How to Say Numbers in Indonesian (Bahasa Indonesia)

Have you been to Indonesia? or are you planning to go to this country. The first thing you need to learn is the numbers. Generally, learning numbers is essential for a language learner particularly to those who are traveling to other countries. Since you are going to involve in a lot of numbers in the country where you visit, being able to count in that local language will be a lifesaver. Now, the thing is that some are still puzzled because they do not have any ideas where to start. In this post, you are going to learn how to count in Indonesian.

1. The case of number '0'

Like other languages, in Indonesian, we also have formal and informal word. If you visit Indonesia, you might get confused because they might say 'kosong', but also sometimes 'nol'. Lexically, the word kosong is non-standardized and informal and it cannot be used in a formal writing. The 'nol' one is the standardized and also acceptable in either formal or informal context.

2. Memorizing 1-9

The easiest way to memorize Indonesian numbers is that you only need to memorize the number 1-9. Please have a look at the following number and if you want to check for the pronunciation, you can watch the provided videos below.

1 = Satu, 2 = Dua, 3 = Tiga, 4 = Empat, 5 = Lima, 6 = Enam, 7 = Tujuh, 8 = Delapan, 9 = Sembilan

Once you memorize those numbers above, it will be a good start and we can go ahead with the other numbers.

3. Memorizing 11-19

Now, let's suppose that you already memorize the numbers 1-9. Then, if you want to say 11-19, you can simply add 'belas' at the end of the number. See the following numbers.

11 = Sebelas, 12 = Dua belas, 13 = Tiga belas, 14 = Empat belas, 15 = Lima belas, 16 = Enam belas,

17 = Tujuh belas, 18 = Delapan belas, 19 = Sembilan belas

4. Memorizing 10-1 billion

By following the pattern, it is going to be easier for us to memorize them. In this case, you only need to memorize the following numbers first.

10 = Sepuluh, 100 = Seratus, 1000 = Seribu, 10000 = Sepuluh ribu, 1000000 = Sejuta, 1 Billion = Semiliar

now, you can start combining with other random numbers. See the following examples:

50 = Lima puluh (0 is called puluh)

110 = Seratus sepuluh

1110 = Seribu seratus sepuluh

100000 = Seratus ribu (000 are called ribu)

156700 = Seratus lima puluh enam ribu tujuh ratus

1450000 = Sejuta empat ratus lima puluh ribu

145000000 = Seratus empat puluh lima juta (000000 are called juta)

1657200000 = Semiliar enam ratus lima puluh tujuh juta dua ratus ribu

That's basically what I can explain on how to say Indonesian numbers, once you know the pattern, you can easily say them. If you still find it confusing, you may watch the following videos or write the problem in the comment section below. Bye for now, have a good one! 😄