Hey, everyone. As you know, mastering as much lexical resources as you can is an obligation when you learned about certain languages. Therefore, this time, we will broaden our knowledge about 500+ List of Indonesian words. The words will be divided into its class word. To refresh your brain, please check also Indonesian Part of Speech
In Bahasa Indonesia, part of speech is more well-known as kelas kata (class word). There are at least 8 part of speech in Bahasa Indonesia. We will also divided the words into three separate group: which are root words, formed words (root words + affix), and phrases/compound for noun, verb, and adjective. Here are they.
1. Nomina/Kata Benda (Noun)
Here are the list of Indonesian words:
Root words noun
- wanita/perempuan = woman
- pria/laki-laki = man
- manusia = human
- orang = person/people
- ayah = father
- ibu = mother
- orangtua = parent(s)
- anak = daughter/son
- kakak = older brother/sister
- adik = younger brother/sister
- paman = uncle
- bibi = aunt
- sepupu = cousin(s)
- kakek = grandfather
- nenek = grandmother
- murid = student
- guru = teacher
- dosen = lecture
- dekan = dean
- rektor = rector
- atlet = athlete
- dokter = doctor
- suster = nurse/nun (Catholic)
- sopir = driver
- pemerintah = government
- negara = country
- kebangsaan = nation
- kewarganegaraan = citizenship
- binatang/hewan/satwa = animal(s)
- anjing = dog
- kucing = cat
- ayam = chicken
- babi = pig/pork
- sapi = cow/beef
- kambing = goat
- tikus = rat/mice
- bebek = duck
- burung = bird
- angsa = swan
- kura-kura = turtle
- ikan = fish
- kodok/katak = frog
- tumbuhan/tanaman = plant(s)
- pohon = tree
- bunga = flower
- daun = leaf
- akar = root
- batang = stem
- buah = fruit
- mawar = rose
- melati = jasmine
- anggrek = orchid
- apel = apple
- pir = pear
- jeruk = orange
- anggur = grape
- nanas = pineapple
- markisa = passion fruit
- nangka = jackfruit
- sayur = vegetable
- terong = eggplant
- bayam = spinach
- jagung = corn
- padi = rice
- beras = rice
- nasi = rice
- daging = meat
- sup = soup
- kecap = ketchup
- saus = sauce
- bumbu = spices
- permen = candy
- coklat = chocolate
- susu = milk
- air = water
- soda = coke
- teh = tea
- kopi = coffee
- buku = book
- meja = table
- kursi = chair
- sofa = sofa
- lampu = lamp
- pintu = door
- jendela = window
- atap = roof
- papan = board
- rumah = house/home
- pagar = fence
- sekolah = school
- pasar = market
- gedung = building
- pensil = pencil
- pen = pen
- tas = bag
- kelas = classroom
- baju = cloth(es)
- kemeja = shirt
- kaus = T-shirt
- celana = trousers/shorts
- rok = skirt
- sepatu = shoes
- topi = hat/cap
- doa = prayer
- jalan = road
- kasur = bed
- awan = cloud
- langit = sky
- bintang = star
- bulan = moon/month
- hari = day
- Senin = Monday
- March = Maret
- Minggu = week/Sunday
- tahun = year
- dasawarsa = 10 years
- windu = 8 years
- laut = sea
- tanah = land
- planet = planet
- suka = happiness
- duka = grief
- hobi = hobby
- rasa = feeling/sense
- indra = sense
- rel = rail
- kereta = train
- mobil = car
- motor = motorcycle
- sepeda = bicycle
- pesawat = airplane
- kapal = ship
- perahu = boat
- roda = wheel
- mesin = machine
Read Also Useful Indonesian Words and Phrases and Indonesian Nouns
Root words + affix noun
- bacaan = reading
- gambaran = picture
- pemerintahan = governance
- lautan = ocean
- dugaan = assumption
- tabrakan = crash
- nyanyian = singing
- tarian = dancing
- balapan = race
- pelajar = student
- pengajar = teacher
- pelukis = painter
- penyanyi = singer
- penari = dancer
- pembuat = maker
- pebalap = racer
- pelari = sprinter/runner
- penjual = merchant
- penyakit = disease
- pejuang = fighter
- pelajaran = lesson
- peternakan = farm
- penjualan = sales/selling
- penomoran = numbering
- pembuatan = making (of)
- penggunaan = using (n)
- pendapatan/penghasilan = revenue
- perjuangan = fight (n)/ struggle
- pergulatan = struggle
- pertukaran = exchange
- perbaikan = construction
- perjudian = gambling (n)
- kelakuan = behaviour
- kecantikan/keindahan = beauty
- kebaikan = kindness
- kebakaran = fire
- ketakutan = fear/phobia
- keberanian = bravery
Read Also : Indonesian Suffix -an and Indonesian Prefixes and Suffixes
Noun Phrases or Compound
Here are list of words that consist a set of word.
