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Indonesian slang ( id, bahasa gaul, bew, basa gaul), or informal
Indonesian language Indonesian ( ) is the official and national language of Indonesia. It is a standardized variety of Malay, an Austronesian language that has been used as a lingua franca in the multilingual Indonesian archipelago for centuries. Indonesia ...
( id, bahasa informal, bahasa sehari-hari) is a term that subsumes various vernacular and non-standard styles of expression used throughout
Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Gui ...
that are not necessarily mutually intelligible. Regional slang from the capital of
Jakarta Jakarta (; , bew, Jakarte), officially the Special Capital Region of Jakarta ( id, Daerah Khusus Ibukota Jakarta) is the capital city, capital and list of Indonesian cities by population, largest city of Indonesia. Lying on the northwest coa ...
, based on
Betawi language Betawi, also known as Betawi Malay, Jakartan Malay, or Batavian Malay is the spoken language of the Betawi people in Jakarta, Indonesia. It is the native language of perhaps 5 million people; a precise number is difficult to determine due to ...
, is however heavily exposed and promoted in national media, and considered the ''de facto'' Indonesian slang. Despite its direct origins, Indonesian slang often differs quite significantly in both vocabulary and grammatical structure from the most standard form of Indonesia's national language. These expressions are neither standardized nor taught in any formal establishments, but rather function in daily discourse, usually in informal settings. Several dictionaries of ''bahasa gaul'' has been published. Indonesian speakers regularly mix several regional slangs in their conversations regardless of origin, but depending on the audience and the familiarity level with the listeners.


History

Its native name, ''bahasa gaul'' (the 'social language'), was a term coined in the late 1990s where ''bahasa'' means 'language' and ''gaul'' means 'social', 'cool' or 'trendy'. Similarly, the term ''bahasa prokem'' (a more outdated name for Indonesian slang) created in the early 1970s means 'the language of gangsters'. ''Prokem'' is a slang form of the word '' préman'' 'gangster' and was derived from the Dutch word ''vrijman'', which literally means 'freeman'.http://repository.tufs.ac.jp/bitstream/10108/84123/2/nusa5802.pdf Indonesian slang is predominantly used in everyday conversation, social milieus, among popular media and, to a certain extent, in teen publications or pop culture magazines. For those living in more urbanized regions of Indonesia, Indonesian slang language often functions as the primary language medium for communication in daily life. While it would be unusual to communicate orally with people on a casual basis with very formal Indonesian, the use of proper or 'good and correct' Indonesian (''bahasa Indonesia yang baik dan benar'') is abundant in the media, government bodies, schools, universities, workplaces, amongst some members of the Indonesian upper-class or nobility and also in many other more formal situations. Indonesian slang has evolved rapidly. This is, in part, due to its vocabulary that is often so different from that of standard Indonesian and Malaysian and also because so many new words (both original and foreign) are quite easily incorporated into its increasingly wide vocabulary list. However, as with any language, the constant changing of the times means that some words become rarely used or are rendered obsolete as they are considered to be outdated or no longer follow modern day trends.


Classification

At present, there is no formal classification for Indonesian slang language as it is essentially a manipulated and popularized form of the Indonesian (the national language of Indonesia). Indonesian is part of the Western Malayo-Polynesian subgroup of the
Malayo-Polynesian The Malayo-Polynesian languages are a subgroup of the Austronesian languages, with approximately 385.5 million speakers. The Malayo-Polynesian languages are spoken by the Austronesian peoples outside of Taiwan, in the island nations of Southea ...
branch of the Austronesian languages. According to the
Ethnologue ''Ethnologue: Languages of the World'' (stylized as ''Ethnoloɠue'') is an annual reference publication in print and online that provides statistics and other information on the living languages of the world. It is the world's most comprehensi ...
, Indonesian is modelled after
Riau Riau is a province of Indonesia. It is located on the central eastern coast of Sumatra along the Strait of Malacca. The province shares land borders with North Sumatra to the northwest, West Sumatra to the west, and Jambi to the south. Accordi ...
Malay, a form of
Old Malay Malay was first used in the first millennia known as Old Malay, a part of the Austronesian language family. Over a period of two millennia, Malay has undergone various stages of development that derived from different layers of foreign influen ...
originally spoken in Northeast
Sumatra Sumatra is one of the Sunda Islands of western Indonesia. It is the largest island that is fully within Indonesian territory, as well as the sixth-largest island in the world at 473,481 km2 (182,812 mi.2), not including adjacent i ...
.


