Easy Indonesian Phrases for Bali You’ll Actually Use During Your Trip

Knowing how to say thank you, not spicy, how much, turn left and where’s the toilet will get you surprisingly far in Bali in 2026.

You don’t need hundreds of phrases either. I’m proudly fluent in Indonesian, but most of what I actually use daily is simple stuff for ordering food, talking to drivers, shopping, and having basic chats.

I’ve put together around 200+ Indonesian phrases for Bali, with simple pronunciations and English meanings for each one. I’ve also included the casual versions you’ll actually hear, because learning tidak isn’t quite as helpful when everyone around you seems to be saying nggak.

Save the page, learn a handful before you arrive and use the rest when you need them.

Do You Need to Speak Indonesian in Bali?

No, you don’t need to speak Indonesian (Bahasa Indonesia) or learn any of these Indonesian phrases for Bali. You can get back your entire trip just by speaking English.

English is widely spoken in the main tourist areas, especially at hotels, villas, restaurants, cafes, beach clubs and attractions. Drivers, tour guides and staff working with tourists will usually speak at least enough English to get by.

But learning a few Indonesian words makes travelling around Bali a lot more fun.

You don’t need to hold a conversation. Even simple words like terima kasih (thank you), tolong (please/help) and permisi (excuse me) come in handy surprisingly often.

💡 Important Note: Indonesian and Balinese aren’t the same language. Bahasa Indonesia is Indonesia’s national language and is what I’m focusing on throughout this page. Balinese is a separate local language spoken by Balinese people, although Indonesian is also widely spoken across Bali.

---

Basic Indonesian Words to Learn for Bali

You don’t need to memorise hundreds of Indonesian words before coming to Bali in 2026. Start with a small group that you’ll hear constantly and can use in all sorts of situations.

Indonesian pronunciation is also pretty beginner-friendly. Most words are pronounced much more consistently than English, so once you get used to a few sounds, reading signs and menus becomes easier.

Common Indonesian words in Bali

Indonesian	Pronunciation	English
Iya	EE-yah	Yes
Tidak	TEE-dahk	No
Tolong	TOH-long	Please / help
Maaf	mah-AHF	Sorry
Permisi	per-MEE-see	Excuse me
Terima kasih	tuh-REE-mah KAH-see	Thank you
Sama-sama	SAH-mah SAH-mah	You’re welcome
Bisa	BEE-sah	Can / able to
Tidak bisa	TEE-dahk BEE-sah	Can’t / not possible
Ada	AH-dah	There is / available
Tidak ada	TEE-dahk AH-dah	There isn’t / not available
Sudah	SOO-dah	Already / finished
Belum	buh-LOOM	Not yet
Bagus	BAH-goos	Good / nice
Enak	EH-nahk	Delicious / pleasant
Sebentar	suh-BEN-tar	A moment / wait a moment
Hati-hati	HAH-tee HAH-tee	Be careful
Ayo	AH-yoh	Let’s go / come on

A few of these are very useful

When you’re learning Indonesian phrases for Bali, you’ll hear most of the words in almost every singel conversation.

Bisa is one you’ll hear everywhere. It basically means “can” or “possible.”

Bisa? can be as simple as asking, “Can you?” or “Is that possible?” You’ll also hear tidak bisa, meaning something can’t be done.

Then there’s sudah and belum. These two are worth remembering as a pair.

Sudah means something has already happened or is finished. Belum means not yet.

So if someone asks whether you’ve eaten, paid, booked or finished something, you’ll often be able to answer with nothing more than sudah or belum.

Ada is another little word that does a lot of heavy lifting. It means something exists or is available.

Ada? can effectively mean “Do you have it?” Tidak ada means there isn’t any, they don’t have it or it’s unavailable.

💡 Shorter Versions: Spoken Indonesian is usually more casual than the Indonesian you’ll find on Duolingo. For example, tidak is commonly shortened to nggak, sudah becomes udah, sebentar becomes bentar, and terima kasih often becomes makasih.

---

---

Indonesian Greetings & Polite Phrases

These are the phrases worth learning because you’ll actually get plenty of chances to use them in Bali. A simple selamat pagi when you meet your driver or terima kasih when someone helps you goes a long way.

