100 common Indonesian words worth learning first.

By Speak Indo, published 2 September 2026.

The most useful beginner words are not a pile of nouns. They are the small words, verbs, questions, and polite expressions that let you understand how a sentence works and build a reply of your own.

How this list was chosen

A pure frequency list reflects its source. News text overweights government and politics, while subtitles overrepresent dramatic dialogue. This list starts with high-frequency Indonesian function words and then filters for words a beginner can use in ordinary conversation. The result is a practical core, not a claim that every word has one fixed rank.

The frequency signal comes from the Leipzig Indonesian mixed corpus, which contains more than one billion tokens. We then prioritised words that combine well, appear across topics, and already have a clear example and pronunciation entry in the Speak Indo dictionary.

1 to 10: people and pronouns

1. saya, I or me, neutral and polite
2. aku, I or me, familiar
3. kamu, you, familiar
4. Anda, you, formal or impersonal
5. dia, he or she
6. kita, we, including the listener
7. kami, we, excluding the listener
8. mereka, they
9. orang, person
10. teman, friend

The distinction between kami and kita matters immediately. Kita pergi invites the listener along. Kami pergi says your group is going without them.

11 to 20: sentence-building words

11. ini, this
12. itu, that
13. yang, which, who, or that
14. ada, there is or exists
15. tidak, no or not
16. bukan, not, used with nouns and identities
17. belum, not yet
18. sudah, already
19. ya, yes, or a soft conversational tag
20. pasti, certainly or definitely

Yang is one of the most useful words in Indonesian. It connects a noun to a description: orang yang baik means "a person who is kind," and yang ini means "this one."

21 to 30: focus, desire, and ability

21. juga, also or too
22. saja, only or just
23. lagi, again, more, or currently
24. semua, all
25. sendiri, alone or self
26. mau, want or going to
27. ingin, want or wish, more deliberate
28. bisa, can or be able to
29. boleh, may, or can with permission
30. harus, must or have to

31 to 50: everyday verbs

31. perlu, need to
32. suka, to like
33. tahu, to know a fact
34. mengerti, to understand
35. punya, to have
36. pergi, to go
37. datang, to come
38. makan, to eat
39. minum, to drink
40. beli, to buy
41. bayar, to pay
42. melihat, to see
43. bicara, to speak or talk
44. kerja, work, or to work casually
45. membaca, to read
46. menulis, to write
47. mendengar, to hear
48. membantu, to help
49. bertanya, to ask
50. menunggu, to wait

Indonesian verbs do not change for I, you, or they. Saya makan, dia makan, and mereka makan all keep the same verb. Time words supply the timing when it matters.

51 to 66: questions and connectors

51. apa, what
52. siapa, who
53. mana, which one or where
54. kapan, when
55. kenapa, why
56. bagaimana, how
57. berapa, how much or how many
58. di, at or in
59. ke, to, for direction
60. dari, from
61. untuk, for
62. dengan, with
63. dan, and
64. tapi, but
65. karena, because
66. kalau, if or when, conversational

67 to 80: time, place, and practical nouns

67. sekarang, now
68. nanti, later
69. hari, day
70. besok, tomorrow
71. kemarin, yesterday
72. pagi, morning
73. siang, midday
74. sore, late afternoon
75. malam, night
76. rumah, house or home
77. tempat, place
78. jalan, street or road
79. uang, money
80. harga, price

81 to 100: descriptions and polite essentials

81. makanan, food
82. air, water
83. baik, good or fine
84. besar, big
85. kecil, small
86. banyak, many or a lot
87. sedikit, a little or few
88. baru, new
89. lama, old or a long time
90. cepat, fast or quick
91. pelan-pelan, slowly or little by little
92. benar, correct or true
93. salah, wrong or mistaken
94. enak, delicious or pleasant
95. tolong, please or help
96. maaf, sorry or excuse me
97. terima kasih, thank you
98. permisi, excuse me, when passing or entering
99. halo, hello
100. sampai jumpa, see you later

Turn the list into sentences

Do not memorise the words as isolated pairs. Take five words and make a sentence that fits your life. These examples combine only words from the list:

• Saya mau beli makanan.
  I want to buy food.
• Berapa harga ini?
  How much is this?
• Kami belum mengerti.
  We do not understand yet.
• Boleh bicara pelan-pelan?
  Could you speak slowly?
• Teman saya datang besok pagi.
  My friend is coming tomorrow morning.

A simple way to study all 100

1. Learn ten words a day for ten days.
2. Open each linked word to hear it and read one natural example.
3. Build three sentences from each group before adding the next ten.
4. Review words by recalling the Indonesian first, not by rereading the list.
5. Use a short Indonesian story or conversation to notice the same words in context.

Once these feel familiar, move into topic vocabulary such as food, travel, or communication. A common core helps every new topic attach to language you already know.