Essential Indonesian Phrases for Lombok Travelers
The most essential Indonesian phrases for Lombok are: Terima kasih (thank you), Berapa? (how much?), Tidak (no), Ya (yes), Permisi (excuse me), Tolong (please/help), Saya mau... (I want...), Di mana...? (where is...?), and Bisa kurang? (can you reduce the price?). Indonesian pronunciation is straightforward — words are spoken as written with each syllable clearly pronounced.
Basic Greetings and Courtesy {#basics}
These phrases will carry you through 80% of daily interactions in Lombok. Learn them before anything else.
| English | Indonesian | Pronunciation |
|---------|-----------|---------------|
| Good morning (before 10 AM) | Selamat pagi | seh-LAH-mat PAH-gee |
| Good day (10 AM - 3 PM) | Selamat siang | seh-LAH-mat see-AHNG |
| Good afternoon (3-6 PM) | Selamat sore | seh-LAH-mat SOR-ay |
| Good evening/night | Selamat malam | seh-LAH-mat MAH-lahm |
| Hello (casual) | Halo | HAH-lo |
| Thank you | Terima kasih | teh-REE-mah KAH-see |
| You're welcome | Sama-sama | SAH-mah SAH-mah |
| Please / Help | Tolong | TOH-long |
| Excuse me | Permisi | per-MEE-see |
| Sorry | Maaf | MAH-ahf |
| Yes | Ya | yah |
| No | Tidak | TEE-dak |
| How are you? | Apa kabar? | AH-pah KAH-bar |
| I'm fine | Baik | BYE-ick |
| My name is... | Nama saya... | NAH-mah SAH-yah |
| What is your name? | Siapa nama Anda? | see-AH-pah NAH-mah AHN-dah |
Pro tip: Time-appropriate greetings (selamat pagi, siang, sore, malam) make a stronger impression than a generic "halo." Locals immediately register that you have made an effort to learn their language.
### The Magic Words
Two phrases unlock Lombok more than any others:
"Terima kasih" (thank you) — use constantly. After receiving anything, after any interaction, after a meal, when leaving a shop even if you did not buy anything. Indonesian culture values courtesy, and this phrase is your universal social lubricant.
"Permisi" (excuse me) — use when entering someone's space, passing through a crowd, getting attention, or when you need to interrupt. It signals respect and politeness.
Transport and Directions {#getting-around}
| English | Indonesian | Pronunciation |
|---------|-----------|---------------|
| Where is...? | Di mana...? | dee MAH-nah |
| How far? | Berapa jauh? | beh-RAH-pah JOW |
| Turn left | Belok kiri | BEH-lok KEE-ree |
| Turn right | Belok kanan | BEH-lok KAH-nahn |
| Straight ahead | Lurus | LOO-roos |
| Stop here | Berhenti di sini | ber-HEN-tee dee SEE-nee |
| Slowly | Pelan-pelan | peh-LAHN peh-LAHN |
| I want to go to... | Saya mau ke... | SAH-yah MOW keh |
| How much to...? | Berapa ke...? | beh-RAH-pah keh |
| Too expensive | Terlalu mahal | ter-LAH-loo MAH-hahl |
| Airport | Bandara | bahn-DAH-rah |
| Port / Harbor | Pelabuhan | peh-lah-BOO-hahn |
| Bus station | Terminal bis | ter-mee-NAHL bees |
| Petrol station | Pom bensin | pom BEN-seen |
Useful transport phrases:
"Berapa ke Kuta?" — How much to Kuta?