Basic Indonesian greetings in Bali

Indonesian	Pronunciation	English
Selamat pagi	suh-LAH-maht pah-GEE	Good morning
Selamat siang	suh-LAH-maht see-AHNG	Good afternoon
Selamat sore	suh-LAH-maht SOH-reh	Good late afternoon / evening
Selamat malam	suh-LAH-maht MAH-lahm	Good evening / good night

The greeting changes with the time of day. Pagi is morning, siang covers the middle of the day, sore is later in the afternoon and malam is evening or night.

Don’t get hung up on exactly when one becomes the next. Being a little early or late with selamat sore isn’t going to cause an international incident.

How to say Thank you & you’re welcome in Bali

Indonesian	Pronunciation	English
Terima kasih	tuh-REE-mah KAH-see	Thank you
Makasih	mah-KAH-see	Thanks
Sama-sama	SAH-mah SAH-mah	You’re welcome

Terima kasih is the standard polite version and one of the most useful Indonesian phrases to learn for Bali.

You’ll also hear makasih all the time. It’s simply more casual, much like saying thanks instead of thank you.

How to say Excuse me, sorry & please in Bali

Indonesian	Pronunciation	English
Permisi	per-MEE-see	Excuse me
Maaf	mah-AHF	Sorry
Tolong	TOH-long	Please / help

These three are easy to mix up.

Use permisi when passing someone, politely interrupting or trying to get someone’s attention. Maaf is an apology, while tolong is used when asking someone for help or asking them to do something.

Indonesian phrases for basic conversation in Bali

Indonesian	Pronunciation	English
Apa kabar?	AH-pah KAH-bar	How are you?
Baik	bah-EEK	Good / well
Sampai jumpa	sahm-PIE JOOM-pah	See you again
Dadah	DAH-dah	Bye

If someone says apa kabar?, they’re asking how you are. Baik, terima kasih is all you need for a simple good, thank you.

Sampai jumpa is a proper see you again, while dadah is the much more casual bye you’ll also hear in everyday conversation.

💡 My Advice: If you’re short time to learn some Indonesian phrases for Bali, the ones above should be enough to get you by and impress a few people. Don’t stress too much about memorizing this entire page.

---

Indonesian Phrases for Bali Restaurants & Cafes

You can order in English at most restaurants and cafes around the island, but Indonesian phrases for Bali becomes much more useful at local warungs, markets and roadside food stalls.

A few words also make modifying an order much easier, especially when it comes to Balinese food, spiciness, ice and ingredients.

Indonesian phrases for ordering food and drinks in Bali

Indonesian	Pronunciation	English
Saya mau ini	SAH-yah MAH-oo EE-nee	I want this
Yang ini	yahng EE-nee	This one
Satu	SAH-too	One
Dua	DOO-ah	Two
Tambah satu	TAHM-bah SAH-too	One more
Makan di sini	MAH-kahn dee SEE-nee	Eat here
Bungkus	BOONG-koos	Takeaway / pack it to go
Air putih	AH-eer POO-teeh	Drinking water

Yang ini is really handy. Point at something on a menu or in a display and say yang ini, and you’re basically saying this one.

You’ll also hear bungkus constantly. If you’re taking food away rather than eating there, bungkus is the word to remember.

Indonesian phrases for spicy, not spicy & changing your order

Indonesian	Pronunciation	English
Pedas	puh-DAHS	Spicy
Tidak pedas	TEE-dahk puh-DAHS	Not spicy
Sedikit pedas	suh-DEE-keet puh-DAHS	A little spicy
Tanpa sambal	TAHN-pah SAHM-bahl	Without sambal
Tanpa es	TAHN-pah ESS	Without ice
Tanpa gula	TAHN-pah GOO-lah	Without sugar
Pakai…	pah-KAI	With / use…
Tanpa…	TAHN-pah	Without…

Learning tanpa is useful because you can put it in front of whatever you don’t want.

Tanpa gula means without sugar, tanpa es means without ice, and tanpa sambal means without sambal.

And take tidak pedas seriously. Indonesian ideas of “a little spicy” and Australian ideas of “a little spicy” have occasionally been known to disagree.

