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Vocabulary

Indonesian Words with Multiple Meanings

Indonesian is a simple language with a simple structure and very limited vocabulary. This also means that it has lots of homonyms. Here are 20 most used homonyms that you’ll almost certainly encounter in daily conversation.

Sama

Sama has several meanings. First is “same”. Sama in this context is a neutral word which can be used in a formal sentence, informal, or even slang. The second meaning is “with”, which is an informal word, usually followed by nouns. And the third, sama-sama, means “you are welcome” as the reply to “thank you”. Look at the context in the following examples:

  1. Saya dan Bu Guru memakai baju yang sama. (Teacher and I wear the same clothes) *formal
  2. Anjir pake kaos sama, lagi! (Heck, wearing the same clothes!) *slang
  3. Ke pantai sama siapa? (With whom are you going to the beach?)
  4. Ke pantai sama aku, yuk! (Let’s go to the beach with me)
  5. A: Makasih, ya! (Thanks)

B: Sama-sama. (You’re welcome)

Enak

Enak could mean ‘delicious’ if it refers to food. But if it refers to something else, such as a place or situation, it means ‘comfortable’. For example:

  1. Enak banget nasi goreng di Kerobokan. (Fried rice in Kerobokan is so delicious)
  2. Hari ini aku nggak enak badan. (Today I don’t feel well)
  3. Rumahmu enak ya banyak pohonnya dan deket sungai. (Your house is comfortable with many trees, and close to the river)
  4. Enak ya gurumu nggak pernah ngasih PR. (How nice, your teacher never gives homework)
  5. Nggak enak nih kalo masuk tanpa permisi. (I don’t feel good about coming in without permission)

Tahu

Tahu means tofu, if we pronounce the ‘h’ clearly. But if we pronounce it without ‘h’ (sounds like ‘tau’), it means “to know”. Let’s see the difference.

  1. Saya nggak suka makan tahu goreng. (I don’t like eating fried tofu)
  2. Saya nggak tahu mau jalan-jalan ke mana. (I don’t know where to hang out)
  3. Tahu di Pasar Badung murah banget. (Tofu in Badung Market is so cheap)
  4. Kamu tahu gym yang bagus? (Do you know any good gyms?)

Jadi

Jadi could mean ‘so’ when it functions as a conjunction. But it also has other meanings: ‘become’, ‘finished’, ‘deal’, or ‘not canceled’. Let’s see the difference.

  1. Kuenya sudah jadi, silakan diambil. (The cake is finished, please take it)
  2. Sewa motornya jadi, ya. Besok saya bayar. ((It’s a) Deal to rent the motorbike. I’ll pay tomorrow)
  3. Maaf, saya nggak jadi ikut. (Sorry, I cancel to join)
  4. Kalau sudah besar, anak saya mau jadi dokter. (When grown up, my child wants to become a doctor)
  5. Kemarin Adik jatuh, jadi nggak ke sekolah. (Yesterday my little sister fell, so she didn’t go to school)

Buat

Buat has two meanings. As a basic word, buat means ‘to make’. But as an informal word, it means ‘for’. Here are  some examples:

A: Lagi buat apa? (What are you making?)

B: Lagi buat sambal, nih. (Making sambal)

A: Kok banyak banget? Buat apa? (Why is it so much? For what?)

B: Buat Bapak dan Ibu biar bisa dibawa pulang. Kalo mau, nanti aku buat lagi buat kamu. (For Mom and Dad to bring home. If you want it, later I’ll make it again for you)

Bulan

Bulan means ‘month’ or ‘the moon’. You can easily spot the difference in the conversation. Look at the following dialog:

A: Kapan bisa lihat bulan purnama? (When can I see the full moon?)

B: Biasanya sih tengah bulan sekitar tanggal 15an. (Usually mid-month, around the date 15th)

A: Berarti bulan ini udah nggak bisa ya. Kan udah ahir bulan. (So it’s not possible this month. It’s the end of the month)

B: Bisa coba lagi kok bulan depan. (You can try again next month)

Lagi

Lagi could mean ‘more’, ‘again’, and ‘currently’. Let’s see the difference in the sentences below:

  1. Besok ke pantai lagi, yuk! (Let’s go to the beach again tomorrow)
  2. Aku lagi sibuk bikin kue, nih. (I’m currently busy making cakes)
  3. Tambah gula 2 sendok lagi, dong! (Add 2 spoons more sugar, please)

Lalu

Lalu could mean ‘and then’, ‘last’, or ‘ago’. See the following examples:

  1. Saya mau mandi dulu, lalu tidur. (I’ll take a shower first, and then sleep)
  2. Aku nggak nonton konser minggu lalu. (I didn’t watch last weeks’ concert)
  3. Ada gempa besar 5 tahun lalu. (There was a big earthquake 5 years ago)

Dulu

Dulu could mean ‘first’ ‘before’, ‘earlier on’, or ‘in the past’, depending on the context. Let’s look at the following examples.

