Yaitu (is, which is)
Yodium (iodine)
Z
Zaitun (olive)
Ziarah (pilgrimage)
Zina (adultery)
Zona (zone)
One interesting thing about list of Indonesian root words is words starting with the alphabet Q, V, X, and Z are mostly originated from other languages such as Arabic. Most of those words are not altered into Indonesian spelling but directly used as the original. For example ‘zina’ (adultery) which originated from Arabic and ‘favorit’ which is originated from English ‘favorite’. Learn more about Indonesian words originated from Dutch.