What the Indonesian Language Can Tell You About Bali
If you haven’t already been to Bali, you’ve probably dreamed of going.
The small Indonesian island — just one of 17.500! — is one of the go-to places for travelers who want to experience a bit of safe paradise.
The nature is stunning, with a wide variety of flowering plants and tropical beaches, and hospitality is luxurious, with excellent accommodation and good food. And that the Suku Bali (= ‘Balinese’) generally speak English is a massive relief for many tourists.
But do you like to emerge yourself in a new culture? Would you like to impress your friendly Balinese hosts next time you’re there?
Then it’s a good idea to pick up some Indonesian!
Balinese culture and the nation’s official language are entwined. Learning about one of them will make you acquainted with the other.
So why not learn some translations while you’re introduced to Bali?
If you’re scared off by the thought of learning an Asian language, don’t be. Indonesian is not only beautiful but quite simple. The language doesn’t use articles, plurals, or conjugations!
Saying hello or explaining you’re going to the beach has never been so simple.
Let’s give it a go!
Do All Indonesians Speak Bahasa Indonesia?
Nearly all Indonesians speak Bahasa Indonesia (= ‘Indonesian’) since Indonesia declared its independence in 1945. Before then, it had been a Dutch colony from 1800. If you’d like to know more about the Dutch influence in Bali, check out this post.
Malay, an old trade route language, was the second most spoken language in the Indonesian colony after Javanese (concentrated on the Indonesian island of Java). Indonesia would make Malay its official language and call it Indonesian. Malay is also spoken in neighboring country Malaysia, as the official language Bahasa Malaysia (= ‘Malaysian’).
Therefore, Malaysian and Indonesian are very similar. If you speak one language, you’re able to understand and converse in the other. There are, however, some differences, and they are comparable to the way American English differs from British English.
The reason an independent Indonesia felt like it needed an official language was because of the wide variety of local languages spoken in the country. To this day, around 1.300 ethnic groups speak over 300 native tongues. The country is home to one-10th of the world’s languages and is the most linguistically diverse nation after Papua New Guinea.
Half of those native languages are threatened or dying, including Balinese, the original language used in Bali. Nowadays, it’s mostly spoken by older generations since schools, politics, and public life uses Indonesian.
Why Indonesian Is Easy to Learn
Because Indonesian is a state language and most Indonesians speak their local language in daily life, the country’s official language has fewer vocabulary than most others. In the language guide Practical Indonesian: A Communication Guide, author John Barker explains Indonesian does not have the following grammar.
Articles
‘The’, ‘a’ and ‘an’ have no equivalents. If you were to say ‘I don’t have a room’, the Indonesian translation would be ‘I don’t have room’ (= Saya tidak ada kamar).
The verb ‘to be’
‘To be’ is not usually translated. You would, for example, literally say ‘This book good’ (= Buku ini baik).
Plurals
Sometimes the noun is simply repeated to make clear that you’re talking about the plural form (‘books’ = buku-buku). Most of the time, though, the context will tell whether you’re talking about a single or a plural noun.
Careful with merely repeating a word because you think you’ll make it plural.
When you repeat some words, they get a completely different meaning, like mata (= ‘eye’) and mata-mata (‘spy’). Or ulam (= ‘young woman’) and ulam-ulam (= ‘mistress’). Not the same!
Conjugations
Indonesian verbs aren’t conjugated, but the context of a conversation makes clear what tense you’re talking about. That way saya pergi can mean:
- I will go.
- I am going.
- I went.
- I am gone.
Words That Sum up Bali Life
Now that you know how easy Indonesian can be, why not use it in Bali? The following terms and short sentences say a lot about what life in Bali’s like.
Greetings and Questions: Apa Kabar?
If you’ve been to Bali, you’ve probably heard people ask you ‘Apa kabar?’. It means ‘how are you?’, but literally translates into ‘What’s the news?’ (apa = ‘what’; kabar = ‘news’).
If you’d like to answer that you’re doing okay and ask them as well, say ‘Kabar baik. Anda bagaimana?’ (= ‘I’m good. How are you?’).
Baik means ‘good’, anda is a formal form of ‘you’, and bagaimana means ‘how’.
Maybe you’ve noticed that a lot of Balinese will ask you in English ‘Where are you going?’ or ‘Where do you come from?’. Those questions can feel a bit too personal.
At the Cinta Bahasa (= ‘Love language’) school in Ubud, the teachers give their students a bit more context about these questions that sometimes feel strange to westerners.
Balinese are warm, sociable people and have a strong sense of village solidarity. Villages consist of compounds that are just like tiny communities within.
Each compound houses a family. Sometimes there are up to 70 people living in houses and rooms next to or close to each other. If you’re wondering what a typical compound looks like, this video gives you a good idea.
Because a lot of people see their family members or neighbors multiple times daily, it’s no wonder that they tend to ask more profound questions than ‘how are you?’. If a Balinese sees someone he knows for maybe the 4th time in a day, he will ask Dari mana? (= ‘Where did you just come from?’) or Mau ke mana? (= ‘Where are you going?’).
The literal translation of those sentences is compact and straightforward.
- Dari means ‘from’, mana means ‘where’: ‘From where?’
- Mau means ‘to want’, ke means ‘to’: ‘Where you want?’
Those questions are embedded in the culture and are not meant to be inquisitive. If you want to answer a bit cheekily, just reply with a Dari sana (= ‘I’m coming from over there’) or Mau ke sana (= ‘I want to go there’).
