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200 Useful Indonesian Words and Phrases to Learn

Indonesia is an attractive country whether it is for traveling, holidays, or even working and settling for a job. As Indonesia is a promising place for many tourists, Indonesian language is surely an important language to learn. You might want to check out Indonesian A-Z words and their alphabets before we continue further to this lesson.

Useful Indonesian Words and Phrases

In this lesson, we’ll equip you with useful Indonesian words and phrases that can help you get anywhere in Indonesia!

English Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)
Welcome Selamat datang
Hello (General greeting) Hi
Apa kabar?
Salam sejahtera (frm)
Hello (on phone) Halo
How are you? Apa kabar? (What news?)
Reply to ‘How are you?’ Baik (Fine)
Baik baik saja (All fine)
Sehat (Healthy)
Baik-baik saja, terima kasih
Bagaimana dengan Anda?
(How about you? – frm)
Bagaimana denganmu?
(How about you? – inf)
Long time no see Lama tidak bertemu
Lama tidak berjumpa
What’s your name? Siapa nama anda?
Anda namanya siapa?
Siapa namamu? (inf)
Namamu siapa? (inf)
My name is … Nama saya …
Saya bernama …
Where are you from? Anda berasal dari mana?
I’m from … Saya dari …
Pleased to meet you Senang bertemu dengan Anda
Good morning Selamat pagi (early morning)
(Morning greeting) Selamat siang (late morning)
Good afternoon Selamat siang (late morning)
(Afternoon greeting) Selamat sore (late afternoon/evening)
Good evening Selamat sore (late afternoon/evening)
(Evening greeting) Selamat malam (late evening/night)
Good night Selamat malam (late evening/night)
Selamat tidur (said before sleep)
Goodbye Selamat tinggal (when leaving)
(Parting phrases) Selamat jalan (when staying)
Sampai jumpa lagi
Good luck! Semoga beruntung!
Semoga sukses! (Hope you success!)
Cheers! Good Health! Santi!
(Toasts used when drinking)

You may also learn about:

Have a nice day Semoga harimu menyenangkan! (Wish you a fun day!)
Bon appetit / Selamat makan
Have a nice meal
Bon voyage / Selamat jalan
Have a good journey Semoga selamat sampai tujuan
I understand Saya mengerti
I don’t understand Saya tidak mengerti
Please speak more slowly Tolong bicara pelan sedikit
Tolong bicara pelan-pelan
Please say that again Bisa tolong diulangi?
Please write it down Tolong ditulis
Tolong tuliskan
Do you speak English? Anda bisa bicara bahasa inggris?
Do you speak Indonesian? Anda bisa bicara bahasa indonesia?
Yes, a little Ya, sedikit
(reply to ‘Do you speak …?’)
How do you say … in Indonesian? Bagaimana cara mengatakan … dalam bahasa Indonesia?
Excuse me Maaf
Permisi (to get past)
How much is this? Berapa harganya?
Sorry Maafkan saya
Maaf
Please Tolong
Mohon
Thank you Terima kasih
Terima kasih banyak
Makasih (vinf)
Reply to thank you Terima kasih kembali
Sama-sama
Dengan senang hati
Where’s the toilet / bathroom? Di manakah toilet?
Di manakah kamar mandi?
Di manakah WC?
This gentleman will pay for everything Bapak ini akan membayar semuanya
This lady will pay for everything Ibu ini akan membayar semuanya
Would you like to dance with me? Bersediakah Anda berdansa dengan saya?

More Useful Indonesian Words and Phrases

Do you come here often? Kamu sering kemari?
I miss you Saya rindu kamu
Saya kangen kamu
Aku rindu kamu
Aku kangen kamu
I love you Aku cinta kamu
Saya cinta kamu
Saya mencintaimu
Get well soon Semoga lekas sembuh
Semoga cepat sembuh
Go away! Pergi sana!
Leave me alone! Biarkan saya sendiri!
Tinggalkan saya sendiri!
Help! Tolong!
Fire! Kebakaran!
Stop! Berhenti!
Stop!
Call the police! Panggil polisi!

Let’s look at even more Indonesian useful words and phrases.

1. Indonesian Pronouns

  • Saya: I
  • Kamu: You (familiar) often shortened to “Kau”
  • Anda: You (formal or respectful)
  • Dia: He/She
  • Kita: Us (including the person spoken to)
  • Kami: Us (not including the person spoken to)
  • Kalian: You (plural)
  • Mereka: They

2. Directions in Indonesian 

  • Saya mau ke Bali: I want to go to Bali
  • Saya dari: I am from… Perancis (French) – Ingrris (English) – Spanyol (Spanish) – America – Australia – Singapura
  • Kiri: Left
  • Kanan: Right
  • Lurus: Straight
  • Belakang: Behind

3. Indonesian Words for Food

  • Makan: To eat
  • Pedas: Spicy (if you cant handle spicy, remember to say Tidak pedas!)
  • Saya suka pedas: I like spicy
  • Minyak: Oil
  • Gula: Sugar
  • Minum: Drink
  • Nasi: rice
  • Mie: noodle
  • Sayur saja: if you are vegetarian you might want to ask for “Sayur saja” (Vegetables only)
  • Enak : Delicious!

4. Indonesian Words for Number 

  • 1 – Satu ; 2 – Dua ; 3 – Tiga ; 4 – Empat ; 5 -Lima ; 6 -Enam ; 7 – Tujuh ; 8 – Delapan ; 9 – Sembilan ; 10 – Sepuluh.
  • 11 Sebelas
  • 12 Dua belas
  • 13 Tiga belas
  • 14 Empat belas
  • 20 – Dua puluh ; 30 – Tiga puluh, etc …
  • 100 – Seratus ; 200 – Dua ratus etc…
  • 1, 000 : Seribu – 10,000 Sepuluh Ribu
  • 1 million : Satu juta
  • Harga: Price
  • Berapa harganya?: How much does it cost?
  • Harga nya mahal: Price is expensive
  • Lebih murah bisa?: “Cheaper possible?”
  • Saya tidak ada cukup: I don’t have enough
  • Mahal sakali: Very expensive!

Learn more about how to shop in Indonesia using shopping phrases. Also check out how to say thank you in Bahasa Indonesia here. Happy learning!