Bahasa Indonesia is one of the most accessible languages in Asia for English speakers. It uses the Latin alphabet, has no tones, and follows consistent phonetic spelling — words are pronounced exactly as they are written. Indonesia has over 700 local languages, but Bahasa Indonesia serves as the national lingua franca understood across all 17,000 islands. In Bali you will hear Balinese, in Java you will hear Javanese, but everyone learns Indonesian in school and uses it for inter-regional communication.
Greetings and Basics
| English | Indonesian | Pronunciation |
|---|
| Good morning (before noon) | Selamat pagi | seh-LAH-maht PAH-gee |
| Good afternoon | Selamat siang | seh-LAH-maht see-AHNG |
| Good evening | Selamat malam | seh-LAH-maht MAH-lahm |
| How are you? | Apa kabar? | AH-pah KAH-bar |
| Fine | Baik | bah-EEK |
| Please | Tolong | TOH-long |
| Thank you | Terima kasih | teh-REE-mah KAH-see |
| You’re welcome | Sama-sama | SAH-mah SAH-mah |
| Excuse me | Permisi | pehr-MEE-see |
| Sorry | Maaf | mah-AHF |
| Yes / No | Ya / Tidak | yah / TEE-dahk |
| I don’t understand | Saya tidak mengerti | SAH-yah TEE-dahk meng-EHR-tee |
| Do you speak English? | Bisa bahasa Inggris? | BEE-sah bah-HAH-sah ING-gris |
Getting Around
| English | Indonesian | Pronunciation |
|---|
| Where is…? | Di mana…? | dee MAH-nah |
| How much to go to…? | Berapa ke…? | beh-RAH-pah keh |
| Left / Right / Straight | Kiri / Kanan / Lurus | KEE-ree / KAH-nahn / LOO-roos |
| Far / Close | Jauh / Dekat | jah-OOH / deh-KAHT |
| Stop here | Berhenti di sini | behr-HEN-tee dee SEE-nee |
| Airport | Bandara | bahn-DAH-rah |
| Hotel | Hotel | hoh-TEHL |
| Bus station | Terminal bis | tehr-mee-NAHL bis |
| I want to go to… | Saya mau ke… | SAH-yah mow keh |
| How far? | Berapa jauh? | beh-RAH-pah jah-OOH |
Food and Dining
| English | Indonesian | Pronunciation |
|---|
| The menu, please | Minta menu | MEEN-tah MEH-noo |
| The bill, please | Minta bon | MEEN-tah bohn |
| Water | Air putih | AH-eer POO-teeh |
| Coffee | Kopi | KOH-pee |
| Tea | Teh | teh |
| Delicious | Enak | EH-nahk |
| I don’t eat pork | Saya tidak makan babi | SAH-yah TEE-dahk MAH-kahn BAH-bee |
| I am vegetarian | Saya vegetarian | SAH-yah veh-geh-TAH-ree-ahn |
| Spicy | Pedas | peh-DAHS |
| Not spicy, please | Tidak pedas, ya | TEE-dahk peh-DAHS, yah |
| Fried rice | Nasi goreng | NAH-see GOH-reng |
Numbers
| Number | Indonesian | Pronunciation |
|---|
| 1 | Satu | SAH-too |
| 2 | Dua | DOO-ah |
| 3 | Tiga | TEE-gah |
| 4 | Empat | EHM-paht |
| 5 | Lima | LEE-mah |
| 6 | Enam | EH-nahm |
| 7 | Tujuh | TOO-jooh |
| 8 | Delapan | deh-LAH-pahn |
| 9 | Sembilan | sem-BEE-lahn |
| 10 | Sepuluh | seh-POO-looh |
Emergency Phrases
| English | Indonesian | Pronunciation |
|---|
| Help! | Tolong! | TOH-long |
| I need a doctor | Saya perlu dokter | SAH-yah PEHR-loo DOHK-tehr |
| Call the police | Panggil polisi | PAHNG-geel poh-LEE-see |
| Hospital | Rumah sakit | ROO-mah SAH-kit |
| I’m lost | Saya tersesat | SAH-yah tehr-seh-SAHT |
| It’s an emergency | Ini darurat | EE-nee dah-ROO-raht |
| Pharmacy | Apotek | ah-POH-tehk |
Indonesian pronunciation is refreshingly consistent. Every letter has one sound, and stress generally falls on the second-to-last syllable. The letter “c” is always pronounced “ch” (so “candi” is CHAN-dee), and “ng” at the start of a word is a nasal sound (as in “singing”). One key cultural point: Indonesians often add “Pak” (sir) or “Bu” (ma’am) when addressing someone — using “Terima kasih, Pak” instead of just “Terima kasih” adds a layer of politeness that locals notice and appreciate. In markets, knowing numbers and “Berapa?” (how much?) is your most powerful tool for negotiating prices.
