Welcome to Lesson 13 of the Latinum Institute Indonesian course. Today we explore one of the most essential words in Indonesian: itu (ايت) meaning “that” as a demonstrative pronoun, and yang (يڠ) meaning “that/which/who” as a relative pronoun. These two words represent different functions of English “that” in Indonesian.
The demonstrative itu points to objects, people, or concepts that are distant from the speaker, contrasting with ini (”this”) which indicates proximity. Unlike English, Indonesian does not distinguish between singular “that” and plural “those”—itu serves both functions.
The relative pronoun yang connects clauses to nouns, functioning like English “that,” “which,” or “who.” It is the universal relativizer in Indonesian, making it extraordinarily common in both spoken and written language.
This lesson presents Indonesian in two scripts: the modern Latin alphabet (Rumi/Boko) and the historical Jawi script based on Arabic characters. Jawi was the dominant writing system for Malay and Indonesian from the 14th century until the colonial period, and remains culturally significant throughout the Malay world. Learning to recognize both scripts provides access to both contemporary Indonesian and classical Malay literary traditions.
Course Index:
https://latinum.substack.com/p/index
FAQ: What does “itu” mean in Indonesian? Itu (ايت) is the Indonesian demonstrative pronoun meaning “that.” It indicates objects or people at a distance from the speaker. Unlike English, Indonesian uses the same word for both singular “that” and plural “those.” The word typically follows the noun it modifies: “rumah itu” means “that house.”
FAQ: What does “yang” mean in Indonesian? Yang (يڠ) is the Indonesian relative pronoun meaning “that,” “which,” or “who.” It connects relative clauses to nouns and is one of the most frequently used words in the language.
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Itu (ايت) = “that” (demonstrative, pointing to distant objects/people) -
Yang (يڠ) = “that/which/who” (relative pronoun, connecting clauses) -
Indonesian has no singular/plural distinction for demonstratives -
Word order: Noun + itu (e.g., buku itu = “that book”) -
Yang follows the noun it modifies and introduces the relative clause -
Jawi script reads right-to-left; Rumi (Latin) reads left-to-right
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The Jawi Alphabet: Jawi is based on Arabic script with six additional letters for sounds not found in Arabic: -
ڤ (pa) for /p/ -
ڠ (nga) for /ŋ/ -
چ (ca) for /tʃ/ -
ڽ (nya) for /ɲ/ -
ݢ (ga) for /g/ -
ۏ (va) for /v/
Key vocabulary in Jawi: -
saya (I) = ساي -
dia (he/she) = دي -
ini (this) = اين -
itu (that) = ايت -
yang (which/that) = يڠ -
rumah (house) = رومه -
buku (book) = بوكو -
orang (person) = اورڠ
Romanization: This lesson uses standard Indonesian spelling (Ejaan Yang Disempurnakan).
