Indonesian Jokes

Indonesian jokes are not always easy to understand if you are new to the Indonesian language, but they are definitely worth studying as you Indonesians like to joke around. 

If you’re not familiar with Indonesian ways of telling jokes, don’t worry. In this blog, we will include the English translations and some explanations to clarify. As jokes are often related to local cultures, it might not make any sense for you at the beginning, but as your language learning progresses, hopefully you will start to understand them. Learning Indonesian online or asking your local friends will help you better understand the cultural contexts. In the meantime, here are some common puns.

1. Jika ada lelaki yang bilang ‘lautan api akan aku sebrangi demi kamu’. Jangan percaya, orang kopi panas aja masih ditiup.  If there is a man who says, ‘I will cross the sea of fire for you’. Don’t believe it, they still blow hot coffees
2. Telor apa yang sangar? Which egg is the manliest egg?
   -Telor asin, soalnya ada tatonya. Salted egg, because it has tattoo
3. Telor asin takut ama siapa? Who is the salted egg afraid of?
   -Ama telor puyuh, sebab tatonya lebih banyak Quail eggs, because they have more tattoo
4. Sepeda apa yang tidak bisa dicat? What kind of bike can’t you paint?
   – Sepeda hilang! The lost bike!
5. Apa persamaan antara uang dan rahasia? What is the similarity between money and secret?
   – sama-sama susah dipegang. They are hard to hold
6. Tentara apa yang paling kecil? What is the smallest soldier?
   -Tentara Sekutu. Allied soldier (In bahasa Indonesia ‘se’ means one and ‘kutu’ means flea. ‘Sekutu’ means an ally)
7. Dia membuat karya, pas jadi hasil karya tersebut diinjak-injak tidak marah, siapa coba? He makes work, when it’s finished, he is not offended if people step on it, who is he?
   -Pembuat sandal. A sandal maker
8. Apa yang ‘Jauh di mata, dekat di hati? What is far from the eye, close to the heart?
   -Usus. Intestines
9. Kenapa air laut asin? Why is sea water salty?
   -Karena ikannya pada berkeringat. Because all the fish are sweaty
10. Apa persamaan kain jemuran dan telepon? What is the similarity between a clothesline and a phone?
    -Keduanya jika sudah ‘kringgg’ boleh diangkat. We pick up both of them when they “kriinggg” (In bahasa Indonesia “kering” or “kring” means dry and “kriinggg” is the ringing phone sound)
11. Sabun apa yang paling genit? What is the most flirty soap?
    Jawab: Sabun colek. Colek soap (kind of dab soap. ‘Colek’ means poke)
12. Binatang apa yang tidak sampai-sampai? What kind of animal never arrives at the destination?
    -Lama. Llama (in bahasa Indonesia ‘lama’ means long-time)
13. Kutu, kutu apa yang menakutkan? What is the scariest flea?
    -Kutukan. Curse (‘Kutu’ means flea and ‘kutukan’ means ‘curse’)
14. Rusa apa yang gak bisa jalan? What deer can’t walk?
    -Rusak kali ya. Mungkin rusak (‘Rusa’ means deer and ‘Rusak’ means broken)
15. Kenapa anak kodok suka loncat-loncat? Why do baby frogs like to jump around?
    -Yah… namanya juga anak-anak. Just leave them. They are just kids
16. Selalu diam di pojok tapi bisa keliling dunia? Always stay in the corner but can travel the world, what is it?
    -Perangko! Stamps!
17. Monyet apa yang menyebalkan? What is the name of a monkey that is annoying?
    -Monyet-tel tv tidak bisa, monyet-el radio tidak bisa juga. When we can’t turn on TV and radio. (‘Monyet’ is monkey and ‘monyet-tel’ is play word for  ‘mau nyetel’ means turn on)
18. Kenapa di keyboard komputer ada tulisan ‘ENTER’? Why is there an ‘ENTER’ on a computer keyboard?
    -Karena kalau tulisannya ‘ENTAR’, programnya nggak jalan-jalan. Because if it says ‘ENTAR’ the program can’t run. (‘Entar’ means later)
19. Apa bukti wortel baik untuk kesehatan mata? What is the evidence that carrots are good for the eye?
    -Pernah lihat kelinci pakai kacamata? Have you ever seen a rabbit wearing glasses?
20. Jus apa yang turun dari langit? What juice falls from the sky?
    -Justru itu yang aku ngak tau..he..he That’s why I don’t know hehehe (‘justru itu’ means that’s why)

Now that you have learned some Indonesian jokes, go try them out with your Indonesian friends. Selamat bercanda – Happy joking around!