One of the handiest words to learn is ‘Selamat’, which by itself means ‘safe’, but is used in a multitude of greetings.
For example: …
| Selamat pagi | Good morning (till ~ 10AM) |
| Selamat siang | Good day (till ~ 3PM) |
| Selamat sore | Good afternoon (till dusk) |
| Selamat malam | Good evening (after dark) |
| Selamat tidur | Good night, sleep well |
| Selamat makan | Good eating, enjoy your meal |
| Selamat minum | Good drinking, cheers |
| Selamat datang | Welcome |
| Selamat jalan | Goodbye (to someone leaving) |
| Selamat tinggal | Goodbye (if you are leaving) |
And so the list could go on.
Various places that may be handy to know are…
Di mana …….? = Where is ………?
| Kantor pos | Post office |
| Kantor polisi | Police station |
| Toko | Shop |
| Bank | Bank |
| Kamar saya | My room |
| WC (way-say) | Toilet |
| Kamar mandi | Bathroom |
For those of you that want to try a bit of bargaining in another language try these for starters:
| Berapa harganya? | What's the price? |
| Terlalu mahal | Too expensive |
| Murah | Cheap |
| Saya tidak mau | I don't want (it) |
A few assorted words are included below
| Terima kasih | Thank you |
| Sama-sama | You're welcome (response to "thank you") |
| Bagus! | Great! |
| Enak | Delicious |
| Gula | Sugar |
| Susu | Milk |
| Air | Water |
| Sabun | Soap |
| Handuk | Towel |
| Teh | Tea |
| Kopi | Coffee |
| Garam | Salt |
| Kertas | Paper |
| Rokok | Cigarette |
| Asbak | Ashtray |
| Korek api | Matches |
| Panas | Hot |
| Dingin | Cold/Cool |
Numbers
| 1/2 = Setengah | 11 = Sebelas | 104 = Seratus Empat | 50,000 = Lima Puluh Ribu |
| 1 = Satu | 12 = Dua Belas | 110 = Seratus Sepuluh | 100,000 = Seratus Ribu |
| 2 = Dua | 13 = Tiga Belas | 160 = Seratus Enam Puluh | 150,000 = Seratus Lima Puluh Ribu |
| 3 = Tiga | 14 = Empat Belas | 500 = Lima Ratus | 340,000 = Tiga Ratus Empat Puluh Ribu |
| 4 = Empat | 18 = Delapan Belas | 800 = Delapan Ratus | 1,000,000 = Satu Juta |
| 5 = Lima | 20 = Dua Puluh | 1,000 = Seribu | 4,500,000 = Empat Juta Lima Ratus Ribu |
| 6 = Enam | 25 = Dua Puluh Lima | 2,500 = Dua Ribu Lima Ratus | 8,000,700 = Delapan Juta Tujuh Ratus |
| 7 = Tujuh | 47 = Empat Puluh Tujuh | 5,300 = Lima Ribu Tiga Ratus | 10,000,000 = Sepuluh Juta |
| 8 = Delapan | 71 = Tujuh Puluh Satu | 10,000 = Sepuluh Ribu | 20,000,000 = Dua Puluh Juta |
| 9 = Sembilan | 99 = Sembilan Puluh Sembilan | 15,000 = Lima Belas Ribu | 50,000,000 = Lima Puluh Juta |
| 10 = Sepuluh | 100 = Seratus | 20,000 = Dua Puluh Ribu | 1,000,000,000 = Satu Milyar |