Be careful with pointing into a direction though, it can be considered impolite. Learn more about what to do with your hands while you’re in Bali in this post.
Getting Around: Pelan-Pelan!
It’s something you’ll often hear Balinese say when they see you get on your scooter: Pelan-pelan! (= ‘slowly’!).
It’s a great thing to discover the island on your bike. Some Indonesians will joke that it’s baik (= ‘good’).
Be careful if you’re a first-time scooter driver, though. Some Balinese villages consist of long rows of honking drivers trying to get in front of you without minding your feet. In more relaxed areas of the island, drivers tend to speed past you, and the state of the roads can be sandy or contain a lot of holes.
If you want to play safe and not risk dropping your scooter every day, hire an ojek, a local taxi scooter. The drivers generally know what they’re doing, and it’s handy when you’re just by yourself. As with all taxis, make sure to agree upon a price beforehand.
If you have a hard time bargaining in a place where you can’t estimate the distances between your hostel and that one café, you might want to install the Gojek-app. It’s Uber but with scooters.
If you want to be adventurous anyway and drive yourself, don’t be afraid to honk! It’s expected when you pass another scooter. However, Cinta Bahasa states in their course that you “Do not honk when you are behind a procession.”
Processions or walking ceremonies are a public way of religious celebrating or mourning. And they happen daily in Bali. It’s rude to disturb one.
You can take pictures, as long as you keep a respectful distance of people and don’t take any frontal close-ups.
If you’d like to learn more about processions and spirituality in Bali, check out this post.
Water: Pantai and Trash!
Bali, and Indonesia in general, is home to many of the most beautiful pantai (= beaches) in the world. And because Indonesia consists of so many islands, the beach plays an important role in daily life.
Fishing is common practice, mostly in the villages of Jimbaran, Amed, and Padang Bai. And surfing, especially in Canggu, Kuta and Seminyak, popular with not only tourists but also Balinese. Because of its beautiful underwater world, you can find scuba and freediving schools all over Bali.
Apart from its laut (= ‘ocean’), there’s more air (= ‘water’, confusingly enough) to explore on the island itself. Bali is full of air terjun (literally ‘falling water’, but obviously ‘waterfalls’). It’s not uncommon to see Balinese families wash themselves, their children, or their clothes in some of these tropical pools.
However tranquil those pools might look, be cautious with the water you drink, including tap water.
To not come down with Bali belly (a stomach ache and diarrhea common with tourists) or even food poisoning, avoid fresh drinks outside of touristy restaurants and cafes. Also used bottled water to brush your gigi (= ‘teeth’).
Don’t feel like buying plastic bottles because you know of the waste problem in Bali?
A common thing in Balinese hospitality is to just ask to fill up your water bottle with drinkable water. Most places charge you a symbolic or small fee. By carrying a reusable bottle, you’ll help Bali reduce its waste, which it still doesn’t have a complete functioning management system for.
Since tourism to the island exploded 50 years ago, plastic has found its way to Bali. Last year, National Geographic reported that only about half of the “Waste generated in Bali has been well managed, both recycled and transported to landfills. As a result, 33,000 tons of plastic waste ends up at sea every year.”
Nasi Goreng, Pura dan Monyet!
Fried rice, temples, and monkeys!
Indonesian is full of words that can tell you more about island life in Bali. It’s a (sad) fact that it seems to replace Balinese today, but it’s definitely easier to learn.
Did you speak any Indonesian while you were in Bali? Let me know, and I might add what you learned to my next list!
Did you like this cultural language post about village life, scooters, and water?
Would you like to know more words?
Check out these posts that focus on translations and explanations on different subjects!
- Bali’s Dark Side Explained With 7 Animals
- 7 Animals That Sum up Bali
- Balinese Hinduism Explained
- What These Foods Can Tell You About Bali
- How the Dutch Language Influenced Bali
- What Your Body Can Teach You About Bali
Main source
The teachers and courses of Indonesian language school Cinta Bahasa in Ubud, Bali, who I highly recommend if you’re in Bali for a few weeks or as an expat.
I followed private lessons, in which a teacher speaks Indonesian with you for two hours at a time. Don’t worry, they’ll help you in English if you’re lost, but you learn so quickly that you’ll barely need it. The great thing about these private sessions is that you can ask any cultural questions if the teachers don’t already answer them beforehand, because Balinese culture and Indonesian language are closely connected.
Cinta Bahasa offers, however, all sorts of courses, including a fast crash course and beginner group courses. If you’re planning on moving or staying for a long time, you can even ask them for online lessons.
The school has branches in Ubud and Sanur.
Other sources
Barker, J., Practical Indonesian: a communication guide. Singapore: Periplus Editions, 1987.
D. Jain and G. Cardona, The Indo-Aryan Languages. New York: Routledge, 2007.
Fan Pen Chen, Asian Folklore Studies. Aichi: Nanzan University, 2003.
Hanna, F. W., A Brief History Of Bali: Piracy, Slavery, Opium and Guns: The Story of an Island Paradise. Clarendon: Tuttle Publishing, 2016.
Maxwell, V. et. al., Lonely Planet Bali, Lombok & Nusa Tenggara. New York: Random House, 2019.
Torchia C. and Djuhari L., Indonesian Slang: Colloquial Indonesian at Work. Tokyo: Tuttle Publishing, 2011.
