Indonesian manners: greetings and what not to do
The form of address matters more than the words. "Pak" for a man, "bu" for a woman of your age or older — like a formal "you", only less optional. A sentence without one doesn't read as neutral, it reads as cold.
Greetings follow the clock, and the boundaries aren't ours: "selamat pagi" until eleven, "siang" until about three, "sore" until sunset, "malam" after. Getting it wrong is harmless; getting it right is noticed.
"Permisi" is the all-purpose "excuse me". It gets you through a crowd, opens a question to a stranger, and announces you at a door. "Maaf" is an apology for a wrong, and the two aren't interchangeable.
What not to do: point with a finger (use the thumb), give or take with the left hand, raise your voice in front of others. The last one matters most — the person who shouted loses face, not the person shouted at.
Pronunciation below is written to be read out loud in English spelling. It isn't linguistically exact — it's meant to get you understood.
79 phrases
My name is...
Nama saya ...
nah-mah SAH-yah ...
What's your name?
Nama Anda siapa?
nah-mah ahn-dah see-AH-pah?
Local: Namanya siapa? ·
I live here
Saya tinggal di sini
sah-yah teeng-gahl dee SEE-nee
I'm from Russia
Saya dari Rusia
sah-yah dah-ree ROO-see-ah
I'm learning Indonesian
Saya belajar bahasa Indonesia
sah-yah buh-lah-jahr bah-hah-sah een-doh-NEH-see-ah
Say this and people's whole tone toward you changes.
Sorry, my Indonesian isn't great
Maaf, bahasa saya masih kurang
MAH-ahf, bah-hah-sah sah-yah mah-see KOO-rahng
Local: Maaf, bahasa saya masih dikit ·
Nice to meet you
Senang bisa kenalan
suh-nahng bee-sah kuh-NAH-lahn
See you tomorrow
Sampai besok
sahm-pehye BEH-sohk
Take care, be safe
Hati-hati
hah-tee HAH-tee
Said as a warm goodbye when you're hopping on a bike.
Good morning, ibu
Selamat pagi, Bu
suh-lah-maht PAH-gee, boo
How are you?
Apa kabar, Pak?
ah-pah KAH-bahr, pahk?
My name is Maxim
Nama saya Maksim
nah-mah sah-yah MAHK-seem
I live right over there
Saya tinggal di sana
sah-yah teeng-gahl dee SAH-nah
Sorry about the noise
Maaf ya, tadi ramai
mah-AHF yah, tah-dee RAH-mehye
"Ramai" means lively and crowded at once — that's exactly what a party is.
Come by sometime
Mampir ya
MAHM-peer yah
"Mampir" means dropping in as a neighbor, no reason needed.
Thanks so much for your help
Terima kasih bantuannya
tuh-ree-mah kah-see bahn-too-AHN-nyah
Local: Makasih bantuannya ·
You have such a beautiful garden
Kebunnya bagus
kuh-boon-nyah BAH-goos
Complimenting the house or garden is valued more here than complimenting the person directly.
Is there a ceremony today?
Hari ini ada upacara?
hah-ree ee-nee ah-dah oo-pah-CHAH-rah?
Am I in the way?
Tidak mengganggu?
tee-dahk muhng-GAHNG-goo?
Local: Nggak mengganggu? ·
Have a good day
Selamat jalan
suh-lah-maht JAH-lahn
Said to the person leaving. To the one staying, it's "selamat tinggal".
Is it okay to take photos?
Boleh foto?
boh-luh FOH-toh?
Politer: Permisi, boleh foto? ·
Sorry, I'm late
Maaf, saya telat
mah-AHF, sah-yah tuh-LAHT
“Telat” sounds more natural than the textbook terlambat.
Hey, neighbor!
Halo, tetangga!
HAH-loh, tuh-TAHNG-gah!