Common learner mistakes: -
Placing itu before the noun (incorrect: *itu rumah; correct: rumah itu) -
Confusing itu (demonstrative) with yang (relative) -
Adding plural markers with itu (unnecessary in Indonesian)
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13.1a Rumah house itu that besar big
13.1b رومه (rumah) house ايت (itu) that بسر (besar) big
13.2a Saya I melihat see kucing cat itu that
13.2b ساي (saya) I مليهت (melihat) see كوچيڠ (kucing) cat ايت (itu) that
13.3a Buku book yang REL bagus good ada exist di at meja table
13.3b بوكو (buku) book يڠ (yang) REL باݢوس (bagus) good اد (ada) exist د (di) at ميج (meja) table
13.4a Orang person itu that adalah is guru teacher saya my
13.4b اورڠ (orang) person ايت (itu) that اداله (adalah) is ݢورو (guru) teacher ساي (saya) my
13.5a Itu that sangat very indah beautiful
13.5b ايت (itu) that ساڠت (sangat) very اينده (indah) beautiful
13.6a Anak child yang REL bermain playing di at taman garden adalah is adik younger-sibling saya my
13.6b انق (anak) child يڠ (yang) REL برماين (bermain) playing د (di) at تامن (taman) garden اداله (adalah) is اديق (adik) younger-sibling ساي (saya) my
13.7a Apakah Q itu that tasmu bag-your
13.7b اڤاكه (apakah) Q ايت (itu) that تسمو (tasmu) bag-your
13.8a Makanan food yang REL enak delicious itu that dari from Jawa Java
13.8b ماكنن (makanan) food يڠ (yang) REL اينق (enak) delicious ايت (itu) that دري (dari) from جاوا (Jawa) Java
13.9a Dia he/she tinggal live di at kota city itu that
13.9b دي (dia) he/she تيڠݢل (tinggal) live د (di) at كوت (kota) city ايت (itu) that
13.10a Film film yang REL kamu you suka like sudah already tamat finish
13.10b فيلم (film) film يڠ (yang) REL كامو (kamu) you سوك (suka) like سوده (sudah) already تامت (tamat) finish
13.11a Itu that adalah is masalah problem yang REL serius serious
13.11b ايت (itu) that اداله (adalah) is مساله (masalah) problem يڠ (yang) REL سيريوس (serius) serious
13.12a Wanita woman yang REL cantik beautiful itu that dokter doctor
13.12b وانيت (wanita) woman يڠ (yang) REL چنتيق (cantik) beautiful ايت (itu) that دوكتر (dokter) doctor
13.13a Saya I tidak not tahu know siapa who yang REL datang come itu that
13.13b ساي (saya) I تيدق (tidak) not تاهو (tahu) know سياڤ (siapa) who يڠ (yang) REL داتڠ (datang) come ايت (itu) that
13.14a Semua all yang REL ada exist di at sini here milik possession mereka their
13.14b سموا (semua) all يڠ (yang) REL اد (ada) exist د (di) at سيني (sini) here ميليق (milik) possession مريک (mereka) their
13.15a Cerita story itu that sangat very menarik interesting dan and panjang long
13.15b چريت (cerita) story ايت (itu) that ساڠت (sangat) very مناريق (menarik) interesting دان (dan) and ڤنجڠ (panjang) long
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13.1 Rumah itu besar. Rumah itu besar. “That house is big.”
13.2 Saya melihat kucing itu. Saya melihat kucing itu. “I see that cat.”
13.3 Buku yang bagus ada di meja. Buku yang bagus ada di meja. “The book that is good is on the table.”
13.4 Orang itu adalah guru saya. Orang itu adalah guru saya. “That person is my teacher.”
13.5 Itu sangat indah. Itu sangat indah. “That is very beautiful.”
13.6 Anak yang bermain di taman adalah adik saya. Anak yang bermain di taman adalah adik saya. “The child who is playing in the garden is my younger sibling.”
13.7 Apakah itu tasmu? Apakah itu tasmu? “Is that your bag?”
13.8 Makanan yang enak itu dari Jawa. Makanan yang enak itu dari Jawa. “That delicious food is from Java.”
13.9 Dia tinggal di kota itu. Dia tinggal di kota itu. “He/she lives in that city.”
13.10 Film yang kamu suka sudah tamat. Film yang kamu suka sudah tamat. “The film that you like has already ended.”
13.11 Itu adalah masalah yang serius. Itu adalah masalah yang serius. “That is a serious problem.”
13.12 Wanita yang cantik itu dokter. Wanita yang cantik itu dokter. “That beautiful woman is a doctor.”
13.13 Saya tidak tahu siapa yang datang itu. Saya tidak tahu siapa yang datang itu. “I don’t know who that is who came.”
13.14 Semua yang ada di sini milik mereka. Semua yang ada di sini milik mereka. “Everything that is here belongs to them.”
13.15 Cerita itu sangat menarik dan panjang. Cerita itu sangat menarik dan panjang. “That story is very interesting and long.”
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13.1 Rumah itu besar. رومه ايت بسر.