- rumah sakit = hospital
- jalan layang/ jembatan layang = flyover
- jalan tol = highway
- ruang angkasa = (outer) space
- jual-beli = transaction
- ulang tahun = birthday
- kepala sekolah = headmaster
- papan tulis = white/blackboard
- kereta api = train
- kapal laut = ship
- pesawat angkasa = airplane
- kaus kaki = socks
- celana panjang = pants/trousers
- celana pendek = shorts/hot pants
- kamar tidur = bedroom
- kamar mandi/kamar kecil = bathroom
- sepeda motor = motorcycle
- mesin waktu = time space
- hijau muda = light green
- biru tua = dark blue
- polisi tidur = speedbump
- ruang kelas = classroom
- bus sekolah = school bus
- cinta sejati = true love
- suami istri = husband and wife
- kakak adik = siblings
- roman picisan = literary work that is understimated (usually teen-lit)
- daun muda = youth
See Also:
2. Verba/Kata Kerja (Verb)
Here are the list of Indonesian words:
Root words verb
- tidur = sleep
- makan = eat
- minum = drink
- jual = sell
- beli = buy
- bayar = pay
- jalan (inf) = walk
- buat = make/do
- ambil = take
- taruh = put
- buka (inf) = open (v)
- tutup (inf) = close (v)
- duduk = sit
- berdiri = stand
- jatuh = fell
- datang = come
- sampai = arrive
- pergi = go/leave
- pulang = go home
- baca = read
- mandi = take a bath/shower
- cuci = wash
- keramas = wash hair
- cium = kiss/smell
- dengar = hear
- lihat = look/watch
Root words verb + affix
- memakan = eat
- meminum = drink
- menjual = sell
- menjual = buy
- membayar = pay
- mengambil = take
- menyanyi = sing
- menari = dance (v)
- membuatkan = make (for someone else)
- mencarikan = seek (for someone else)
- melakukan = do
- menyanyikan = sing (for someone else)
- menarikan = dance (someone’s choreography/dancing)
- melupakan = forget
- menuliskan = write down/ write (for someone else)
- berjalan = walk
- bermain = play
- berjuang = fight (v)
- berpendapat = give opinion
- bersembunyi = hide
- berjualan = sell (usually for permanent merchant)
- berlarian = run over a place
- dijual = (to be) sold
- dibeli = (to be) bought
- ditambah = (to be) sum
- didukung = (to be) supported
- dilukis = (to be) painted
- dikatakan = (to be) said
- dilupakan = (to be) forgotten
- dijualkan = (to be) sold (by someone else)
- dibelikan = (to be) bought (by someone else)
- dibayarkan = (to be) paid (by someone else)
- tertusuk = (to be) stabbed
- tertangkap = (to be) caught
- terjual = has been sold
- terbeli = has been bought
- terlupakan = has been forgotten
- terelakkan = (to be) avoided
Verb phrases or Compound
- berjalan kaki = walk
- berjabat tangan = shake hand
- bertepuk tangan = clap hands
- berangan-angan = wonder
Read Also:
3. Adjektiva/Kata Sifat (Adjective)
Here are the list of Indonesian words:
Root words adjective
- bagus = good
- baik = kind/good
- jelek buruk = bad/ugly
- cantik/jelita/indah (things) = beautiful/gorgeus/pretty
- ganteng/tampan = handsome
- pintar/pandai = smart
- cerdas = intelligent
- rajin = dilligent
- malas = lazy
- bodoh = stupid
- biasa = so-so
- senang = happy
- sedih = sad
- takut = scared
- tua = old
- kuno = ancient
- muda = young
- susah/sulit/sukar = hard
- mudah/gampang = easy
- murah = cheap
- mahal = expensive
- tinggi = tall
- rendah = short (height)
- panjang = long
- pendek = short (length)
- luas = wide
- sempit = narrow
- kasar = hard/harsh (person)
- lembut = soft
- polos = innocent
- sama = same
- mirip = similar
- beda = different
- bersih = clean
- kotor= dirty
- rapi = tidy
- rusak = broken
- baru = new
- berat = heavy
- ringan = light
- gelap = dark
- terang = bright
- enak = delicious
- bulat = round
- tajam = sharp
- aneh = weird/quirky
- unik = unique
- kreatif = creative
- positif = positive
- negatif = negative
- posesif = possesive
- aktif = active
- pasif = passive
- penuh = full
- kosong = empty
- bawel = talkative
- panas = hot
- dingin = cold
Root word + Affix
- kebesaran = too big
- kekecilan = too small
- kesempitan = too small
- kepanjangan = too long
- ketakutan = scared/feared
- terbaik = best
- terburuk = worst
- tercantik = prettiest
- terpintar = smartest
- terkejut = surprise/shock
- terjangkau = affordable
- berawan = cloudy
- berterima = understandable
- menakutkan = scary
- mengejutkan = shocking
Adjective Phrase or Compund
- cantik jelita = beautifully gorgeous
- main-main = not serious
- cantik rupawan = very pretty
- ramai lancar = crowded but the traffic is understandable/ no traffic
- padat merayap = very crowded but still understandable traffic
- tinggi besar = for tall and fat/big person
- kecil mungil = petite
- buruk rupa = ugly
- panas terik = extremely hot
- terang benderang = very bright
- remang-remang = dimly lit
- segede gabah = extremely huge (could not imagine)
- tua bangka = extremely old (person)
Know more in Indonesian Adjectives
4. Adverbia/Kata Keterangan (Adverb)
Here are the list of Indonesian words:
- selalu = always
- kadang-kadang = sometimes
- jarang = rarely
- hendak/akan = will
- sedang = (adverb for present continous)
- belum = have not
- sudah/telah = have (done something)
- sangat = very
- agak = a little bitt
- banyak = many
- a few = sedikit
- beberapa/sejumlah = some
- paling = most
- setiap = every
- sebelum = before
- sesudah/setelah = after
- bukan = not (for noun)
- tidak = not (fo others than noun)
You should note that class word here is different with sentence element (unsur kalimat) such as Subject, Verb, Object. Therefore Adverb as a word is different with Adverb in a sentence. Here are the examples.