Good afternoon
Selamat siang
suh-lah-maht SEE-ahng
used roughly from 11am to 3pm
Good afternoon/evening
Selamat sore
suh-lah-maht SOH-ruh
from 3pm to 6pm, distinct from 'malam'
Good evening
Selamat malam
suh-lah-maht MAH-lahm
after 6pm, used when meeting someone in the evening
I'm doing well, thanks
Baik, terima kasih
BEHYEK, tuh-ree-mah KAH-see
Local: Baik-baik, makasih ·
Sorry to bother you
Maaf mengganggu
mah-ahf muhng-GAHNG-goo
said before asking for something
Excuse me, can I ask you something?
Maaf, boleh tanya?
MAH-ahf, boh-luh TAHN-yah?
Sorry to trouble you
Mohon maaf atas gangguannya
moh-hohn mah-ahf ah-tahs gahng-goo-AHN-nyah
more formal, mohon is politer than maaf
Sorry, I didn't mean to offend you
Maaf, saya tidak bermaksud menyinggung
MAH-ahf, sah-yah tee-dahk buhr-mahk-sood muhn-YEENG-goong
Local: Maaf, saya nggak bermaksud menyinggung ·
Thank you so much
Terima kasih banyak
tuh-ree-mah kah-see BAHN-yahk
Local: Makasih banyak ·
Thanks for your help
Terima kasih sudah membantu
tuh-ree-mah kah-see soo-dah muhm-BAHN-too
Local: Makasih udah membantu ·
You're welcome
Sama-sama
sah-mah SAH-mah
standard reply to 'thank you'
No problem
Terima kasih kembali
tuh-ree-mah kah-see kuhm-BAH-lee
Local: Makasih kembali ·
I live right nearby
Saya tinggal di sini, dekat sini
sah-yah teeng-gahl dee SEE-nee, duh-kaht SEE-nee
I'm your new neighbor
Saya tetangga baru
sah-yah tuh-tahng-gah BAH-roo
How long have you lived here?
Sudah lama tinggal di sini?
soo-dah lah-mah teeng-gahl dee SEE-nee?
Local: Udah lama tinggal di sini? ·
If you ever need anything, just let me know
Kalau perlu apa-apa, bilang saja
kah-lohw puhr-loo ah-pah AH-pah, bee-lahng SAH-jah
Local: Kalau perlu apa-apa, bilang aja ·
Good night, see you around
Selamat malam, sampai jumpa
suh-lah-maht MAH-lahm, sahm-pehye JOOM-pah
Sorry for bothering you so late
Maaf mengganggu malam-malam
mah-ahf muhng-gahng-goo mah-lahm MAH-lahm
if you show up late at night
How's it going?
Apa kabar?
ah-pah KAH-bahr?
Politer: Permisi, apa kabar? ·
I'm good, how about you?
Baik, kamu gimana?
BEHYEK, kah-moo gee-MAH-nah?
Where are you headed?
Mau ke mana?
mohw kuh MAH-nah?
not a literal question, it's a greeting, like our 'how are you'
Just out for a walk
Jalan-jalan aja
jah-lahn jah-lahn AH-jah
standard reply to mau ke mana, even if you have a plan
Have you eaten yet?
Sudah makan?
soo-dah MAH-kahn?
Local: Udah makan? ·
Yes, I already ate
Sudah, tadi udah makan
SOO-dahh, tah-dee oo-dah MAH-kahn
Local: Udah, tadi udah makan ·
You speak English really well
Bahasa Inggrismu bagus banget
bah-hah-sah eeng-grees-moo bah-goos BAHN-guht
a compliment locals and expats often give each other
You're such a great cook
Masakanmu enak banget
mah-sah-kahn-moo eh-nahk BAHN-guht
Nice dress/shirt
Bajunya keren banget
bah-joon-yah kuh-rehn BAHN-guht
You have a beautiful smile
Senyummu manis banget
suhn-yoom-moo mah-nees BAHN-guht
Thanks, you look great too
Makasih, kamu juga kelihatan bagus
mah-KAH-seeh, kah-moo joo-gah kuh-lee-hah-tahn BAH-goos
Maybe not today, some other time
Mungkin lain kali ya
moong-keen lehyen KAH-lee yah
a soft refusal without a direct 'no'
Thanks, but I'll think about it
Makasih, tapi aku pikir-pikir dulu
mah-KAH-seeh, tah-pee ah-koo pee-keer pee-keer DOO-loo
a universal soft brush-off for vendors/touts
Not this time, thanks
Nggak dulu deh, makasih
nggahk DOO-loo duhh, mah-KAH-see
I already have plans
Aku udah ada rencana lain
ah-koo oo-dah ah-dah ruhn-chah-nah LEHYEN
a gentle way to decline an invitation
Are you kidding me?