Useful words at the table

Indonesian	Pronunciation	English
Selamat makan	suh-LAH-maht MAH-kahn	Enjoy your meal
Enak	EH-nahk	Delicious / tasty
Enak sekali	EH-nahk suh-KAH-lee	Very delicious
Sudah	SOO-dah	Finished / already
Belum	buh-LOOM	Not yet
Tambah	TAHM-bah	Add / more
Kurang	KOO-rahng	Less / not enough

Enak is an easy one to remember and a nice compliment when you’ve enjoyed the food. Enak sekali turns that into very delicious.

Paying the bill in Indonesian

Indonesian	Pronunciation	English
Minta bill	MEEN-tah bill	Can I have the bill?
Bayar	BAH-yahr	Pay
Bisa pakai kartu?	BEE-sah pah-KAI KAR-too	Can I pay by card?
Tunai	TOO-nai	Cash
Kembali	kem-BAH-lee	Change

You’ll notice minta bill mixes Indonesian and English. That’s completely normal in Bali and will sound far less strange than trying to dig out an unnecessarily formal Indonesian phrase for the bill.

At smaller local places, don’t be surprised if there isn’t a bill brought to the table at all. You can simply walk over to the counter when you’re finished and pay there.

---

---

Indonesian Words for Shopping & Bali Markets

Some of the most useful Indonesian phrases for Bali are the ones you’ll use while shopping in 2026.

English is common in Bali’s tourist markets, but knowing a few Indonesian words makes browsing, asking prices and bargaining much easier.

The big ones are berapa (how much), mahal (expensive) and boleh kurang? (can you lower it?). Those three alone will get plenty of mileage at Bali markets.

Indonesian phrases for asking the price in Bali

Indonesian	Pronunciation	English
Berapa?	buh-RAH-pah	How much?
Berapa harganya?	buh-RAH-pah HAR-gah-nyah	How much is it?
Harga	HAR-gah	Price
Ini berapa?	EE-nee buh-RAH-pah	How much is this?
Mahal	MAH-hahl	Expensive
Murah	MOO-rah	Cheap

Berapa? is perfectly useful on its own. Point at something and say berapa? and the seller will know exactly what you’re asking.

The answer is where knowing your Indonesian numbers becomes useful. Prices are commonly shortened using ribu, meaning thousand. So lima puluh ribu is 50,000 rupiah.

Bargaining at Bali markets in Indonesian

Indonesian	Pronunciation	English
Boleh kurang?	BOH-leh KOO-rahng	Can you lower the price?
Terlalu mahal	ter-LAH-loo MAH-hahl	Too expensive
Berapa harga terakhir?	buh-RAH-pah HAR-gah ter-AH-kheer	What’s the final price?
Saya beli dua	SAH-yah buh-LEE DOO-ah	I’ll buy two
Kalau dua?	KAH-low DOO-ah	What about two?
Tidak, terima kasih	TEE-dahk tuh-REE-mah KAH-see	No, thank you

Boleh kurang? is one of those Indonesian phrases that’s genuinely worth remembering for Bali. It’s much friendlier than immediately firing a ridiculously low number back at the seller.

Bargaining is normal at many traditional and tourist markets, but it should still be a conversation rather than a battle over 20,000 rupiah.

Kalau dua? is handy when buying several things. It essentially means what about two?, which makes it easy to negotiate a price for multiple items.

Browsing without buying

Indonesian	Pronunciation	English
Lihat-lihat saja	LEE-haht LEE-haht SAH-jah	Just looking
Tidak dulu	TEE-dahk DOO-loo	Not for now
Tidak, terima kasih	TEE-dahk tuh-REE-mah KAH-see	No, thank you
Saya suka ini	SAH-yah SOO-kah EE-nee	I like this
Yang ini	yahng EE-nee	This one
Yang itu	yahng EE-too	That one

Lihat-lihat saja is a super useful Indonesian phrase for Bali markets. It means you’re just looking, which comes in handy when you’ve been inside a shop for approximately four seconds and are already being offered six sarongs and a wooden penis bottle opener.

Paying in Indonesian

Indonesian	Pronunciation	Meaning
Saya ambil ini	SAH-yah AHM-beel EE-nee	I’ll take this
Bayar	BAH-yahr	Pay
Tunai	TOO-nai	Cash
Kartu	KAR-too	Card
Bisa pakai kartu?	BEE-sah pah-KAI KAR-too	Can I pay by card?
Ada QRIS?	AH-dah KREES	Do you have QRIS?

