Hello! How are you doing? Have you mastered the 100+ common Indonesian Words for Tourists?
Indonesia is a country rich in history and culture. Our history dates back to thousands of years ago. This country has always been popular as the home of exotic spices, so this attracted colonizers and traders from all over the world. So, many aspects of Indonesian culture today, including language, is heavily influenced from other nations! For example, now we have Indonesian words derived from Arabic and Dutch.
Sanskrit Words in Indonesian Language
One of them is the Sanskrit language where we got many loanwords from. We learned this from Indians who came to Indonesia to trade or spread Hinduism and Buddhism.
Here are some of the Sanskrit words in Indonesian Language:
| Word | Meaning | Example |
| agama | religion | Di Indonesia terdapat 5 agama utama (In Indonesia, there are 5 major religions) |
| aksara | letter | Ia mengumpulkan aksara dari tahun 1920 (He collects letters from year 1920) |
| bahasa | language | Ia menguasai 6 bahasa (He masters 6 languages) |
| bakti, bhakti | homage, devotion, service etc. | Kita perlu menunjukkan bakti kita kepada negara (We need to show devotion to our country) |
| berita | news | Berita sore ini begitu mengagetkan (The news this evening is so shocking) |
| budi | reason | Ia bertindak tanpa budi (He acted out without reason) |
| bumi | earth | Satelit itu membantu memotret bumi dari jauh (The satellite helps taking a picture of the earth from afar) |
| cahaya | light | Anak kecil itu tersenyum ketika melihat cahaya matahari (The child smiles looking at the light of the sun) |
| cakram, cakra | disk, sphere etc. | Aku harus membeli beberapa kertas cakram (I need to buy some paper disks) |
| cakrawala | horizon | Ia mengambil foto cakrawala yang sangat indah (He takes a very beautiful picture of the horizon) |
| dana | donation, funds | Kami mengumpulkan dana untuk amal (We collect donation for charity) |
| dharma, darma | duty, good deeds (i.e. charity), truth etc. | Anak-anak harus diajarkan dharma sejak kecil (Children need to be taught of good deeds since childhood) |
| desa | village | Petani itu pergi dari desa ke kota untuk menjual hasil panennya (The farmer goes from the village to the town to sell his harvest) |
| gajah | elephant | Kami melihat gajah di kebun binatang (We saw an elephant at the zoo) |
| genta | bell | Suara genta menandakan sudah tengah malam (The sound of the bell tells it’s midnight) |
| guna | utilize, use, purpose | Ia menimba ilmu guna melanjutkan usaha keluarganya (He gains knowledge to continue his family’s business) |
| guru | teacher, guru | Guru adalah pahlawan tanpa tanda jasa (Teachers are heroes with no service prize) |
| jasa | merit, service etc. | Kami tidak akan melupakan jasa para pahlawan (We won’t forget the service of our heroes) |
| karma | karma (Hindu origin) | Guru kami tidak percaya karma (Our teacher doesn’t believe in karma) |
| karya | work, oeuvre | Profesor itu memamerkan karyanya di pameran ilmiah (The professor showcases his work in the science fair) |
| kepala | head | Ia bekerja keras untuk menjadi kepala keluarga (He works hard to be the head of his family) |
| kerja | work | Ia bekerja tanpa lelah (He works without getting weary) |
| mantra | mantra | Tidak ada mantra untuk sukses (There is no mantra for success) |
| menteri | minister | Menteri pendidikan berkunjung ke sekolah kami hari ini (The minister of education visited our school today) |
| nama | name | Nama saya… (My name is…) |
| negara | country | Saya merindukan negara asli saya (I miss my home country) |
| negeri | more literary form of country | Ia berkelana ke negeri orang sejak kecil (She travelled to foreign countries since she was young) |
| pahala | merit, reward (for moral conduct) | Ibu memberikan yang terbaik tanpa mencari pahala (Moms give their best without seeking merit) |
| paksa | to force | Kerja paksa sangat umum di masa penjajahan (Forced work is so common during colonialism) |
| pustaka | book | Anda bisa menemukan pustaka kuno di sini (You can find ancient books here) |
| rasa | emotion, feeling, taste | Sup itu memiliki rasa yang terlalu asin (The soup’s taste is too salty) |
| sastra | literature | Putri saya ingin belajar sastra (My daughter wants to study literature) |
| seteru | enemy | Kedua tetangga itu sudah berseteru sejak dulu (The two neighbors have been enemies for a long time) |
| topi | hat | Kami membeli selusin topi untuk oleh-oleh (We bought a dozen hats for gifts) |
| utara | north | Kota ini lebih dingin di utara (This town is colder in the north) |
| warna | colour | Terdapat tujuh warna pelangi (There are seven rainbow colours) |
| warta | news | Ia membawa warta yang tidak terduga (He brings unexpected news) |
| warta berita | news broadcast | Adik saya menjadi pembawa warta berita sore ini (My younger sibling is the news broadcast anchor this evening) |
There are many new words to learn, aren’t they? Don’t forget to check out the strategies to learn Indonesian language through English to make it easier for you, also learn basic Indonesian language with the experts! Good luck!
Also read:
- Portuguese Words in Indonesian Language
- Indonesian Words Derived from Dutch
- List of Indonesian Words Similar to English