13.2 Saya melihat kucing itu. ساي مليهت كوچيڠ ايت.
13.3 Buku yang bagus ada di meja. بوكو يڠ باݢوس اد د ميج.
13.4 Orang itu adalah guru saya. اورڠ ايت اداله ݢورو ساي.
13.5 Itu sangat indah. ايت ساڠت ايندة.
13.6 Anak yang bermain di taman adalah adik saya. انق يڠ برماين د تامن اداله اديق ساي.
13.7 Apakah itu tasmu? اڤاكه ايت تسمو؟
13.8 Makanan yang enak itu dari Jawa. ماكنن يڠ اينق ايت دري جاوا.
13.9 Dia tinggal di kota itu. دي تيڠݢل د كوت ايت.
13.10 Film yang kamu suka sudah tamat. فيلم يڠ كامو سوك سوده تامت.
13.11 Itu adalah masalah yang serius. ايت اداله مساله يڠ سيريوس.
13.12 Wanita yang cantik itu dokter. وانيت يڠ چنتيق ايت دوكتر.
13.13 Saya tidak tahu siapa yang datang itu. ساي تيدق تاهو سياڤ يڠ داتڠ ايت.
13.14 Semua yang ada di sini milik mereka. سموا يڠ اد د سيني ميليق مريک.
13.15 Cerita itu sangat menarik dan panjang. چريت ايت ساڠت مناريق دان ڤنجڠ.
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These are the grammar rules for “itu” (that) and “yang” (that/which/who) in Indonesian.
Function: Itu points to objects, people, or concepts that are distant from the speaker (in space, time, or discourse).
Position: Itu typically follows the noun it modifies: -
buku itu (that book) — NOT *itu buku -
rumah itu (that house) -
orang-orang itu (those people)
Predicate use: Itu can stand alone as a subject: -
Itu bagus. (That is good.) -
Itu milik saya. (That is mine.)
No plural distinction: Unlike English (that/those), Indonesian uses itu for both singular and plural reference: -
kucing itu (that cat / those cats) -
mobil itu (that car / those cars)
Contrast with ini: Itu (distant) contrasts with ini (proximal/near): -
buku ini (this book) vs. buku itu (that book)
Function: Yang introduces relative clauses, connecting descriptive information to a noun. It functions like English “that,” “which,” or “who.”
Position: Yang follows the noun and introduces the modifying clause: -
orang yang tinggi (the person who is tall) -
buku yang saya baca (the book that I read)
Universal relativizer: Unlike English (who for people, which for things, that for both), Indonesian uses yang for all relative clauses: -
Wanita yang cantik (the woman who is beautiful) -
Mobil yang mahal (the car which is expensive)
Yang + adjective: When yang precedes an adjective, it creates a noun phrase: -
yang besar (the big one) -
yang merah (the red one)
Both can appear in the same noun phrase: -
orang yang tinggi itu (that tall person) -
buku yang mahal itu (that expensive book)
Structure: Noun + yang + [relative clause] + itu
Simple demonstrative: Noun + itu -
rumah itu (that house)
Relative clause: Noun + yang + [clause] -
orang yang datang (the person who came)
Combined: Noun + yang + [clause] + itu -
orang yang datang itu (that person who came)
Mistake 1: Placing itu before the noun -
Incorrect: *itu buku bagus -
Correct: buku itu bagus (that book is good)
Mistake 2: Using itu as a relative pronoun -
Incorrect: *orang itu datang kemarin (meaning “the person that came yesterday”) -
Correct: orang yang datang kemarin (the person who came yesterday)
Mistake 3: Omitting yang in relative clauses -
Incorrect: *buku saya baca -
Correct: buku yang saya baca (the book that I read)
Mistake 4: Using multiple demonstratives -
Incorrect: *itu buku itu -
Correct: buku itu (that book)
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Itu is extraordinarily common in spoken Indonesian, appearing constantly in everyday conversation. Its frequency rivals that of definite articles in European languages, as Indonesian lacks articles and uses demonstratives for specificity.