Cash is still useful at traditional markets and smaller stalls. Card payments are common in more established shops, while QRIS is Indonesia’s standard QR payment system and you’ll see its little payment codes absolutely everywhere.

---

Indonesian Phrases for Gojek, Grab, Taxis & Drivers

You probably won’t need much Indonesian when using Gojek or Grab because your destination is already entered into the app.

The useful phrases are the simple ones for finding your driver, stopping somewhere and explaining exactly where you want to go.

These are some of the most practical Indonesian phrases for Bali because you’ll also be able to use them with private drivers and taxis.

Texting your driver in Indonesian

Indonesian	Pronunciation	English
Saya di sini	SAH-yah dee SEE-nee	I’m here
Saya sudah di depan	SAH-yah SOO-dah dee duh-PAHN	I’m already out front
Di mana?	dee MAH-nah	Where?
Tunggu sebentar	TOONG-goo suh-BEN-tar	Wait a moment
Saya jalan ke sana	SAH-yah JAH-lahn kuh SAH-nah	I’m walking there
Saya pakai baju putih	SAH-yah pah-KAI BAH-joo POO-teeh	I’m wearing a white shirt

Saya di sini is useful when your Grab or Gojek driver messages asking where you are.

You’ll sometimes arrange to meet somewhere slightly different from your exact location, especially around hotels, malls, attractions and areas with designated pickup points in Uluwatu and Ubud. Saya jalan ke sana lets the driver know you’re walking over to them.

Giving directions in Indonesian

Indonesian	Pronunciation	English
Kiri	KEE-ree	Left
Kanan	KAH-nahn	Right
Lurus	LOO-roos	Straight
Di sini	dee SEE-nee	Here
Di sana	dee SAH-nah	There
Belok kiri	BEH-lok KEE-ree	Turn left
Belok kanan	BEH-lok KAH-nahn	Turn right
Lurus saja	LOO-roos SAH-jah	Just go straight

Kiri, kanan and lurus are three words worth remembering even if you learn nothing else from this section.

They’re especially handy when Google Maps has the right general location but your villa is actually down an unnamed gang, behind another villa, past a temple and apparently invisible to modern satellite technology.

Stopping along the way

Indonesian	Pronunciation	English
Berhenti di sini	ber-HEN-tee dee SEE-nee	Stop here
Di sini saja	dee SEE-nee SAH-jah	Just here is fine
Sebentar	suh-BEN-tar	One moment
Tunggu di sini	TOONG-goo dee SEE-nee	Wait here
Bisa berhenti di sini?	BEE-sah ber-HEN-tee dee SEE-nee	Can you stop here?

Di sini saja is a really natural and useful one. If you’re close enough to your destination and want to get out, it basically means right here is fine.

For a quick stop, bisa berhenti di sini? asks the driver if they can stop here.

Talking to your driver in Indonesian

Indonesian	Pronunciation	English
Sudah sampai?	SOO-dah sahm-PIE	Have we arrived?
Belum	buh-LOOM	Not yet
Sudah	SOO-dah	Already / yes
Pelan-pelan	puh-LAHN puh-LAHN	Slowly / take it easy
Hati-hati	HAH-tee HAH-tee	Be careful
Terima kasih, Pak	tuh-REE-mah KAH-see PAHK	Thank you, sir
Terima kasih, Bu	tuh-REE-mah KAH-see BOO	Thank you, ma’am

You’ll hear Pak and Bu constantly in Indonesia. They’re polite ways of addressing an adult man or woman and are shortened forms of Bapak and Ibu.

So terima kasih, Pak is a perfectly normal way to thank a male driver at the end of your trip, while terima kasih, Bu is used for a woman.

💡 Pro Tip: My drivers all speak fluent English, so you don’t necessarily need to learn any Indonesian phrases for Bali when you’re out exploring. But throwing in a few of these phrases might catch your driver by surprise and earn you a laugh or two.

---

Indonesian Phrases for Bali Hotels & Villas

English is widely spoken at most Bali accommodation in 2026, especially anywhere that regularly hosts international guests.

These Indonesian phrases are more useful for the little everyday interactions with housekeeping, security, maintenance staff or villa staff who may speak less English.