Kamu becanda ya?
kah-moo buh-CHAHN-dah yah?
It was just a joke
Itu cuma bercanda kok
ee-too choo-mah buhr-CHAHN-dah kohk
to defuse tension after a joke falls flat
Alright, I'm gonna head out, bye!
Oke deh, aku duluan ya!
OH-kuh duhh, ah-koo doo-LOO-ahn yah!
casual goodbye when leaving before the other person
See you!
Sampai jumpa lagi!
sahm-pehye joom-pah LAH-gee!
Take care
Jaga diri baik-baik ya
jah-gah dee-ree behyek BEHYEK yah
warm goodbye with a friend
What time should we meet?
Jam berapa kita ketemu?
jahm buh-rah-pah kee-tah kuh-tuh-MOO?
What time works for you?
Jam berapa enaknya buat kamu?
jahm buh-rah-pah uh-nahk-nyah boo-aht KAH-moo?
I'll be a bit late
Aku telat sedikit
ah-koo tuh-laht suh-DEE-keet
Local: Aku agak telat dikit ·
Sorry, traffic was crazy
Sori, kelamaan di jalan
SOH-ree, kuh-lah-mah-ahn dee JAH-lahn
literally 'was stuck in traffic for a long time', a common excuse for being late
Please wait for me
Tunggu aku sebentar ya
toong-goo ah-koo suh-buhn-TAHR yah
Give me five minutes
Tunggu lima menit lagi
toong-goo lee-mah muh-neet LAH-gee
Can you wait?
Bisa tunggu?
bee-sah TOONG-goo?
Politer: Permisi, bisa tunggu, kan? ·
Let's push it to tomorrow
Kita ganti besok aja, ya
kee-tah gahn-tee beh-sohk AH-jah, yah
Can we reschedule?
Bisa reschedule ketemuannya?
bee-sah ruhs-chhuh-doo-luh kuh-tuh-moo-AHN-nyah?
Politer: Permisi, bisa reschedule ketemuannya? ·
Let's meet at a different time
Ketemuan di waktu lain aja gimana?
kuh-tuh-moo-ahn dee wahk-too lehyen ah-jah gee-MAH-nah?
Let's do tomorrow, if that works for you
Besok aja gimana, kalau kamu gak keberatan?
beh-sohk ah-jah gee-MAH-nah, kah-lohw kah-moo gahk kuh-buh-RAH-tahn?
I'm on my way
Aku udah di jalan
ah-koo oo-dah dee JAH-lahn
a common phrase, even if the person hasn't actually left yet :)
I'm almost there
Aku hampir sampai
ah-koo hahm-peer SAHM-pehye
also often said ahead of time
Where are you right now?
Kamu di mana sekarang?
kah-moo dee mah-nah suh-KAH-rahng?
Let's do the same time as yesterday
Jam yang sama kayak kemarin aja ya
jahm yahng sah-mah kah-yahk kuh-mah-reen AH-jah yah
My plans changed, can we do another day?
Rencanaku berubah, gimana kalau ganti hari?
ruhn-chah-nah-koo buh-ROO-bahh, gee-mah-nah kah-lohw gahn-tee HAH-ree?
Don't wait for me, go ahead and start
Gak usah tunggu aku, mulai aja dulu
gahk oo-sah toong-goo AH-koo, moo-lehye ah-jah DOO-loo
See you tomorrow then
Oke, sampai besok ya
OH-kuh, sahm-pehye BEH-sohk yah
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