- Kemarin bukan hari ini (Yesterday is not today)
Kemarin (yesterday) is a noun class and noun in the sentence - Kemarin ibu mambaca buku
Kamrin (yesterday) is a noun class, but adverb in the sentence
Pronomina/Kata Ganti Orang (Pronoun)
- Saya/Aku = I/me/my/mine
- Kamu/Anda/Kalian (plural) = you/your/yours
- Dia = he/she, his/her, his/hers, him/her
- Kami, kita = we/our/ours/us
- Mereka = they/their/theirs/them
More in
In recent KBBI (Indonesian Official Dictionary), pronomina also consists demonstrativa/kata tunjuk (demonstrative pronoun) and question word/kata tanya. Let’s learn it in this 500+ List of Indonesian Words. Here are they
Demonstrativa/Kata Tunjuk (Demonstrative) Pronoun
- Ini = this/these
- Itu = that/those
Question Words/Kata Tanya
- apa = what
- siapa = who/whom/whose
- kapan/bilamana = when
- di mana = where
- ke mana = where (to)
- darimana = where (from)
- berapa = how many/much
- mengapa/kenapa = why
- bagaimana = how
- apakah = (for yes/no questions)
- yang mana (inf) = which
Check Also Asking Questions in Indonesian
4. Numeralia (Numeral)
Here are the list of Indonesian words:
- satu = one
- seratus = one hundred
- kesatu/pertama = first
- kedua = second
- banyak = many (for amount)
*Q: Berapa? A: Banyak (Q: How many, A: It’s many) - sedikit = a few (for amount)
More in Indonesian Numbers
Partikel (Particles)
In Bahasa Indonesia, particles is a class word that consists preposisi/kata depan (prepositions), konjungsi/kata sambung (conjunction), interjeksi/kata seru (interjection) and artikulia/kata sandang (similar to articles, but not same). Here they are one by one.
Kata depan/Preposisi (Preposition)
- di = in/on/at
- ke = to
- dari = from
- dalam = in(side)
Comparison with English Preposition
- di atas = on/above
- di dalam = in
- di bawah = under
- di samping = next (to)
- di belakang = behind
Konjungsi/Kata sambung (Conjunction)
- untuk = for/to
- supaya = for
- dengan = with/using
- tetapi, namun = but
- karena = because
- dan, serta = and/as well as
- atau = or
- bahwa = that
- sedangkan = while
- jika = if
- maka = so
- sehingga = so
- kemudian = then
More in Indonesian Connecting Words
Interjeksi/Kata Seru (Interjection)
- hai = hey
- halo = halo
- ayo/mari = let’s/c’mon
- sial = sh*t (expression)
- aduh, aw = (expression for pain)
- ih, cih, iuh = (expression for gross)
- wow, amboi, aduhai = (very imppresed expression)
- Masa = seriously?
- Gila, alamak = (expression for shock)
*It depends on the time, place and individuals.
Artikulia/ Kata Sandang
Sandang in Indonesia means wear. Kata Sandang is a word that placed/wear to refer the noun following it. in English, the nearest translation is ‘the’. It does not have meaning. Here are the examples.
- si
*Si Pitung = (just to refer/accentuate Pitung) - sang
*Sang Juara = the winner (usually for someone respected/royal) - para (plural)
*para biksu = the monks - umat (plural)
*umat manusia = people/humans
That’s a lot to learn in 500+ List of Indonesian Words. Now I suggest you to check these following articles.