Indonesian phrases for checking in and finding your room

Indonesian	Pronunciation	English
Saya ada reservasi	SAH-yah AH-dah reh-ser-VAH-see	I have a reservation
Atas nama…	AH-tahs NAH-mah	Under the name…
Kamar saya di mana?	KAH-mar SAH-yah dee MAH-nah	Where is my room?
Kamar	KAH-mar	Room
Kunci	KOON-chee	Key
Lantai	LAHN-tai	Floor
Nomor kamar	NOH-mor KAH-mar	Room number

You’ll see kamar quite a lot in Indonesia. It simply means room, while kamar mandi means bathroom.

Atas nama is also useful outside your hotel. It means under the name of, so you may hear it when checking a hotel reservation, restaurant booking or tour.

Asking for something at a hotel in Bali

Indonesian	Pronunciation	English
Bisa minta…?	BEE-sah MEEN-tah	Can I have…?
Minta air, boleh?	MEEN-tah AH-eer BOH-leh	Can I have some water?
Minta handuk, boleh?	MEEN-tah HAHN-dook BOH-leh	Can I have a towel?
Handuk	HAHN-dook	Towel
Air	AH-eer	Water
Tisu	TEE-soo	Tissue
Sabun	SAH-boon	Soap
Satu lagi	SAH-too LAH-gee	One more

Bisa minta…? is a handy phrase to learn because you can simply add whatever you need after it.

And yes, air means water in Indonesian, not the stuff you’re breathing. That’s an easy one to get confused by when you first start reading Indonesian.

Indonesian phrases for when there’s a problem

Indonesian	Pronunciation	English
Ada masalah	AH-dah mah-SAH-lah	There’s a problem
Tidak bisa	TEE-dahk BEE-sah	It doesn’t work / can’t
Rusak	ROO-sahk	Broken
Tidak ada air panas	TEE-dahk AH-dah AH-eer PAH-nahs	There’s no hot water
AC tidak dingin	AH-SEH TEE-dahk DEENG-een	The air conditioning isn’t cold
Bisa bantu?	BEE-sah BAHN-too	Can you help?
Tolong cek	TOH-long CHEK	Please check

Tidak bisa is useful when something simply isn’t working, while rusak means it’s actually broken.

Bisa bantu? is one of the easiest Indonesian phrases for Bali to remember when something goes wrong. It simply means can you help?

---

Indonesian Words for Directions

Some of the most useful Indonesian phrases for Bali are simple directions.

Knowing how to say left, right, straight, north and south can help when talking to drivers, finding a villa or understanding directions from someone on the street.

You’ll also see several of these words written on road signs and addresses around Bali.

Left, right & straight

Indonesian	Pronunciation	English
Kiri	KEE-ree	Left
Kanan	KAH-nahn	Right
Lurus	LOO-roos	Straight
Belok kiri	BEH-lok KEE-ree	Turn left
Belok kanan	BEH-lok KAH-nahn	Turn right
Lurus terus	LOO-roos tuh-ROOS	Keep going straight
Putar balik	POO-tar BAH-leek	Turn around / make a U-turn

Belok means turn, so belok kiri means turn left and belok kanan means turn right.

Lurus terus is also worth remembering. If someone is giving you directions and says this, they want you to keep going straight.

North, south, east & west

Indonesian	Pronunciation	English
Utara	oo-TAH-rah	North
Selatan	suh-LAH-tahn	South
Timur	TEE-moor	East
Barat	BAH-raht	West

These are useful for understanding place names and signs around Bali. Bali Utara means North Bali, Bali Selatan means South Bali, Bali Timur means East Bali and Bali Barat means West Bali.

You’ll also come across them in place names. Denpasar Selatan, for example, means South Denpasar, while Denpasar Barat is West Denpasar.

Here, there & around you

Indonesian	Pronunciation	English
Sini	SEE-nee	Here
Sana	SAH-nah	There
Dekat	DEH-kaht	Near / close
Jauh	JAH-ooh	Far
Depan	duh-PAHN	In front / ahead
Belakang	buh-LAH-kahng	Behind
Sebelah	suh-BUH-lah	Beside / next to
Seberang	suh-BUH-rahng	Across / opposite

Di sini and di sana are two of the easiest ones to start using. Di sini means here, while di sana means there.

You’ll also hear dekat and jauh when talking about distance. Dekat means something is nearby, while jauh means it’s far away.

---

---

Indonesian Words for Numbers & Money

Numbers are some of the most useful Indonesian phrases for Bali to learn, especially when you’re shopping, paying for food or trying to understand a price without immediately reaching for your phone.