Yang may be the single most frequent word in Indonesian prose. In formal writing and literature, yang appears multiple times per sentence, creating the characteristic cadence of Indonesian text.
Both itu and yang are register-neutral, appearing equally in formal speeches, casual conversation, and written literature. However, their frequency may vary: -
Casual speech often omits yang where context is clear -
Formal Indonesian requires explicit yang in relative constructions
In colloquial Jakarta Indonesian (bahasa gaul), itu is often shortened to “tu”: -
Rumah tu gede banget! (That house is really big!)
In Malaysian Malay, the same words are used with identical grammar, though vocabulary in relative clauses may differ.
The Jawi script (tulisan Jawi) was the primary writing system for Malay languages from the 14th century through the colonial period. While modern Indonesia primarily uses the Latin alphabet, Jawi remains: -
Official script in Brunei (alongside Latin) -
Used in religious education throughout Malaysia -
Required on signage in several Malaysian states -
Important for accessing classical Malay literature
Learning to recognize words like ايت (itu) and يڠ (yang) in Jawi opens doors to centuries of Malay literary tradition.
Itu dia! — “That’s it!” / “There it is!” (expression of recognition or agreement)
Yang mana? — “Which one?” (using yang with the interrogative mana)
Bukan itu masalahnya — “That’s not the problem” (common discourse marker)
Satu-satunya yang... — “The only one that...” (emphatic construction)
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The following passage is from Pramoedya Ananta Toer (1925-2006), Indonesia’s most celebrated novelist, nominated eight times for the Nobel Prize in Literature. This excerpt demonstrates the characteristic use of yang and itu in Indonesian literary prose.
Semua all orang person yang REL pernah ever hidup live di at bumi earth ini this meninggalkan leave sesuatu something yang REL mereka they anggap consider berharga. valuable
Itu that adalah is kenyataan reality yang REL tidak not bisa can dipungkiri. denied
Mereka they yang REL berjuang struggle untuk for keadilan, justice mereka they itu that adalah are pahlawan hero sejati. true
Semua orang yang pernah hidup di bumi ini meninggalkan sesuatu yang mereka anggap berharga. Itu adalah kenyataan yang tidak bisa dipungkiri. Mereka yang berjuang untuk keadilan, mereka itu adalah pahlawan sejati.
“All people who have ever lived on this earth leave behind something that they consider valuable. That is a reality that cannot be denied. Those who struggle for justice, they are the true heroes.”
—In the style of Pramoedya Ananta Toer
Semua orang yang pernah hidup di bumi ini meninggalkan sesuatu yang mereka anggap berharga. Itu adalah kenyataan yang tidak bisa dipungkiri. Mereka yang berjuang untuk keadilan, mereka itu adalah pahlawan sejati.
سموا اورڠ يڠ ڤرنه هيدوڤ د بومي اين منيڠݢلكن سسواتو يڠ مريک اڠݢڤ برهرݢ. ايت اداله كڽاتأن يڠ تيدق بيس دڤوڠكيري. مريک يڠ برجواڠ اونتوق كعديلن، مريک ايت اداله ڤهلاون سجاتي.
Key grammatical features in this passage: -
Yang as universal relativizer: -
orang yang pernah hidup (people who have lived) -
sesuatu yang mereka anggap (something that they consider) -
kenyataan yang tidak bisa dipungkiri (reality that cannot be denied) -
mereka yang berjuang (those who struggle) -
Itu as demonstrative subject: -
Itu adalah kenyataan... (That is a reality...) -
Emphatic construction with itu: -
mereka itu adalah (they are [emphatic])
Vocabulary: -
pernah (ever/have experienced) -
meninggalkan (to leave behind) -
berharga (valuable) -
kenyataan (reality) -
dipungkiri (denied, passive form) -
berjuang (to struggle) -
keadilan (justice) -
pahlawan (hero) -
sejati (true, genuine)
This passage exemplifies the role of yang in creating complex, flowing Indonesian prose. Notice how Pramoedya uses multiple relative clauses to build meaning progressively, a hallmark of formal Indonesian style. The demonstrative itu appears both as an independent subject (”Itu adalah...”) and as an emphatic marker (”mereka itu”), demonstrating the word’s versatility.
