Indonesian Phrases You'll Actually Use in Bali (Beyond Terima Kasih)

Bahasa Indonesia is one of the easiest languages in the world to start speaking. No tones. No genders. No complicated plurals. You just add more words if you need them. Fifty phrases—literally fifty—get you through 80% of real Bali interactions: ordering nasi goreng, asking for gas, negotiating at night markets, chatting with your scooter mechanic.

I’m not fluent. My Indonesian is still mediocre after two years of living here. But I’ve learned that the gap between “English speaker pointing at things” and “person who bothers to learn 30 phrases” is enormous. Locals soften. Prices drop. Conversations stop being transactional and start being human.

This guide is organized by real situations. Not textbook grammar. Practical phrases you’ll actually need, plus the pronunciation rules that make them stick.

How Indonesian Actually Sounds

Five sound rules. That’s it.

The ‘c’ is always ‘ch’. Candi (temple) sounds like “CHAN-dee,” not “can-dee.” Warung café is “kah-FAY,” not “cafe” the English way.

The ‘j’ is always ‘j’. Jalan (street) is “JAH-lahn.” Maju (forward) is “MAH-joo.” Consistent every time.

The ‘ng’ is a single sound, like the end of “singing.” Terima kasih becomes “tuh-REE-mah KAH-see,” but kering (dry) is “KUH-ring” with that nasal ‘ng’ you hear in English already.

Vowels are pure, like Spanish. A = “ah,” e = “eh,” i = “ee,” o = “oh,” u = “oo.” Bali is “BAH-lee.” Makan (eat) is “mah-KAHN,” not “MAKE-un.”

Stress the first syllable unless the word is short. Warung is “WAH-roong.” Terima is “tuh-REE-mah.” Kabar is “KAH-bar.” Once you lock that in, everything else slides into place.

Greetings & Politeness (The Foundation)

Honestly, smiling matters more than perfect grammar here. I’ve butchered Indonesian sentences a thousand times, but if I’m smiling and trying, people light up.

Selamat pagi = Good morning (before 11 AM)
“Suh-LAH-mat PAH-gee.”

Selamat siang = Good afternoon (11 AM–3 PM)
“Suh-LAH-mat see-AHng.” This is the one I use most.

Selamat sore = Good evening (3–6 PM)
“Suh-LAH-mat SOH-ray.” Sunset hours.

Selamat malam = Good night (after 6 PM)
“Suh-LAH-mat MAH-lahm.” Also used for goodbye at night.

Apa kabar? = How are you?
”AH-pah KAH-bar?” The automatic response is baik (good) or baik-baik saja (I’m fine).

Terima kasih = Thank you.
”Tuh-REE-mah KAH-see.” Everyone knows this one, but the real gem is terima kasih banyak (“thank you very much,” “tuh-REE-mah KAH-see BAHN-yahk”), which stops locals in their tracks. Respect moves.

Sama-sama = You’re welcome (literally “same-same”).
”SAH-mah SAH-mah.” Also used to mean “you’re good, it’s nothing,” very Balinese.

Permisi = Excuse me / pardon me.
”Pair-MEE-see.” Use this to get past someone in a warung or ask a question politely.

Maaf = Sorry / apologies.
”mah-AHF.” Short, sincere, works everywhere.

My take: I used to rehearse “selamat siang” before walking into shops. Felt silly. But after three months, the smile-and-greeting combo stopped feeling forced, and conversations opened up in ways my English never could.

Food & Warung (Where the Real Learning Happens)

Enak = Delicious.
”eh-NAKH.” Say this to anyone serving you food, and their entire face changes.

Pedas = Spicy.
”puh-DAHS.” Indonesian food assumes you want heat.

Tidak pedas = Not spicy.
”tee-DAHK puh-DAHS.” Worth learning if your stomach is like mine.

Nasi goreng = Fried rice.
”NAH-see goh-RANG.” The staple. Mie goreng (“mee-ay goh-RANG”) is fried noodles—same idea.

Satu, dua, tiga = One, two, three.
”SAH-too, DOO-ah, TEE-gah.” You’ll need 1–10: satu, dua, tiga, empat (EHM-paht), lima (LEE-mah), enam (EH-nahm), tujuh (TOO-jooh), delapan (duh-LAH-pahn), sembilan (SEHM-bee-lahn), sepuluh (suh-POO-looh).

Berapa? = How much?
“buh-RAH-pah?” The question that saves money.

Bungkus = To-go / take-away.
”BOONG-koos.” If you want it wrapped up: “Bungkus, ya?” (“Wrap it for me?”)

Quick tip: I learned “enak” and “tidak pedas” in week one, and they became my two warung pillars. Vendor doesn’t speak English? Order by pointing, say “enak” when you taste it, and you’ve created a friendship that lasts the whole month.

Numbers & Bargaining (Money Talks)

Indonesian has a beautiful structure for large numbers. 100,000 rupiah is literally “seratus ribu” (one hundred thousand). A million is “satu juta” (one million). But for bargaining, you only need a few phrases.

Mahal = Expensive.
”mah-HAHL.”

Murah = Cheap / inexpensive.
”MOO-rah.”

Bisa kurang? = Can you reduce the price?
”BEE-sah KOO-rahng?” The polite bargaining question. Kurang means “less.”

