The Indonesian You Actually Need in Bali: Forty Words That Change Everything

Short answer: you do not need Indonesian in Bali — English is widely spoken in tourist areas. But forty words changes every interaction you have here, gets you better prices and better service, and is appreciated out of all proportion to the effort, because so few visitors bother.

And Bahasa Indonesia is genuinely one of the easiest major languages to start: no verb conjugation, no tenses, no grammatical gender, no tones, Latin alphabet, and phonetic pronunciation.

Last checked: 13 August 2026.

Why it is easy

• No tenses. Time is handled with words like sudah (already), belum (not yet), besok (tomorrow). The verb never changes.
• No conjugation. Makan is eat, for everyone, always.
• No gender. Dia is he, she or they.
• No tones, unlike Thai or Vietnamese.
• Plurals by repetition. Anak is child, anak-anak is children.
• Phonetic spelling. What you see is what you say.

Pronunciation, the short version: c is "ch" (cabe = chah-beh), j is like English j, ng as in "singer", r is lightly rolled, and vowels are pure — a as in "father", e usually a short "uh", i as in "machine", o as in "or", u as in "flute".

The first ten words

Learn only these and you are already ahead of most visitors.

Enak is the highest-value word on this list. Say it after eating and watch what happens.

Greetings

On Balinese: it is a separate language from Indonesian, used at home and in ceremony, with its own speech levels. Everyone also speaks Indonesian, which is what to learn. Om Swastiastu and matur suksma (thank you, Balinese) land warmly and are worth having.

Food and warungs

Tanpa terasi is the single most important phrase for anyone plant-based — shrimp paste appears in most sambals and in dishes that look vegetarian. See vegan and vegetarian in Bali and the warung guide.

Shopping and bargaining

The last one is the most used phrase in this whole article. Said with a smile while continuing to walk, it ends the touting exchange politely. See bargaining in Bali.

Practical and getting around

Kapan siap? is what you say at the laundry, the mechanic and the tailor. See everyday service prices in Bali.

Numbers

In practice people say prices in thousands: "lima puluh ribu" is 50,000. You will hear ceban (10,000), goceng (5,000) and similar slang in markets — worth recognising even if you do not use them.

Six sentences that carry you

1. "Berapa harganya?" — How much is it?
2. "Ada yang tanpa terasi?" — Is there anything without shrimp paste?
3. "Boleh kurang sedikit?" — Can it be a little less?
4. "Ada harga bulanan?" — Is there a monthly rate?
5. "Ada paket mingguan?" — Is there a weekly package?
6. "Tidak, terima kasih." — No, thank you.

Sentences four and five are worth more than every other line on this page combined. Monthly and weekly rates in Bali run 25–60% below the advertised daily or drop-in price — on scooters, villas, gyms, yoga, coworking and spas — and they are almost never displayed. Asking in Indonesian gets a warmer answer than asking in English.

Etiquette that goes with the words

• Use your right hand to give, receive and eat. The left has a different job.
• Do not point with your index finger — use an open hand or your thumb.
• Smile. It is not decoration here; it is the default register of an interaction.
• Anyone carrying offerings has right of way, always.
• Om Swastiastu with hands together at temples and ceremonies. See Bali temple etiquette.
• Lower your voice. Volume reads as anger far faster here than at home.

The honest negatives

• You will be answered in English for the first while, particularly in Canggu and Seminyak. Keep going anyway.
• Speed. Spoken Indonesian between locals is fast and full of slang you will not find in a textbook.
• Balinese is a different language, and hearing it does not mean your Indonesian failed.
• Regional and Jakarta slang differ from what apps teach.
• Pronunciation confidence takes a few weeks; nobody minds, and effort is the whole point.

Where to actually learn

• Use it daily at warungs. Five words a week, used, beats an hour of an app.
• Apps are fine for vocabulary and useless for the register people actually speak in.
• Language exchanges and tutors exist across Canggu and Ubud, and private lessons are inexpensive by Western standards.
• Ask your neighbours, warung owner or landlord to correct you. People are generous about it.

Where the money leaks

The connection between language and money here is direct: the resident rate exists on almost everything and is never displayed. Villas and scooters are 40–60% cheaper monthly than nightly, gym and studio weekly passes 30–50% below drop-ins, spa slots in the empty 1–4pm window 30–50% below the evening price, and hotel pool day passes half a beach club minimum spend.

Every one of those is unlocked by asking, and asking in even broken Indonesian gets a better answer than not asking at all.

Last Call Bali tracks what venues across Canggu, Pererenan, Ubud, Seminyak, Uluwatu and Sanur are discounting right now, with a direct WhatsApp line to the venue. No commission, no booking fee, no card details.

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Related

• Bali warung guide: what to order
• Bargaining in Bali
• Bali temple etiquette
• Vegan and vegetarian in Bali
• Everyday service prices in Bali
• Arriving in Bali: your first 48 hours

How this page is verified

The word list is the vocabulary that comes up daily in Bali rather than a textbook beginner set, checked with Indonesian friends and with long-term residents for both accuracy and register — several textbook-correct phrases sound stiff in practice and are not included for that reason.

Balinese and Indonesian are kept separate here deliberately. Conflating them is a common error in visitor guides and it matters: Indonesian is the practical language to learn, Balinese is a distinct regional language with its own speech levels, and treating the two as interchangeable is both inaccurate and a small discourtesy.