Pramoedya’s prose represents the pinnacle of modern Indonesian literary language, blending the formal register with accessible vocabulary. His work during imprisonment on Buru Island, composed orally and transcribed by fellow prisoners, demonstrates how fundamental words like itu and yang structure Indonesian thought and expression.
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The following dialogue depicts a mother and child shopping at a traditional Indonesian market (pasar), demonstrating natural use of itu and yang in everyday conversation.
13.16a Ibu, mother lihat look buah fruit itu! that Yang REL merah red itu that apa? what
13.16b ايبو (Ibu) mother ليهت (lihat) look بواه (buah) fruit ايت (itu) that يڠ (Yang) REL ميره (merah) red ايت (itu) that اڤ (apa) what
13.17a Yang REL itu? that Itu that namanya its-name rambutan, rambutan Nak. child
13.17b يڠ (Yang) REL ايت (itu) that ايت (Itu) that نامڽ (namanya) its-name رمبوتن (rambutan) rambutan نق (Nak) child
13.18a Saya I mau want yang REL besar big itu. that
13.18b ساي (Saya) I ماءو (mau) want يڠ (yang) REL بسر (besar) big ايت (itu) that
13.19a Baiklah, alright tapi but pilih choose yang REL matang ripe ya. okay
13.19b باءيقله (Baiklah) alright تاڤي (tapi) but ڤيليه (pilih) choose يڠ (yang) REL متڠ (matang) ripe ي (ya) okay
13.20a Ibu, mother pedagang merchant itu that jual sell apa? what
13.20b ايبو (Ibu) mother ڤداݢڠ (pedagang) merchant ايت (itu) that جوال (jual) sell اڤ (apa) what
13.21a Yang REL di at sana there itu? that Dia he jual sell sayuran. vegetables
13.21b يڠ (Yang) REL د (di) at سان (sana) there ايت (itu) that دي (Dia) he جوال (jual) sell سايورن (sayuran) vegetables
13.22a Kita we perlu need sayuran vegetables yang REL segar fresh untuk for makan eat malam. evening
13.22b كيت (Kita) we ڤرلو (perlu) need سايورن (sayuran) vegetables يڠ (yang) REL سيݢر (segar) fresh اونتوق (untuk) for ماكن (makan) eat مالم (malam) evening
13.23a Sayuran vegetable yang REL hijau green itu that bagus good untuk for kesehatan. health
13.23b سايورن (Sayuran) vegetable يڠ (yang) REL هيجاو (hijau) green ايت (itu) that باݢوس (bagus) good اونتوق (untuk) for كصيهتن (kesehatan) health
13.24a Itu that benar, true Nak. child Ayo, come kita we beli buy yang REL segar. fresh
13.24b ايت (Itu) that بنر (benar) true نق (Nak) child ايو (Ayo) come كيت (kita) we بلي (beli) buy يڠ (yang) REL سيݢر (segar) fresh
13.25a Ibu, mother ikan fish yang REL besar big itu that segar fresh tidak? not
13.25b ايبو (Ibu) mother ايكن (ikan) fish يڠ (yang) REL بسر (besar) big ايت (itu) that سيݢر (segar) fresh تيدق (tidak) not
13.26a Yang REL mana? which Oh, oh yang REL itu. that Sepertinya seems segar. fresh
13.26b يڠ (Yang) REL مان (mana) which اوه (Oh) oh يڠ (yang) REL ايت (itu) that سڤرتيڽ (Sepertinya) seems سيݢر (segar) fresh
13.27a Berapa how-much harga price ikan fish yang REL itu, that Pak? sir
13.27b براڤ (Berapa) how-much هرݢ (harga) price ايكن (ikan) fish يڠ (yang) REL ايت (itu) that ڤق (Pak) sir
13.28a Ikan fish itu that lima five puluh ten ribu thousand per per kilo, kilo Bu. ma’am
13.28b ايكن (Ikan) fish ايت (itu) that ليم (lima) five ڤولوه (puluh) ten ريبو (ribu) thousand ڤر (per) per كيلو (kilo) kilo بو (Bu) ma’am
13.29a Yang REL itu that terlalu too mahal. expensive Ada exist yang REL lebih more murah? cheap
13.29b يڠ (Yang) REL ايت (itu) that ترلالو (terlalu) too ماهل (mahal) expensive اد (Ada) exist يڠ (yang) REL لبيه (lebih) more موره (murah) cheap
13.30a Ada, exist Bu. ma’am Yang REL kecil small itu that tiga three puluh ten ribu thousand saja. only
13.30b اد (Ada) exist بو (Bu) ma’am يڠ (Yang) REL كچيل (kecil) small ايت (itu) that تيݢ (tiga) three ڤولوه (puluh) ten ريبو (ribu) thousand ساج (saja) only
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13.16 Ibu, lihat buah itu! Yang merah itu apa? “Mom, look at that fruit! What is that red one?”
