Here are a few Indonesian words and phrases.
1. Salutation/Greetings
| Halo, apa kabar? |
= |
Hi, how are you? |
| Selamat pagi |
= |
Good morning (until about 11 am) |
| Selamat siang |
= |
Good (early) afternoon (until about 3 pm) |
| Selamat sore/petang |
= |
Good (late) afternoon
Good (early) evening |
| Selamat malam |
= |
Good evening
Good night |
| Selamat datang |
= |
Welcome |
Mari (formal)
Ayo (informal) |
= |
Good bye* |
| Sampai nanti |
= |
See you later |
| Sampai jumpa |
= |
See you next time |
Notes
- 'Good bye' for long trips or when people will not see each other for a long time:
1) Selamat tinggal ('good bye' by the one departing)
2) Selamat jalan ('good bye' by the one staying)
2. Holidays
| Selamat Tahun Baru |
= |
Happy New Year |
Selamat Hari Raya Idul Fitri
Selamat Lebaran |
= |
Happy Eid Al Fitr (Muslim holiday) |
| Selamat Hari Natal |
= |
Merry Christmas |
3. Common Expressions
| Terima kasih |
= |
Thank you |
| Kembali, sama-sama |
= |
You're welcome |
| Selamat |
= |
Congratulations |
| Mau ke mana? |
= |
Where are you going? * |
| Dari mana? |
= |
Where are you coming from? * |
| Ya |
= |
Yes |
| Tidak |
= |
No* |
| Bukan |
= |
No* |
Notes
- Indonesians who know each other will commonly greet each other with "Where are you going?" or "Where are you coming from?" Only when they have not seen each other for a long time they will use apa kabar (how are you)?
- Tidak 'no' is used to negate adjective, verbal and prepositional phrases whereas bukan is used to negate noun phrases.
Source: George Quinn, The Indonesian Way. 2001
Published: Friday, July 23, 2010