Geographic distribution

Indonesian slang language is mostly spoken in urban regions of the
Indonesian archipelago The islands of Indonesia, also known as the Indonesian Archipelago ( id, Kepulauan Indonesia) or Nusantara, may refer either to the islands comprising the country of Indonesia or to the geographical groups which include its islands. History ...
. Variations of slang language can be found from city to city, mainly characterised by derivatives of the different local ethnic languages. For example, in
Bandung Bandung ( su, ᮘᮔ᮪ᮓᮥᮀ, Bandung, ; ) is the capital city of the Indonesian province of West Java. It has a population of 2,452,943 within its city limits according to the official estimates as at mid 2021, making it the fourth most ...
,
West Java West Java ( id, Jawa Barat, su, ᮏᮝ ᮊᮥᮜᮧᮔ᮪, romanized ''Jawa Kulon'') is a province of Indonesia on the western part of the island of Java, with its provincial capital in Bandung. West Java is bordered by the province of Banten ...
, the local slang language contains vocabulary from the
Sundanese language Sundanese (: , ; Sundanese script: ) is a Malayo-Polynesian language spoken by the Sundanese. It has approximately 40 million native speakers in the western third of Java; they represent about 15% of Indonesia's total population. Classific ...
, while the slang found in
Jakarta Jakarta (; , bew, Jakarte), officially the Special Capital Region of Jakarta ( id, Daerah Khusus Ibukota Jakarta) is the capital city, capital and list of Indonesian cities by population, largest city of Indonesia. Lying on the northwest coa ...
tends to be heavily influenced by
English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...
or the old Batavian dialect (i.e. the language of the original inhabitants of Jakarta or '' Batavia'' as it was known during the Dutch colonial period). For more information relating to the geographic distribution of Indonesian slang and regional influences, please see "Region Specific Slang" below.


Official status

Indonesian slang language is not an
official language An official language is a language given supreme status in a particular country, state, or other jurisdiction. Typically the term "official language" does not refer to the language used by a people or country, but by its government (e.g. judiciary, ...
of Indonesia. However, it is a modified form of the Indonesian language and is widely used for everyday communication and in informal situations. Sometimes it is mixed with formal Indonesian in formal situations, except during state ceremonies, business meetings, and sacred prayers. A number of Indonesians sometimes speak a mixture of Indonesian slang and formal Indonesian in everyday conversation and informal situations.


Sounds

Indonesian slang generally uses the same pronunciation as standard Indonesian, although there are many influences from regional dialects on certain aspects such as accent and grammatical structure. Loan words adopted from foreign languages (especially European) such as
English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...
or
Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...
are often transliterated according to the modern Indonesian
orthography An orthography is a set of conventions for writing a language, including norms of spelling, hyphenation, capitalization, word breaks, emphasis, and punctuation. Most transnational languages in the modern period have a writing system, and ...
. For example, the word "please" is often written as ''plis''. Another closely related phenomenon to arise in recent years is the formation of complex nouns or phrases created using a combination of English and Indonesian (slang) in the one sentence. A prime example of this is the phrase ''"''so what ''gitu loh!"'', meaning "who cares?!" or quite simply "so what!" with added emphasis from the phrase ''"gitu loh"''. ''Gitu'' is an abbreviated form of the Indonesian word ''begitu'' meaning 'like that/such as', while ''loh'' (also spelt ''lho'') is a
particle In the physical sciences, a particle (or corpuscule in older texts) is a small localized object which can be described by several physical or chemical properties, such as volume, density, or mass. They vary greatly in size or quantity, from ...
commonly used in slang or conversational Indonesian to show surprise or instigate a warning. In these cases of combined, interlingual phrases, the original spelling (and quite often the pronunciation) of the foreign word(s) are retained. Hence, the English component of the Indonesian slang phrase ''"''so what ''gitu loh!"'' remains relatively unchanged as far as spelling and pronunciation are concerned.