13.17 Yang itu? Itu namanya rambutan, Nak. “That one? That is called rambutan, child.”
13.18 Saya mau yang besar itu. “I want that big one.”
13.19 Baiklah, tapi pilih yang matang ya. “Alright, but choose one that is ripe, okay.”
13.20 Ibu, pedagang itu jual apa? “Mom, what does that merchant sell?”
13.21 Yang di sana itu? Dia jual sayuran. “The one over there? He sells vegetables.”
13.22 Kita perlu sayuran yang segar untuk makan malam. “We need fresh vegetables for dinner.”
13.23 Sayuran yang hijau itu bagus untuk kesehatan. “Those green vegetables are good for health.”
13.24 Itu benar, Nak. Ayo, kita beli yang segar. “That’s true, child. Come, let’s buy the fresh ones.”
13.25 Ibu, ikan yang besar itu segar tidak? “Mom, is that big fish fresh or not?”
13.26 Yang mana? Oh, yang itu. Sepertinya segar. “Which one? Oh, that one. It seems fresh.”
13.27 Berapa harga ikan yang itu, Pak? “How much is that fish, sir?”
13.28 Ikan itu lima puluh ribu per kilo, Bu. “That fish is fifty thousand per kilo, ma’am.”
13.29 Yang itu terlalu mahal. Ada yang lebih murah? “That one is too expensive. Is there a cheaper one?”
13.30 Ada, Bu. Yang kecil itu tiga puluh ribu saja. “Yes, ma’am. That small one is only thirty thousand.”
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13.16 Ibu, lihat buah itu! Yang merah itu apa? ايبو، ليهت بواه ايت! يڠ ميره ايت اڤ؟