  1. Duluan, ya! (I’m leaving first)
  2. Tutup pintu dulu, lalu hidupkan AC. (Close the door first, then turn on the AC)
  3. Dulu saya tinggal di Jogja. (I lived in Jogja before)
  4. Dulu banyak kerajaan di Indonesia. (In the past, there were many kingdoms in Indonesia)
  5. Dulu saya pengen jadi insinyur. (Earlier on, I wanted to be an engineer)

Sampai

Sampai has two meanings. The one with intransitive function means ‘arrive’, while the transitive one means ‘until’. For example:

  1. Paketnya sudah sampai. (The package has been arrived)
  2. Kamu udah di Bali? Kapan sampai? (You’re in Bali? When did you arrive?)
  3. Biasanya jam 5 sore aku udah sampai di rumah. (Usually I arrive home at 5)
  4. Hujan terus dari pagi sampai malam. (It keeps raining from morning to night)
  5. Silakan makan sampai puas. (Please eat until you’re satisfied)

Waktu

Waktu means ‘time’ or ‘when’. It means ‘time’ when it functions as a noun, and it means ‘when’ when it functions as an adverb and conjunction. For example: 

  1. Maaf, waktunya habis. (Sorry, the time is over)
  2. Waktu makan siangnya terlalu pendek. (The lunch time is too short)
  3. Nggak ada waktu buat jalan-jalan. (There’s no time for travelling)
  4. Waktu kecil, saya sering main lumpur. (When I was a kid, I often played with mud)
  5. Aku jatuh waktu coba naik pohon. (I fell when I tried to climb a tree)

Naik

Naik could mean ‘to climb’, ‘to ride’, ‘to go up’, or ‘to get on’. Let’s learn how to use it from the following examples:

  1. Aku nggak pernah naik gunung. (I have never climbed a mount)
  2. Ayo ke Denpasar naik motor. (Let’s go to Denpasar by motorbike)
  3. Lebih suka naik sepeda atau kuda? (Do you prefer riding a bike or a horse?)
  4. Hati-hati, jalannya naik. (Be careful, the road is going up)
  5. Suku naik menjadi 34 derajat. (Temperature increases to 34 degrees)

Besar

Besar means ‘big’ or ‘to grow up’. Here are some  example sentences:

  1. Laba-laba di Bali besar banget. (Spiders in Bali are so big)
  2. Saya lahir dan besar di Jakarta. (I was born and raised in Jakarta)
  3. Lama nggak ketemu, ya. Anakmu sudah besar. (Long time no see. Your child has grown up)

Jam

Jam could mean ‘clock’, ‘watch’, or ‘time’. Here are the examples:

  1. Jam berapa? (What time is it?)
  2. Berapa jam durasi filmnya? (How many hours is the duration of the movie?)
  3. Toko ini tutup jam 5 sore. (This store is closed at 5 p.m.)
  4. Jam tanganku rusak. (My watch is broken)
  5. Tolong pasang jam di dinding. (Please put a clock on the wall)

Yang

Yang means ‘which’ or ‘the … one’ to point out something. Look at this dialog:

A: Suka yang mana? (Which one do you like?)

B: Yang itu. (That one)

A: Yang besar atau yang kecil? (The big one or the small one?)

B: Yang besar. (The big one)

A: Sebutkan warna apa saja yang kamu suka! (Mention which colors you like)

B: Aku suka warna yang nggak terlalu terang. (I like colors which are not too bright)

Orang Tua

Orang tua could mean ‘old person’, ‘old people’, or ‘parents’. For example:

  1. Kapan orang tuamu datang? (When will / did your parents come?)
  2. Di desaku banyak orang tua. (There are many old people in my village)
  3. Orang tua itu nggak punya anak. (That old man doesn’t have children)

Bapak (Pak), Ibu (Bu), Kakak (Kak), Adik (Dik / Dek)

Titles for family members are also used to address people in general. Bapak means ‘father’ or ‘sir’, Ibu means ‘Mom’ or ‘Madam’, Kakak means ‘older sibling’ or the way to address people of a young age, while Adik means ‘younger sibling’ or the way to address children and teenagers. Here are some sentence examples:

  1. Maaf Kak, mie gorengnya habis. (Sorry, the fried noodle is sold out)
  2. Kakak saya kerja di rumah sakit. (My sister works in the hospital)
  3. Permisi, Bapak yang punya rumah ini? (Excuse me, are you the owner of this house?)
  4. Bapakku lagi sakit. (My father is currently unwell)
  5. Nama Adik siapa? (What’s your name?)

That’s it for the most-used Indonesian homonyms in daily conversation. Use them well to sound cool!