Grammar

The overall structure of Indonesian slang is not all that different from formal Indonesian, although in many cases sentences are simplified or shortened when necessary. The differences between formal and colloquial Indonesian are most evident in vocabulary and grammatical structures (e.g.
affixes In linguistics, an affix is a morpheme that is attached to a word stem to form a new word or word form. Affixes may be derivational, like English ''-ness'' and ''pre-'', or inflectional, like English plural ''-s'' and past tense ''-ed''. They ar ...
).


Vocabulary

The structure of the Indonesian slang language is mostly derived from formal Indonesian. However, its vocabulary is a different story altogether. Indonesian slang vocabulary is enriched by a combination of derivatives or loan words/structures from foreign languages such as
Min Nan Southern Min (), Minnan ( Mandarin pronunciation: ) or Banlam (), is a group of linguistically similar and historically related Sinitic languages that form a branch of Min Chinese spoken in Fujian (especially the Minnan region), most of Taiwan ...
commonly referred to as
Hokkien The Hokkien () variety of Chinese is a Southern Min language native to and originating from the Minnan region, where it is widely spoken in the south-eastern part of Fujian in southeastern mainland China. It is one of the national languages ...
,
English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...
, and
Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...
, as well as local ethnic languages such as Batavian, Sundanese, and Javanese. However, in many cases, new words are simply created at random and their origins often quite obscure. A large proportion of the vocabulary used in Indonesian slang language was developed from formal Indonesian through several methods, most of which are listed below: *Shortening the prefix ''men-'', ''me-'', ''mem-'', or ''meng-'' into ''n-'' or ''nge-''. For example: **''mengambil'' → ''ngambil'' 'to take' (from ''ambil'' 'to take') **''menyapu'' → ''nyapu'' 'to sweep' (from ''sapu'' 'broom') **''merasa'' → ''ngerasa'' 'to feel' (from ''rasa'' 'taste; feel') **''membuat'' → ''ngebuat'' 'to make' (from ''buat'' 'to make') *Replacing the suffix ''-kan'', ''-lah'', or ''-i'' with ''-in'' (derived from Balinese suffix ''-in''). For example: **''menanyakan'' → ''nanyain'' 'to ask about something' (from ''tanya'' 'to ask') **''cobalah'' → ''cobain'' 'to be try' (from ''coba'' 'to try') **''diajari'' → ''diajarin'' 'to be taught' (from ''ajar'' 'to teach') *Using ''ke-'' at the beginning of non-volitional passive verbs instead of using ''ter-''. For example: **''tertangkap'' → ''ketangkep'' 'to be caught' (from ''tangkap'' 'to catch') **''terpeleset'' → ''kepeleset'' 'to accidentally slip' (from ''peleset'' 'to miss a target') *Elimination of ''s'' or ''h'' from a word. For example: **''habis'' → ''abis'' 'deleted, emptied' **''tahu'' → ''tau'' 'to know' *''hitung'' → ''itung'' 'count'' **''sudah'' → ''udah'' 'already' *Contraction of two or more words into one word. For example: **''terima kasih'' → ''makasih'' 'thank' **''jaga imej'' → ''jaim'' 'to safeguard one's social image' **''percaya diri'' → ''pd'' or ''pede'' 'confidence' **''gak jelas'' → ''gaje'' 'not clear, absurd' **''males gerak'' → ''mager'' 'lazy' () **''bokap-nyokap'' → ''bonyok'' 'parents' () **''sange ga tertampung'' → ''sagapung'' or ''segapung'' ' hypersex' (). *Altering the pronunciation of in final closed syllables into (Javanese and Sundanese influence). For example: **''tangkap'' → ''tangkep'' 'to catch' **''benar'' → ''bener'' 'correct' **''pintar'' → ''pinter'' 'smart' **''malas'' → ''males'' 'lazy' **''segar'' → ''seger'' 'fresh' **''cepat'' → ''cepet'' 'fast' *Contracting a diphthong into a monophthong (
monophthongization Monophthongization is a sound change by which a diphthong becomes a monophthong, a type of vowel shift. It is also known as ungliding, as diphthongs are also known as gliding vowels. In languages that have undergone monophthongization, digraphs ...
