Indonesian idioms

7 curated idioms at A1 / A2 / B1 levels. Every entry includes pronunciation and an example sentence, with usage notes where they help.

• makan hati, eat one's heart out (to suffer silently) /MAH-kahn HAH-tee/
• gigit jari, bite one's finger (regret missing out) /GEE-geet JAH-ree/
• buah tangan, souvenir / hand-fruit /BOO-ah TAH-ngahn/
• kepala dingin, cool head (calm) /keh-PAH-lah DEE-ngeen/
• panjang tangan, long hand (thief) /PAHN-jahng TAH-ngahn/
• muka tembok, thick-skinned (no shame) /MOO-kah TEHM-bohk/
• naik darah, to get angry (rise of blood) /nah-EEK DAH-rah/

Idioms in context

Reading a word inside something you can nearly follow is what makes it stick. These stories use the vocabulary above:

• Belajar Peribahasa, Learning Indonesian Sayings A teacher explains a few common Indonesian sayings and what they mean.
• Ungkapan yang Pakai Anggota Badan, Expressions That Use Body Parts A teacher explains idioms built from body words and when to use them.

Related topics

• Kitchen 10 words
• Money 23 words
• Movement 10 words
• Nature 32 words
• Numbers 29 words
• Objects 21 words