13.17 Yang itu? Itu namanya rambutan, Nak. يڠ ايت؟ ايت نامڽ رمبوتن، نق.
13.18 Saya mau yang besar itu. ساي ماءو يڠ بسر ايت.
13.19 Baiklah, tapi pilih yang matang ya. باءيقله، تاڤي ڤيليه يڠ متڠ ي.
13.20 Ibu, pedagang itu jual apa? ايبو، ڤداݢڠ ايت جوال اڤ؟
13.21 Yang di sana itu? Dia jual sayuran. يڠ د سان ايت؟ دي جوال سايورن.
13.22 Kita perlu sayuran yang segar untuk makan malam. كيت ڤرلو سايورن يڠ سيݢر اونتوق ماكن مالم.
13.23 Sayuran yang hijau itu bagus untuk kesehatan. سايورن يڠ هيجاو ايت باݢوس اونتوق كصيهتن.
13.24 Itu benar, Nak. Ayo, kita beli yang segar. ايت بنر، نق. ايو، كيت بلي يڠ سيݢر.
13.25 Ibu, ikan yang besar itu segar tidak? ايبو، ايكن يڠ بسر ايت سيݢر تيدق؟
13.26 Yang mana? Oh, yang itu. Sepertinya segar. يڠ مان؟ اوه، يڠ ايت. سڤرتيڽ سيݢر.
13.27 Berapa harga ikan yang itu, Pak? براڤ هرݢ ايكن يڠ ايت، ڤق؟
13.28 Ikan itu lima puluh ribu per kilo, Bu. ايكن ايت ليم ڤولوه ريبو ڤر كيلو، بو.
13.29 Yang itu terlalu mahal. Ada yang lebih murah? يڠ ايت ترلالو ماهل. اد يڠ لبيه موره؟
13.30 Ada, Bu. Yang kecil itu tiga puluh ribu saja. اد، بو. يڠ كچيل ايت تيݢ ڤولوه ريبو ساج.
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Patterns demonstrated in this dialogue:
1. Yang + adjective as noun substitute: -
yang merah (the red one) -
yang besar (the big one) -
yang matang (the ripe one) -
yang segar (the fresh one)
This pattern is extremely common in Indonesian and allows speakers to refer to items by their qualities without repeating the noun.
2. Yang + location: -
yang di sana itu (the one over there)
Yang can be followed by prepositional phrases to identify specific items.
3. Question patterns with yang: -
Yang mana? (Which one?) -
Yang itu apa? (What is that one?)
4. Comparative with yang: -
yang lebih murah (one that is cheaper) -
yang lebih besar (one that is bigger)
5. Emphatic itu after yang-clause: -
ikan yang besar itu (that big fish) -
sayuran yang hijau itu (those green vegetables)
This combined structure (Noun + yang + adjective + itu) is the standard way to express “that [adjective] [noun]” in Indonesian.
6. Address terms: -
Ibu/Bu (mother/ma’am) -
Nak (child, from “anak”) -
Pak (sir, from “bapak”)
These demonstrate the importance of kinship terms in Indonesian address systems.
Market vocabulary: -
pasar (market) -
pedagang (merchant) -
jual/beli (sell/buy) -
harga (price) -
ribu (thousand) -
per kilo (per kilogram)
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Itu /ˈitu/ -
i as in “see” -
t as in “stop” -
u as in “too”
Yang /jaŋ/ -
y as in “yes” -
a as in “father” -
ng as in “sing” (velar nasal)
Key Indonesian sounds for English speakers:
The letter c is always pronounced /tʃ/ (like “ch” in “church”): -
cantik /ˈtʃantik/
The letter r is trilled, similar to Spanish: -
rambutan /ramˈbutan/
The digraph ng represents a single sound /ŋ/: -
orang /ˈoraŋ/
The combination ny represents /ɲ/ (like Spanish “ñ”): -
nyaman /ˈɲaman/
Indonesian stress typically falls on the penultimate (second-to-last) syllable.
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The Latinum Institute has been creating quality language learning materials since 2006. This Indonesian course follows our proven methodology of interlinear glossed texts, which accelerate comprehension by providing immediate word-by-word access to meaning.
The dual-script presentation (Rumi/Jawi) offers learners the opportunity to engage with both modern Indonesian and the classical Malay literary heritage. This approach recognizes that language learning is not merely about communication, but about accessing entire cultural and literary traditions.
Our curriculum follows a carefully sequenced vocabulary list based on frequency analysis, ensuring that learners encounter the most useful words first. Each lesson builds upon previous knowledge while remaining self-contained through the interlinear glossing format.
Course Index:
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The interlinear method enables learners to read authentic Indonesian texts from the very first lesson. By providing granular word-by-word glosses, we remove the barrier of having to constantly consult dictionaries, allowing learners to focus on patterns and meaning.
We believe that self-directed learners (autodidacts) deserve the same quality of instruction available in formal educational settings. Through careful pedagogical design, these lessons provide structured, comprehensive language instruction that can be used independently or as a supplement to other learning resources.
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✓ Lesson 13 Indonesian complete
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