). For example: **''kalau'' → ''kalo'' 'if' **''pakai'' → ''pake'' 'to use' **''sampai'' → ''sampe'' 'until' **''cabai'' → ''cabe'' 'chili' *Addition and exclusion of silent consonants and glottal stops to the beginning/end of a word, usually in speech. For example: **''kalo'' → **''pake'' → **''sampe'' → *Making of a ''prokem'' word. For example: **''bapak'' → ''bokap'' 'father' **''nyak'' → ''nyokap'' 'mother' (a special case where the consonant /k/ become /p/ to make it rhyme with ''bokap'') **''jual'' → ''jokul'' 'to sell' **''berak'' → ''boker'' 'to defecate' **''sapa'' → ''sokap'' 'who' (''sapa'' is a colloquial word of ''siapa'' 'who') **''sini'' → ''sokin'' *Reversing the
phoneme In phonology and linguistics, a phoneme () is a unit of sound that can distinguish one word from another in a particular language. For example, in most dialects of English, with the notable exception of the West Midlands and the north-wes ...
or syllable order from a word. For example: ** ''sange'' → e''ngas'' 'sexually aroused' ** ''anjing'' → ''jingan'' 'fuck (interjection)' () ** ''lumayan'' → ''nayamul'' 'not bad' ** ''bego'' ''→'' ''ogeb'' 'stupid' ** ''sikat'' → ''takis'' 'to take something' ** ''selow'' → ''woles'' 'relax; taking easy' (from English word "slow") ** ''bang'' → ''ngab'' 'older brother; bro' (shortened form of ''abang'' 'older brother') ** ''mabok'' → ''kobam'' '
drunk Alcohol intoxication, also known as alcohol poisoning, commonly described as drunkenness or inebriation, is the negative behavior and physical effects caused by a recent consumption of alcohol. In addition to the toxicity of ethanol, the main p ...
' ** ''bisa'' → ''sabi'' 'can, be able to' ** ''yuk'' or ''yuks → kuy'' or ''skuy'' 'let's go, come on' ** ''mobil'' → ''libom'' 'car' ** ''enak'' → ''kane'' 'delicious' ** ''ribut'' → ''tubir'' 'chaos; fight' **''satu'', ''dua'', ''tiga'' → ''utas'', ''aud'', ''agit'' 'one, two, three' (in this context, ''satu'' or ''utas'' means a
freshman A freshman, fresher, first year, or frosh, is a person in the first year at an educational institution, usually a secondary school or at the college and university level, but also in other forms of post-secondary educational institutions. Ara ...
in Senior High School; ''aud'' or ''dua'' means a
sophomore In the United States, a sophomore ( or ) is a person in the second year at an educational institution; usually at a secondary school or at the college and university level, but also in other forms of post-secondary educational institutions. In ...
in Senior High School; while ''agit'' or ''tiga'' means a penultimate or
senior Senior (shortened as Sr.) means "the elder" in Latin and is often used as a suffix for the elder of two or more people in the same family with the same given name, usually a parent or grandparent. It may also refer to: * Senior (name), a surname ...
in Senior High School. Some words are simply loaned from English. For example: *sorry → ''sori'' *friend → ''fren'' or ''pren'' *swear → ''suer'' *brother → ''bro'' *sister → ''sis'' *by the way → ''btw'' or ''betewe'' *on the way → ''otw'' or ''otewe'' *double → ''dobel'' *triple → ''tripel'' *simple → ''simpel'' *check it out → ''cekidot'' *cancel → ''cancel'' Some words are also loaned from Chinese languages (mainly
Hokkien The Hokkien () variety of Chinese is a Southern Min language native to and originating from the Minnan region, where it is widely spoken in the south-eastern part of Fujian in southeastern mainland China. It is one of the national languages ...