The good news is that numbers and currency in Bali are quite logical. Once you know the basics and understand ribu (thousand), Bali prices become much easier to follow.

Indonesian Numbers from 1 to 10

Indonesian	Pronunciation	Number
Satu	SAH-too	1
Dua	DOO-ah	2
Tiga	TEE-gah	3
Empat	UHM-paht	4
Lima	LEE-mah	5
Enam	UH-nahm	6
Tujuh	TOO-jooh	7
Delapan	duh-LAH-pahn	8
Sembilan	suhm-BEE-lahn	9
Sepuluh	suh-POO-looh	10

These first ten give you the building blocks for much larger numbers.

Puluh means tens, so dua puluh is 20, lima puluh is 50 and sembilan puluh is 90.

Indonesian numbers you’ll actually hear when paying

Indonesian	Pronunciation	Amount
Sepuluh ribu	suh-POO-looh REE-boo	Rp10,000
Dua puluh ribu	DOO-ah POO-looh REE-boo	Rp20,000
Lima puluh ribu	LEE-mah POO-looh REE-boo	Rp50,000
Seratus ribu	suh-RAH-toos REE-boo	Rp100,000
Dua ratus ribu	DOO-ah RAH-toos REE-boo	Rp200,000
Lima ratus ribu	LEE-mah RAH-toos REE-boo	Rp500,000
Satu juta	SAH-too JOO-tah	Rp1,000,000

The word you really want to remember for 2026 is ribu, meaning thousand.

If someone tells you something costs lima puluh ribu, that’s 50,000 rupiah. Seratus ribu is 100,000 rupiah and dua ratus ribu is 200,000.

For millions, Indonesian uses juta. So satu juta is one million rupiah.

Understanding Bali prices

You’ll often hear prices shortened in everyday conversation.

Someone might simply say lima puluh when the context makes it obvious they mean Rp50,000, rather than saying lima puluh ribu every time.

You’ll also see prices written as 50k, 100k or 250k on menus and signs aimed at tourists. The k means thousand, so 250k is Rp250,000.

Useful Indonesian money words in Bali

Indonesian	Pronunciation	English
Rupiah	ROO-pee-ah	Indonesian currency
Ribu	REE-boo	Thousand
Juta	JOO-tah	Million
Harga	HAR-gah	Price
Uang	OO-ahng	Money
Tunai	TOO-nai	Cash
Kartu	KAR-too	Card
Kembalian	kem-BAH-lee-ahn	Change
Bayar	BAH-yahr	Pay

One small distinction worth knowing is kembalian, which means the change you receive after paying.

You don’t need to become fluent in Indonesian numbers before your holiday. If you can recognise ribu, 10, 20, 50, 100 and a few common combinations, you’ll already understand a surprising amount of what you hear when paying for things in Bali.

---

Indonesian Phrases for Bali Emergencies

Hopefully, these are the Indonesian phrases for Bali you never actually need to use in 2026. But knowing a few words for help, police, hospitals and medical problems can be useful if something goes wrong.

For a genuine emergency, don’t worry about constructing perfect Indonesian sentences. Tolong (help), the name of the problem and your location can be enough to make yourself understood.

Indonesian phrases for asking for help

Indonesian	Pronunciation	English
Tolong!	TOH-long	Help!
Tolong saya	TOH-long SAH-yah	Help me
Saya butuh bantuan	SAH-yah BOO-tooh BAHN-too-ahn	I need help
Darurat	dah-ROO-raht	Emergency
Bahaya	bah-HAH-yah	Danger
Hati-hati	HAH-tee HAH-tee	Be careful
Tunggu di sini	TOONG-goo dee SEE-nee	Wait here

Tolong is the important one to remember. Earlier in this guide you’ll see it used politely when asking someone to do something, but in an emergency tolong! can simply mean help!

Indonesian words for police & accidents

Indonesian	Pronunciation	English
Polisi	poh-LEE-see	Police
Panggil polisi	PAHNG-geel poh-LEE-see	Call the police
Kecelakaan	kuh-chuh-LAH-kah-an	Accident
Saya kehilangan…	SAH-yah kuh-hee-LAHNG-an	I lost…
Dompet	DOM-pet	Wallet
Paspor	PAHS-por	Passport
Ponsel / HP	PON-sel / hah-PEH	Mobile phone

You’ll probably hear HP more often than ponsel for a mobile phone. It’s short for handphone and is commonly used in everyday Indonesian.