"Bisa pakai argo?" — Can you use the meter? (for metered taxis)
"Tolong pelan-pelan" — Please go slowly (useful in taxis and on boats)
Food and Restaurants {#food-ordering}
| English | Indonesian | Pronunciation |
|---------|-----------|---------------|
| I want to eat | Saya mau makan | SAH-yah MOW MAH-kahn |
| I want to drink | Saya mau minum | SAH-yah MOW MEE-noom |
| Menu, please | Minta menu | MEEN-tah MEH-noo |
| The bill, please | Minta bill | MEEN-tah bill |
| Delicious! | Enak! | EH-nak |
| Not spicy | Tidak pedas | TEE-dak peh-DAHS |
| A little spicy | Pedas sedikit | peh-DAHS seh-DEE-kit |
| Very spicy | Pedas sekali | peh-DAHS seh-KAH-lee |
| Rice | Nasi | NAH-see |
| Chicken | Ayam | AH-yahm |
| Fish | Ikan | EE-kahn |
| Water | Air | AH-eer |
| Coffee | Kopi | KOH-pee |
| Tea | Teh | teh |
| Beer | Bir | beer |
| No sugar | Tanpa gula | TAHN-pah GOO-lah |
| Vegetarian | Vegetarian | veh-geh-TAH-ree-ahn |
| No meat | Tanpa daging | TAHN-pah DAH-ging |
| I am allergic to... | Saya alergi... | SAH-yah ah-LER-gee |
Essential food ordering:
"Nasi goreng, tidak pedas" — Fried rice, not spicy (the safe default order at any warung)
"Kopi hitam, tanpa gula" — Black coffee, no sugar (Indonesian coffee is often pre-sweetened)
"Satu Bintang besar" — One large Bintang (beer)
"Enak sekali!" — Very delicious! (compliments make the cook's day)
Shopping and Bargaining {#shopping}
| English | Indonesian | Pronunciation |
|---------|-----------|---------------|
| How much? | Berapa? | beh-RAH-pah |
| Too expensive | Terlalu mahal | ter-LAH-loo MAH-hahl |
| Can you reduce? | Bisa kurang? | BEE-sah KOO-rahng |
| What is the best price? | Harga terbaik? | HAR-gah ter-BYE-ick |
| I am just looking | Saya lihat-lihat saja | SAH-yah LEE-hat LEE-hat SAH-jah |
| I do not want | Saya tidak mau | SAH-yah TEE-dak MOW |
| I will take it | Saya ambil | SAH-yah AHM-bil |
| Do you have...? | Ada...? | AH-dah |
| Big | Besar | beh-SAR |
| Small | Kecil | keh-CHEEL |
Bargaining script:
1. "Berapa ini?" (How much is this?)
2. Vendor quotes price
3. "Bisa kurang?" (Can you reduce?)
4. Vendor offers small discount
5. Counter-offer: state your price + "ribu" (thousand)
6. If still too high: "Terlalu mahal. Saya lihat di tempat lain" (Too expensive. I will look elsewhere)
7. Walk away slowly — vendor often calls you back
Remember: bargaining should be friendly, not aggressive. Smile throughout. Indonesian bargaining is a social interaction, not a confrontation.
Numbers and Money {#numbers}
| Number | Indonesian | Pronunciation |
|--------|-----------|---------------|
| 1 | Satu | SAH-too |
| 2 | Dua | DOO-ah |
| 3 | Tiga | TEE-gah |
| 4 | Empat | EM-paht |
| 5 | Lima | LEE-mah |
| 6 | Enam | EH-nahm |
| 7 | Tujuh | TOO-joo |
| 8 | Delapan | deh-LAH-pahn |
| 9 | Sembilan | sem-BEE-lahn |
| 10 | Sepuluh | seh-POO-loo |
| 100 | Seratus | seh-RAH-toos |
| 1,000 | Seribu | seh-REE-boo |
| 10,000 | Sepuluh ribu | seh-POO-loo REE-boo |
| 50,000 | Lima puluh ribu | LEE-mah POO-loo REE-boo |
| 100,000 | Seratus ribu | seh-RAH-toos REE-boo |
| 1,000,000 | Satu juta | SAH-too JOO-tah |
Money shorthand: In daily Lombok transactions, people often drop the "ribu" (thousand) and just say the number. "Lima puluh" (fifty) means 50,000 IDR. "Seratus" (one hundred) means 100,000 IDR. Context makes it clear.
