Indonesian Lesson 3: Simple Greetings & Farewells

http://thejavajive.com/blog/?p=303

In English we have an all purpose greeting word - "Hi". In Indonesian, greetings are more specific to the time of day, among other things.

Selamat

Selamat - is commonly used as a part of greetings. Its literal meaning is: "welfare, happiness, or congratulations". (Remember that emphasis falls on the next-to-last syllable.) Selamat can be combined with many other words to form greetings such as "Good morning", "Have a good stay", and "Enjoy your meal".

Pagi

Pagi - means "morning"

Selamat pagi! = "Good morning!"

Siang

Siang - refers to the time of day between around 11:00 am & 2:00 pm.

Selamat siang! = "Good day!"

Sore

Sore (*pronounced "SOH-ray") - refers to the mid-to-late afternoon (2pm until dark)

Selamat sore = "Good afternoon!"

Malam

Malam - means "night"

Selamat malam! = "Good night!" ("Good night" can be used as a greeting as well as a farewell in Indonesian.)


Remember: all of the greetings above can also be used to say farewell!

Selamat belajar!