and Mandarin). For example: *'' angpau''/''angpao'' 'monetary gift' (; a gift usually given during holidays or special occasions, stemmed from tradition done by Chinese community) *''auban'' 'stubborn' () *''bo'' 'no; don't have' (; it is often used with another descriptive noun/adjective, for example ''bo huat'' 無法 'unable', ''bo kam guan'' 'not sincerely willing to let go off somtehing') *''cengli'' 'fair, make sense' () *''cuan'' 'earn, profit' () *''hauce'' 'delicious, tasty' () *''hauce sèn cin ping'' 'extremely/overly delicious' (; the phrase is derived from Indonesian popular slang expression e''nak gila'' (from e''nak'' 'delicious' and ''gila'' 'crazy, insane'), with ''shén jīng bìng'' (神经病) literally means 'crazy, insane') *''ho ciak'' 'delicious, tasty' () *'' kepo'' 'busybody' (; a slang from
Taiwanese Hokkien Taiwanese Hokkien () (; Tâi-lô: ''Tâi-uân-uē''), also known as Taigi/Taigu (; Pe̍h-ōe-jī/ Tâi-lô: ''Tâi-gí / Tâi-gú''), Taiwanese, Taiwanese Minnan, Hoklo and Holo, is a variety of the Hokkien language spoken natively by about ...
, has a
backronym A backronym is an acronym formed from an already existing word by expanding its letters into the words of a phrase. Backronyms may be invented with either serious or humorous intent, or they may be a type of false etymology or folk etymology. The ...
"knowing every particular object") *''toke''/''tauke'' 'boss' () Some words originated from the
LGBT community The LGBT community (also known as the LGBTQ+ community, GLBT community, gay community, or queer community) is a loosely defined grouping of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and other queer individuals united by a common culture and so ...
(especially among transvestites) usually have word ending ''-ong''. This either come from the pattern of changing the vocal of the
penult Penult is a linguistics term for the second to last syllable of a word. It is an abbreviation of ''penultimate'', which describes the next-to-last item in a series. The penult follows the antepenult and precedes the ultima. For example, the main ...
into and replacing the
rime Rime may refer to: *Rime ice, ice that forms when water droplets in fog freeze to the outer surfaces of objects, such as trees Rime is also an alternative spelling of "rhyme" as a noun: *Syllable rime, term used in the study of phonology in ling ...
of the ultima with ''-ong'', or entirely different origin. This was also an attempt among LGBT community to alter the words to become more "
French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
-sounding", thus sounding more sexy. For example: *''dandan'' → ''dendong'' 'to dress up' *''gede'' → ''gedong'' 'big' *''gratis'' → ''gretong'' 'free' *''homo'' → ''hemong'' '
homosexual Homosexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or sexual behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexual attractions" to pe ...
' *''keluar'' → ''klewong'' 'to ejaculate' (from ''keluar'' 'to go out') *''laki'' → ''lekong'' 'male' *''mau'' → ''mrong'' 'want; sexual activity' (the meaning 'sexual activity' comes from the
onomatopoeia Onomatopoeia is the process of creating a word that phonetically imitates, resembles, or suggests the sound that it describes. Such a word itself is also called an onomatopoeia. Common onomatopoeias include animal noises such as ''oink'', ''m ...
of a cat sound (''méong'') during sexual intercourse) *''sakit'' → ''sekong'' 'homosexual' (from ''sakit'' 'sick') *''sepong'' '
fellatio Fellatio (also known as fellation, and in slang as blowjob, BJ, giving head, or sucking off) is an oral sex act involving a person stimulating the penis of another person by using the mouth, throat, or both. Oral stimulation of the scrotu ...
' (from ''isep'', colloquial form of ''hisap'' 'to suck') *''tempong'' or ''tembong'' '
anal sex Anal sex or anal intercourse is generally the insertion and thrusting of the erect penis into a person's anus, or anus and rectum, for sexual pleasure.Sepages 270–271for anal sex information, anpage 118for information about the clitoris. ...
' (from ''tembak'' 'to shoot' and ''bokong'' 'ass') Many words also emerged without following the above rules at all or have their own unique history and/or origin not related to its literal meaning. For example: *''abg'' or ''abege'' 'teenager' (from ''anak baru gede,'' ) *''