Emergency Phrases {#emergency}
| English | Indonesian | Pronunciation |
|---------|-----------|---------------|
| Help! | Tolong! | TOH-long |
| Emergency | Darurat | dah-ROO-raht |
| Police | Polisi | poh-LEE-see |
| Hospital | Rumah sakit | ROO-mah SAH-kit |
| Doctor | Dokter | DOK-ter |
| I am sick | Saya sakit | SAH-yah SAH-kit |
| I need help | Saya butuh bantuan | SAH-yah BOO-too bahn-TOO-ahn |
| Accident | Kecelakaan | keh-cheh-LAH-kah-ahn |
| Fire | Kebakaran | keh-bah-KAH-rahn |
| Thief | Pencuri | pen-CHOO-ree |
| I am lost | Saya tersesat | SAH-yah ter-seh-SAHT |
| I do not understand | Saya tidak mengerti | SAH-yah TEE-dak meng-ER-tee |
| Do you speak English? | Bisa bahasa Inggris? | BEE-sah bah-HAH-sah ING-gris |
Social and Cultural {#social}
| English | Indonesian | Pronunciation |
|---------|-----------|---------------|
| Beautiful | Cantik (person) / Indah (place) | CHAHN-tik / IN-dah |
| May I take a photo? | Boleh foto? | BOH-leh FOH-toh |
| What is this? | Apa ini? | AH-pah EE-nee |
| I like Lombok | Saya suka Lombok | SAH-yah SOO-kah |
| I am from... | Saya dari... | SAH-yah DAH-ree |
| How many children? | Berapa anak? | beh-RAH-pah AH-nak |
| Married | Sudah menikah | SOO-dah meh-NEE-kah |
| Not yet married | Belum menikah | beh-LOOM meh-NEE-kah |
| No problem | Tidak apa-apa | TEE-dak AH-pah AH-pah |
| God willing | Insya Allah | in-SHAH AH-lah |
Cultural phrases worth knowing:
"Tidak apa-apa" (no problem / it is okay) — the most useful phrase for the relaxed pace of Lombok life. Missed a bus? Tidak apa-apa. Rain cancelled your plans? Tidak apa-apa. This phrase is a lifestyle philosophy.
"Sudah menikah?" (Are you married?) — you will be asked this constantly. It is standard Indonesian social conversation, not intrusive by local standards. Having an answer ready keeps the conversation flowing.
Pronunciation Guide {#pronunciation}
Indonesian pronunciation is one of the language's great strengths for learners. It is almost entirely phonetic — words are spoken as they are written, with consistent rules:
### Vowels
- a — "ah" as in "father" (never "ay" as in "face")
- e — either "eh" as in "bed" OR a schwa (unstressed "uh") depending on the word
- i — "ee" as in "see"
- o — "oh" as in "go"
- u — "oo" as in "food"
### Consonants
- c — always "ch" as in "church" (never hard "k")
- g — always hard "g" as in "go" (never soft as in "gem")
- r — rolled or trilled, similar to Spanish "r"
- h — pronounced when it appears, including at the end of words
- ng — as in "singing" (one sound, not "n" + "g")
- ny — as in "canyon" (one sound)
### Stress
Generally on the second-to-last syllable. "Terima" = teh-REE-mah. "Indonesia" = in-doh-NEH-see-ah.
### Tips
- Speak each syllable clearly and separately
- Do not rush — Indonesian spoken slowly is more understandable than Indonesian spoken quickly with poor pronunciation
- When in doubt, just try. Locals will understand your intent even with imperfect pronunciation, and they will appreciate the effort more than you can imagine
Learning these phrases takes an afternoon. Using them transforms your Lombok experience from tourist transaction to human connection. That transformation is worth more than any guidebook recommendation or hotel upgrade.