Saya kehilangan… means I lost…, so you can add the missing item afterwards: saya kehilangan paspor means I lost my passport.

Indonesian phrases for medical emergencies

Indonesian	Pronunciation	English
Rumah sakit	ROO-mah SAH-keet	Hospital
Dokter	DOK-ter	Doctor
Apotek	ah-POH-tek	Pharmacy
Ambulans	AHM-boo-lahns	Ambulance
Saya sakit	SAH-yah SAH-keet	I’m sick
Saya terluka	SAH-yah ter-LOO-kah	I’m injured
Saya alergi…	SAH-yah ah-LER-gee	I’m allergic to…
Saya butuh dokter	SAH-yah BOO-tooh DOK-ter	I need a doctor
Panggil ambulans	PAHNG-geel AHM-boo-lahns	Call an ambulance

Rumah sakit literally combines rumah (house) and sakit (sick), so it’s an easy way to remember the Indonesian word for hospital.

You’ll also see apotek written on pharmacy signs all over Bali.

Explaining what’s wrong in Indonesian

Indonesian	Pronunciation	English
Sakit	SAH-keet	Sick / painful
Sakit di sini	SAH-keet dee SEE-nee	It hurts here
Pusing	POO-seeng	Dizzy / headache
Mual	MOO-ahl	Nauseous
Demam	duh-MAHM	Fever
Diare	dee-ah-REH	Diarrhoea
Tidak bisa bernapas	TEE-dahk BEE-sah ber-NAH-pahs	Can’t breathe

Sakit di sini is useful if you don’t know the Indonesian name for whatever hurts. Say it while pointing to the problem area and you’ve communicated the important part without needing an anatomy lesson halfway through an emergency.

For anything serious, use these phrases to get someone’s attention and seek professional help rather than relying on your Indonesian skills alone.

---

Indonesian Slang You’ll Hear in Bali

Learning formal Indonesian phrases for Bali is pretty useful, but it won’t completely prepare you for what you’ll actually hear people saying.

Everyday Indonesian is full of shortened words, casual expressions and slang.

You don’t necessarily need to start using all of these yourself. Knowing what they mean is useful when chatting with drivers, staff or locals and wondering why the Indonesian phrases for Bali you learned earlier suddenly sound completely different.

Casual Indonesian words you’ll hear all the time in Bali

Indonesian	Pronunciation	English
Nggak	ngahk	No / not
Udah	OO-dah	Already / done
Belom	buh-LOM	Not yet
Bentar	BEN-tar	Wait a moment
Makasih	mah-KAH-see	Thanks
Gimana?	gee-MAH-nah	How? / how is it?
Kenapa?	kuh-NAH-pah	Why? / what’s wrong?
Gitu	GEE-too	Like that
Gini	GEE-nee	Like this

Some of these are simply casual versions of words you’ve already learned.

Tidak becomes nggak, sudah becomes udah, belum becomes belom, sebentar becomes bentar and bagaimana becomes gimana.

This is why spoken Indonesian can initially sound completely different from what you’ve been reading. Someone saying udah isn’t introducing you to another word for already. They’re just using the casual version of sudah.

Indonesian slang worth knowing for Bali

Indonesian	Pronunciation	English
Santai	SAHN-tai	Relax / take it easy
Mantap	MAHN-tahp	Awesome / great
Keren	KEH-ren	Cool
Asik	AH-seek	Fun / cool
Ayo	AH-yoh	Come on / let’s go
Yuk	YOOk	Let’s go / come on
Bro	broh	Bro / mate
Bos	boss	Boss / mate

Santai is probably one of the most appropriate Indonesian words to learn in Bali. Depending on the situation, it can mean relax, take it easy or no worries.

Mantap and keren are both easy compliments to throw into a conversation. Mantap is closer to awesome / excellent, while keren means cool.

You’ll also hear bos used casually between men. Nobody has suddenly promoted you. Depending on the situation, it’s closer to being called boss, mate or chief.

What does bule mean?

Bule (BOO-leh) is a word you’ll almost certainly hear at some point in Bali. It refers to a white foreigner, although you’ll sometimes hear it used more loosely when talking about foreigners in general.

