Classifiers (measure words)

By Speak Indo, from the Speak Indo Indonesian course.

Indonesian can use classifiers when counting, but they are often optional in ordinary conversation.

How it works

Classifiers can make a count more specific: • orang, for people: tiga orang anak • ekor, for animals: dua ekor kucing • buah, a general classifier for many objects: dua buah kursi • batang, for long or stick-like things: dua batang pohon • helai, for thin flexible items: sehelai kertas They are not required every time. Tiga anak, dua kucing, and lima mangga are all natural, especially in conversation. Buah also means fruit, so lima buah mangga is grammatical but often more formal or measured than simply lima mangga.

Examples

• Ada tiga orang di sana.
  There are three people over there.
• Saya punya dua ekor anjing.
  I have two dogs.
• Beli lima buah mangga.
  Buy five mangoes.