Terlalu mahal = Too expensive.
”tur-LAH-loo mah-HAHL.” Use this when the first quoted price is clearly tourist tax.

Seratus ribu = 100,000 rupiah ($6 USD).
Lima ratus ribu = 500,000 rupiah ($30 USD).
Satu juta = 1 million rupiah (~$60 USD).

What I’d actually do is: learn to count to 10, then drop numbers in casual conversation. “Tiga ratus?” (300k?) when the vendor says 500k. Smile. See what they say. Most night market vendors expect it and respect that you tried.

Scooter & Transport (The Practical Stuff)

If you’re renting a scooter in Bali, these phrases are worth their weight in gas money.

Bensin = Gasoline / petrol.
”bun-SEEN.” Penuh (“puh-NOO”) = full. So “Bensin penuh?” = “Full tank of gas?”

Rusak = Broken.
”ROO-sahk.” “Motor rusak” = bike is broken.

Perbaiki = Fix / repair.
”pair-BY-kee.” As a command: “Perbaiki, ya?” = “Fix it, will you?”

Pelan-pelan = Slowly / gently.
”puh-LAHN puh-LAHN.” Say this to your ride-share driver or mechanic to mean “take it easy.”

Honestly, my first mechanic visit was a $40 disaster because I couldn’t describe what was wrong. I just kept pointing and saying “rusak.” Now I learn the mechanic’s name, ask for tea while he works, and by the third visit we’re joking in broken Indonesian-English. Same mechanic, $15 fixes.

Hotel & Accommodation

Kamar = Room.
”KAH-mar.” Kamar bersih (“clean room”) or kamar yang bagus (“a good room”).

Kunci = Key.
”KOON-chee.” Use it matter-of-factly: “Kunci saya hilang” = “My key is lost.”

AC dingin = Cold AC / cold air conditioning.
”AH-tsay DEE-ngin.” Many rooms advertise AC, but it barely cools. Specify: you want dingin (cold).

Wifi rusak = Wifi is broken.
”WEE-fee ROO-sahk.” This one’s saved me countless times.

Handuk = Towel.
”HAHN-dook.” Warung guesthouses sometimes make you ask.

Air panas = Hot water.
”AH-eer PAH-nahs.” Useful when your shower is ice cold.

Polite Refusals & Boundaries

Tidak = No.
”tee-DAHK.” Firm but polite.

Tidak terima kasih = No thank you.
”tee-DAHK tuh-REE-mah KAH-see.” Use this at tourist spots or when a tuk-tuk driver won’t let go.

Tidak bisa = I can’t / it’s not possible.
”tee-DAHK BEE-sah.” Say this when locals offer something you genuinely can’t do.

Real take: I used to say “Terima kasih” and smile when I meant no. Vendors kept pushing. Now “Tidak terima kasih, maaf” (No thank you, sorry) with a warm smile actually works.

Compliments (The Respect-Builder)

Kamu cantik = You’re beautiful (to a woman).
”KAH-moo CHAHN-teek.” People use this casually and genuinely. When you say it as a foreigner trying Indonesian, it’s remembered.

Terima kasih banyak = Thank you very much.
”tuh-REE-mah KAH-see BAHN-yahk.” Overkill for a coffee order, but perfect for someone who helped you solve a real problem.

Bagus = Good / nice.
”BAH-goos.” Works for food, scenery, someone’s work. “Bagus sekali” = “Very good.”

What NOT to Say (Or Do)

Don’t yell in English. I watched a tourist argue with a taxi driver in loud, fast English, expecting to be understood. The driver smiled and pretended not to speak it. Respect goes both ways.

Never touch someone’s head. It’s sacred in Hindu-Balinese culture. Even kids’ heads are sensitive.

Don’t point with your feet. Use your right hand or your chin. Feet are considered unclean.

Don’t show anger in public. Yelling, cursing, or raising your voice in a restaurant or shop is deeply disrespectful. Step outside, take a breath, come back calm.

Apps & Language Exchange

Duolingo is free and good for building muscle memory. Twenty minutes a day and you’ll remember vocab after a month. But it doesn’t teach actual phrases you need.

Bahasa Bali is paid (~$5/month) but teaches Bali-specific words and cultural context. Way better if you’re staying long-term.

Language exchange meetups in Canggu happen weekly. The one at Karsa Kafe on Mondays draws locals who want to practice English; you teach them slang, they correct your Indonesian. Show up, buy a coffee ($2–3), and you’re part of a rotating group. I met my scooter mechanic there, actually.

My Honest Take

My Indonesian is still mediocre. I mix tenses, forget words mid-sentence, and sometimes revert to pointing. But the thirty phrases I use every single day—the ones I’ve repeated a thousand times—transformed taxi rides from silent awkwardness into real conversations. They transformed warung lunches from rushed transactions into moments where the vendor asks about my life.

What changed wasn’t fluency. It was showing up and trying. Locals respect effort infinitely more than they respect English perfection. A butchered “Selamat siang, apa kabar?” gets you treated like a neighbor, not a tourist.

Start with greetings. Add food words next. Then numbers. Let those thirty sink in before chasing the next hundred. You don’t need to be fluent in Bali. You just need to be present.

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What phrase do you want to learn first? Drop it in the comments—or better yet, try it on a local and report back.