Indonesian numbers: count to 100 (and beyond).
Indonesian numbers are one of the fastest wins in the language. Learn 10 root words and one simple pattern, and you can say any number from 1 to 999,999 without memorising anything new.
1 to 10: the foundation
- 1, satu /SAH-too/
- 2, dua /DOO-ah/
- 3, tiga /TEE-gah/
- 4, empat /UHM-paht/
- 5, lima /LEE-mah/
- 6, enam /UH-nahm/
- 7, tujuh /TOO-jooh/
- 8, delapan /duh-LAH-pahn/
- 9, sembilan /suhm-BEE-lahn/
- 10, sepuluh /suh-POO-looh/
Memorise these and you've already done 80% of the work. Everything else is pattern.
11 to 19: the -belas pattern
For teens, take the single-digit number and add belas ("teen"). The first one is slightly irregular:
- 11, sebelas (not satu belas, "one" becomes the prefix "se-")
- 12, dua belas
- 13, tiga belas
- 14, empat belas
- 15, lima belas
- 16, enam belas
- 17, tujuh belas
- 18, delapan belas
- 19, sembilan belas
20 to 99: the -puluh pattern
For tens, take the digit and add puluh ("ten"). Then stack single digits on the end for in-between numbers:
- 20, dua puluh
- 21, dua puluh satu
- 22, dua puluh dua
- 30, tiga puluh
- 37, tiga puluh tujuh
- 40, empat puluh
- 50, lima puluh
- 60, enam puluh
- 70, tujuh puluh
- 80, delapan puluh
- 90, sembilan puluh
- 99, sembilan puluh sembilan
That's it for 1–99. If you can count to 9 and remember belas and puluh, you can say every number under 100.
100 and beyond: ratus, ribu, juta
The pattern extends cleanly. Each unit has a name; "one [unit]" uses the prefix se-:
- 100, seratus
- 200, dua ratus
- 500, lima ratus
- 1,000, seribu
- 5,000, lima ribu
- 10,000, sepuluh ribu
- 100,000, seratus ribu
- 1,000,000, sejuta (or satu juta, both are heard)
- 1,000,000,000, satu miliar
Example: 125,000 = seratus dua puluh lima ribu (one hundred twenty-five thousand).
Real-world uses
Prices in rupiah
Indonesian prices are big numbers, you'll need thousands and hundred-thousands constantly. A coffee costs around dua puluh lima ribu (Rp 25,000 ≈ €1.50). A mid-range dinner is seratus lima puluh ribu (Rp 150,000). In casual speech, Indonesians often drop the "ribu" (thousand) when the context is clear, they'll say dua puluh lima and you're expected to know it means 25,000.
Phone numbers
Read digit by digit, like English: 0812-3456-7890 becomes kosong delapan satu dua, tiga empat lima enam, tujuh delapan sembilan kosong. Note kosong ("empty") is used for zero, not nol, although nol is understood.
Addresses and room numbers
For address numbers under 100, use the normal counting form: "Jalan Sudirman nomor tiga puluh lima" (Sudirman Street, number 35). For longer numbers, digit-by-digit is common.
Time and age
Age uses tahun (years): "Saya berusia tiga puluh tahun" (I am 30 years old). Time uses jam (o'clock): "jam delapan" (8 o'clock).
Ordinal numbers (first, second, third)
Add the prefix ke- to the number:
- first, pertama (irregular, not kesatu)
- second, kedua
- third, ketiga
- tenth, kesepuluh
Common mistakes to avoid
- Don't say "satu ribu." It's seribu. The "se-" prefix replaces "satu" when it combines with a unit.
- Don't say "satu belas." It's sebelas for the same reason.
- Don't overuse nol for zero. In phone numbers and casual speech, kosong is more natural.
- Watch the comma/period convention. Indonesian uses . as the thousands separator and , as the decimal, opposite of English. Rp 1.000,50 means 1,000.50.
Practice these in the app
Every number from 1–100 has its own flashcard with audio in Speak Indo. Browse the numbers vocabulary for the full list, or jump straight to satu, dua, tiga to start.