alay (or ''4L4Y'', ', ''Anak Jablay'' or ', ) is an Indonesian pop culture phenomenon.Kasali, Rhenald. 2011. ''Cracking Zone''. Jakarta: Gramedia. Hal. 71. It is a stereotype describing something "tacky" (') and/or "cheesy" ('). The Alay culture phe ...
'' 'tacky; garish; drama queen' (from ''anak layangan'', ; used to describe the appearance associated with lower class children often spending their time outside and getting sunburnt, but then get a broader meaning) *''anjay'', ''anjir'', ''anjrit'', ''anjas'', etc. 'wow (interjection)' (from ''anjing'' 'dog' usually used as a negative interjection, the change in its rime gives a slightly positive meaning) *backstreet 'to date in secret' *''bang jago'' (from ''abang'' 'older brother' and ''jago'' 'champion; master'; used to end any argument in a passive-aggressive and
ad hominem ''Ad hominem'' (), short for ''argumentum ad hominem'' (), refers to several types of arguments, most of which are fallacious. Typically, this term refers to a rhetorical strategy where the speaker attacks the character, motive, or some othe ...
manner) *''baper'' 'touchy' (from ''bawa perasaan'' ) *''basian'' '
hangover A hangover is the experience of various unpleasant physiological and psychological effects usually following the consumption of alcohol, such as wine, beer, and liquor. Hangovers can last for several hours or for more than 24 hours. Typical sympto ...
' *''beud'' 'very' (from ''banget'' 'very'; this word has become popular after Indonesia's fast food chain, CFC coined the word on one of their television advertisement) *''bokep'' ' blue film' (from the abbreviation of "blue film", ''BF'', which is read as ''bé-èf'' or ''bé-èp'' then transformed into a ''prokem'' word using infix ''-ok-'') *''buzzeRp'' 'political buzzer' (a portmanteau of ''buzzer politik'' 'political buzzer' and
Rupiah The rupiah (symbol: Rp; currency code: IDR) is the official currency of Indonesia. It is issued and controlled by Bank Indonesia. The name " rupiah" is derived from the Sanskrit word for silver, (). Sometimes, Indonesians also informally use ...
) *''cabe-cabean'' '
slut ''Slut (archaic: slattern)'' is an English-language term for a person, usually a woman or girl, who is considered to have loose sexual morals or who is sexually promiscuous. It is usually used as an insult, sexual slur or offensive term of d ...
' (from ''cabe'' , from the abbreviation of ''cewek alay bisa diewe'' ; the term derived from teen motorbike gang/underground racing subculture where sometimes the ante was the racers' girlfriends and the winner could sleep with her) *''capcus'' 'let's go' (from ''cabut'' 'to pull off something', coloquially means 'to go'; popularized by LGBT community) *''cebong'' (; a pejorative name for
Joko Widodo Joko Widodo (; born 21 June 1961), popularly known as Jokowi, is an Indonesian politician and businessman who is the 7th and current president of Indonesia. Elected in July 2014, he was the first Indonesian president not to come from an elit ...
's supporters) *''ciyus'' 'serious' (from ''serius'' 'serious') *''cupu'' 'out of date, not trendy; nerd' (from ''culun punya'' , ''culun'' 'out of date; nerd' and ''punya'' 'to have, to possess'; it became popular after Indonesia's beverage brand, Pop Ice, coined it in their television advertisement in 2007) *''fafifu wasweswos'' or ''fa fi fu was wes wos'' 'nonsensical', '
gibberish Gibberish, also called jibber-jabber or gobbledygook, is speech that is (or appears to be) nonsense. It may include speech sounds that are not actual words, pseudowords, or language games and specialized jargon that seems nonsensical to outsi ...