The word itself isn’t automatically an insult. Tone and context matter, just as they do with plenty of slang in English.

So if you hear bule while you’re walking through a market, there’s a decent chance someone is simply talking about the foreigner standing approximately two metres away from them.

Bahasa Indonesia can get very casual

Don’t worry if you learn a phrase from this guide and then hear an Indonesian person say something noticeably shorter.

Formal terima kasih becomes makasih. Tidak becomes nggak. Sebentar becomes bentar. Entire sentences can also get chopped down when the meaning is obvious from context.

For a first Bali holiday, it’s more useful to recognise this casual Indonesian than to try mastering it yourself. Stick with the standard versions when you’re unsure and you’ll still be understood perfectly well.

---

How to Pronounce Indonesian Words

One of the nice things about learning Indonesian phrases for Bali is that pronunciation is fairly consistent. I

ndonesian uses the same Latin alphabet as English, and once you know how a few letters sound, you can make a decent attempt at words you’ve never seen before.

You also don’t need to fake an Indonesian accent. Focus on getting the vowels and syllables reasonably close and you’ll usually be understood.

Indonesian vowel sounds

The vowels are a good place to start because they’re generally more consistent than English vowels.

Letter	Sounds like	Example
A	“ah”	makan
I	“ee”	kiri
U	“oo”	buku
O	“oh”	tolong
E	“eh” or a softer “uh”	enak, terima

E is the awkward one. It can have different sounds depending on the word, which is why I’ve included simple pronunciation guides throughout this article rather than expecting you to work everything out from the spelling.

A few sounds worth knowing

Indonesian	How it sounds
C	Always like ch, not an English hard or soft C
G	Always a hard g, like go
J	Like the j in jump
R	Usually tapped or lightly rolled
NG	Like the ng in sing
NY	Similar to ny in canyon

The C confuses English speakers quite often. Canggu, for example, starts with a ch sound, not a k or s sound.

You’ll also see ng at the beginning of some casual Indonesian words, such as nggak. That can feel strange if English is your first language because we’re used to putting that sound at the end of words rather than the beginning.

Say the whole word

Indonesian words are generally pronounced syllable by syllable rather than swallowing half the word like we regularly do in English.

Terima kasih, for example, has clearly separated syllables. The same goes for words such as Indonesia, selamat, terima, makanan and semuanya.

Don’t worry about speaking quickly. Saying the word a little slower and clearly is much more useful than rushing through it because you’ve heard a local say it ten times faster.

💡 My Advice: Don’t stress about getting it perfect. Your pronunciation probably won’t be perfect after reading an article, and it doesn’t need to be. Use the pronunciation guides alongside the Indonesian phrases throughout this guide, listen to how people around you say the words, and adjust as you go.

---

---

Using Google Translate in Bali

Google Translate is worth having on your phone, but I wouldn’t use it as a replacement for learning a few basic Indonesian phrases for Bali.

Use the phrases on this page for the easy everyday stuff like thank you, how much, left, right, not spicy and excuse me.

Google Translate is more useful when you need to explain something specific and don’t have the vocabulary for it.

A few ways it actually comes in handy:

• Menus: Use the camera to translate an Indonesian-only menu at a local warung.
• Messages: Translate a message before sending it to a driver, villa host or local business.
• Conversations: Use voice translation when neither person has enough of the other’s language to explain something properly.
• Signs: Point the camera at notices, parking signs, instructions and other Indonesian text.
• No signal: Download Indonesian offline before your trip so basic translations still work without mobile data.

Keep whatever you type into Google Translate simple. “Please wait here for 20 minutes” will usually translate more reliably than a long paragraph explaining that you’re popping into a cafe and should hopefully be back soon.

It’s also worth remembering that the Indonesian you hear in Bali can be very casual. Words get shortened, slang gets thrown in and you may occasionally be hearing Balinese rather than Indonesian, so don’t assume every strange translation means you’ve pressed the wrong button.

💡 Pro Tip: Download Indonesian in Google Translate before flying to Bali. It takes a minute and gives you a useful backup from the moment you land.

---

FAQs About Using Indonesian in Bali

These are some of the most common questions about learning and using Indonesian phrases for Bali, including what to learn before your trip and when you’ll need them in 2026.

---