Indonesian Phrases and Expressions

Indonesian phrases below are the most common expressions for travelers. Plan to explore Indonesia in the near future? It’s time to equip yourself with basic Bahasa Indonesia expressions.  

Make sure you learn how to pronounce the phrases by watching this video:

For more video lessons, please check our YouTube channel here.

Greetings and Introduction

1. Selamat pagi (Good morning)
2. Selamat siang (Good (early) afternoon)
3. Selamat sore (Good (late) afternoon)
4. Selamat malam (Good evening)
5. Apa kabar? (How are you?)
6. Selamat datang (Welcome)
7. Selamat berbelanja (Happy shopping)
8. Selamat makan (Enjoy your meal)
9. Apa kabar? (How are you?)
10. Baik – baik (I am fine)
11. Terima kasih (Thank you)
12. Makasih (Thanks – informal)
13. Sama – sama (You’re welcome)
14. Sampai jumpa (See you)
15. Sampai besok (See you tomorrow)
16. Duluan ya (I should go)
17. Hati – hati (Take care / be careful)
18. Permisi (Permisi)
19. Silakan (Go ahead / please)
20. Maaf (Sorry)
21. Tidak apa – apa (No problem)
22. Silakan duduk (Please have a sit)
23. Silakan masuk (Please come in)
24. Siapa nama anda? (What’s your name?)
25. Nama saya John (My name is John)
26. Asalnya dari mana? (Where are you from (originally)?)
27. Saya dari Australia (I am from Australia)
28. Tinggal di mana? (Where do you live?)
29. Saya tinggal di Canggu (I live in Canggu)
30. Selamat berlibur (Happy holiday)
31. Bisa bahasa Inggris? (Can you speak English?)
32. Bisa sedikit ((I) can a little)
33. Saya tidak bisa (I can’t)
34. Saya tidak mengerti (I don’t understand)
35. Apa Bahasa Indonesianya “book”? (How do you say “book” in Indonesian?)
36. Apa artinya “selamat”? (What does “selamat” mean?)
37. Saya masih belajar bahasa Indonesia (I am still learning Indonesian)
38. Tolong bicara pelan – pelan (Please speak slowly)
39. Apa nama tempat ini? (What is the name of this place?)
40. Apa nama jalan ini? (What is the name of this place?)

Indonesian Phrases in the Restaurant/Warung

1. Mau pesan apa? (What do you want to order?)
2. Saya mau pesan nasi goreng (I want to order fried rice)
3. Mau makan apa? (What do you want to eat?)
4. Mau minum apa? (What do you want to drink?)
5. Saya mau minum kopi (I want to drink coffee)
6. Di mana toiletnya? (Where is the toilet?)
7. Boleh pinjam toilet? (Can I use the toilet?) (NB: pinjam means “to borrow”)
8. Toiletnya di sana (The toilet is over there)
9. Apa password wifinya? (What’s the wifi’s password?)
10. Boleh minta tisu? (May I have tissue?) (NB: minta means “to ask for”)
11. Bisa minta satu bir lagi? (Can I have one more beer?)
12. Boleh minta saos? (May I have the sauce?)
13. Es teh tawar satu ya (One iced tea without sugar ((please))
14. Makanannya enak sekali (The food is very delicious)
15. Ada wifi? (Is there any Wi-Fi?)
16. Berapa harganya? (How much is the price?)
17. Bisa minta notanya? (Can I have the bill?)
18. Bisa bayar pakai kartu kredit? (Can I pay with a credit card?)
19. Kembaliannya untuk Anda (The change is for you)
20. Ada diskon? (Any discount?)

Indonesian Expressions for Directions and Traveling

1. Mau ke mana? (Where are you going?)
2. Jalan – jalan saja (Just taking a walk)
3. Di mana pompa bensin terdekat? (Where is the nearest gas station?)
4. Belok kiri (Turn left)
5. Belok kanan (Turn right)
6. Lurus (Go straight)
7. Ikuti jalan ini (Follow this road)
8. Lampu merah (Traffic light)
9. Perempatan (Crossroad)
10. Pertigaan (T-junction)
11. Ke Pantai Berawa lewat mana? (Which way is to Berawa beach?)
12. Ada rumah sakit dekat sini? (Is there any hospital close by?)
13. Di sebelah sekolah (Beside a school)
14. Di depan pasar (In front of a market)
15. Di belakang hotel Melati (Behind Melati hotel)
16. Tolong antar saya ke Pantai Kuta (Please take me to Kuta Beach)
17. Tolong jemput saya di bandara (Please pick me up at the airport)
18. Berapa menit dari sini? (How many minutes from here?)
19. Saya mau turun di sini (I want to get off here)
20. Saya ada di kiri jalan (I am on the left side of the road)
21. Mau yang mana? (Which one do you want?)
22. Yang besar (The big one)
23. Yang ini lebih bagus (This one is better)
24. Boleh kurang? (Any discount? / Can you make it cheaper?)
25. Harga pas (Fixed price)
26. Tolong bantu saya (Please help me)
27. Tolong telpon polisi (Please call the police)
28. Tolong telpon ambulan (Please call an ambulance)
29. Copet! (Picpoket!)
30. Kebakaran! (Fire!)
31. Dompet saya dicuri (My wallet was stolen)
32. Ada kecelakaan (There is an accident)
33. Ada perbaikan jalan (There is a road construction)
34. Jembatan putus (Broken bridge)
35. Jalan buntu (Dead end road)
36. Ada kamar kosong? (Any room available?)
37. Boleh merokok di sini? (May I smoke here?)
38. Ada jendela? (Any windows?)
39. Ada kolam renang? (Is there a swimming pool?)
40. Apa fasilitas hotel ini? (What facility does this hotel have?)

I hope you find this list of Indonesian phrases and expressions useful. You need further assistance with your language learning prior to your trip to Indonesia, check out our Online Indonesian class.