'. *''gebetan'' 'crush' (from ''gebet'' 'to approach, to get closer to someone', itself a slang) *''GR'' or ''geer'' 'to have a prejudice about itself' (from ''gede rasa'' ) *''garing'' 'lame, corny' (from ''garing'' 'dry') *''halo, dek'' or ''halodek'', an epithet for Indonesian policeman and soldiers corps, due to their flirtatious yet creepy and perverted behaviour, such as catcalling against girls (especially doctors, pharmacists, midwives, and nurses), both online and offline. *''Indog'' (from "Indonesian dog" or "Indognesial"; a pejorative name for Indonesia and Indonesian) *''jamet'' (from ''jablay/janda mètal'' 'prostitute/widow who dress overly provocative but didn't care about their appearance', ''jajal metal'' 'metal poseur', or ''Jawa metal'' ' metalhead Javanese'; a pejorative name for Javanese people) *''jebakan betmen'' 'prank' () *''jijay'' 'disgusting, grotesque' (from ''jijik'' 'disgusting'; sometimes used to express a condition of 'utmost disgust', used in the phrase "''jijay bajay''" or "''anjay jijay''") *''jomblo'' or ''jombs'' 'single' (from Sundanese ''jomblo'' 'unable to sell (the product); unrequited') *''jutek'' 'sassy; rude' *''kadrun'' (from ''kadal gurun'' ; a pejorative name for Islamic
bigot Discrimination is the act of making unjustified distinctions between people based on the groups, classes, or other categories to which they belong or are perceived to belong. People may be discriminated on the basis of race, gender, age, rel ...
). *''kenti'' 'penis' (from ''kontol'' 'penis') *''kimpoi'' 'sexual intercourse' (from ''kawin'' 'to have sex') *''kinclong'' 'shiny; good looking' *''kuproy'' '
construction worker A construction worker is a worker employed in the physical construction of the built environment and its infrastructure. Definition By some definitions, workers may be engaged in manual labour as unskilled or semi-skilled workers; they may be sk ...
' (from ''kuli proyek'' 'construction worker'; sometimes pejorative) *''kutu kupret'' 'bastard' *''lebay'' 'overacting' (from ''lebih'' 'more' with exaggerated English pronunciation imitation, or from Sumatran Malay ''labaih''/''lebaih'' 'excessive; crossing the line') *''lesbiola'' '
lesbian A lesbian is a Homosexuality, homosexual woman.Zimmerman, p. 453. The word is also used for women in relation to their sexual identity or sexual behavior, regardless of sexual orientation, or as an adjective to characterize or associate n ...
' (from ''lesbi'' 'lesbian', extended into the word ''les biola'' ) *''maho'' '
gay men Gay men are male homosexuals. Some bisexual and homoromantic men may also dually identify as gay, and a number of young gay men also identify as queer. Historically, gay men have been referred to by a number of different terms, includin ...
' (from ''manusia homo'' 'homosexual man') *''matre'' 'materialistic' (from ''materialistik'') *''memek'' 'vagina' (from Sundanese ''momok'' 'vagina' in polite form) *''miapa'' or ''miapah'' 'really?' (from ''demi apa'' ) *''ndakik-ndakik'' 'words or terminologies that too hard to understand, to the point it sounds
nonsensical Nonsense is a communication, via speech, writing, or any other symbolic system, that lacks any coherent meaning. Sometimes in ordinary usage, nonsense is synonymous with absurdity or the ridiculous. Many poets, novelists and songwriters h ...
or
gibberish Gibberish, also called jibber-jabber or gobbledygook, is speech that is (or appears to be) nonsense. It may include speech sounds that are not actual words, pseudowords, or language games and specialized jargon that seems nonsensical to outsi ...
. *''ngondek'' 'sissy, effeminate' (from ''kondektur'' 'public bus attendant'; describing the manner of fast speaking on announcing the destinations while doing waving gesture done by bus attendant, popularized by LGBT community) *''PDKT'' or ''pedekate'' 'hitting on someone (romantic)' (from ''pendekatan'' 'approach'; has a backronym of ''pede'' (from ''percaya diri'' 'confident') and ''kate'' 'talk') *''RT 6'' or ''RT 06'' (from ''
rukun tetangga A ''rukun tetangga'' (abbrievated RT, literally "pillar of neighbours") is an administrative division of a village in Indonesia, under a '' rukun warga''. The RT is the lowest administrative division of Indonesia. The ''rukun tetangga'' operate ...
''; used by Indonesian
Christian apologists Christian apologetics ( grc, ἀπολογία, "verbal defense, speech in defense") is a branch of Christian theology that defends Christianity. Christian apologetics has taken many forms over the centuries, starting with Paul the Apostle in ...
to describe
Islam Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God (or '' Allah'') as it was revealed to Muhammad, the ...
, with ''warga RT 6'' or ''warga RT 06'' is used to describe
Muslims Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...
in general) *''RT 16'' (used as a counter by Muslim apologists to describe
Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global popula ...
, and similarly, ''warga RT 16'' is used to describe
Christians Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρ� ...
in general) *''segede gaban'' 'very big' (; Gaban comes from the main protagonist of the Japanese
Tokusatsu is a Japanese term for live action film or television drama that makes heavy use of practical special effects. ''Tokusatsu'' entertainment mainly refers to science fiction, war, fantasy, or horror media featuring such technology but is som ...
series called '' Space Sheriff Gavan'', which become a hit in Indonesia in the 1980s, but the term itself started appearing in the 1990s when an approximately 10 meter tall statue of Gavan was erected in
Jakarta Jakarta (; , bew, Jakarte), officially the Special Capital Region of Jakarta ( id, Daerah Khusus Ibukota Jakarta) is the capital city, capital and list of Indonesian cities by population, largest city of Indonesia. Lying on the northwest coa ...
's theme park, ''
Dunia Fantasi Taman Impian Jaya Ancol also known as Ancol Dreamland is an integral part of Ancol Bay City, a resort destination located along Jakarta's waterfront, in Ancol (Kelurahan), Pademangan, North Jakarta, Indonesia. It is owned by PT. Pembangunan J ...
'') *''sekut'' 'afraid; cool; come on; panic' (popularized by celebrity Gofar Hilman) *''tajir'' 'filthy rich' (from ) *''terong-terongan'' (from ''térong'' 'eggplant'; the male counterpart of ''cabé-cabéan'', refer to the similarity of an elongated-shaped purple eggplant with a penis. Thus the term ''térong dicabéin'' () means male to female cross-dresser) *''TTM'' or ''tete'em'' 'intimate friend' (; this term hugely popularized by a
Ratu ''Ratu'' () is an Austronesian title used by male Fijians of chiefly rank. An equivalent title, ''adi'' (pronounced ), is used by females of chiefly rank. In the Malay language, the title ''ratu'' is also the traditional honorific title to re ...
music video, sometimes also associated as casual sex partner or friends with benefits) *''telmi'' 'slow-witted' (from ''telat mikir'' ) *''T-O-P B-G-T'' 'cool, awesome' (from the spelling reading of ''top bgt'', the colloquial spelling of ''top banget'' 'really cool' used in texting) *''Vrindavan'' or ''Prindapan'' (from
Vrindavan Vrindavan (; ), also spelt Vrindaban and Brindaban, is a historical city in the Mathura district of Uttar Pradesh, India. It is located in the Braj Bhoomi region and holds religious importance in Hinduism as Krishna spent most of his childho ...
, the location mentioned in
Little Krishna Little Krishna is an Indian 3D animated epic television series created by Reliance Entertainment in 2009. It was originally aired on Nickelodeon and later aired on Discovery Kids and Sun TV. The series is based on the legend of Hindu deit ...
animated series; a pejorative name for India)


Particles

Many slang
particles In the physical sciences, a particle (or corpuscule in older texts) is a small localized object which can be described by several physical or chemical properties, such as volume, density, or mass. They vary greatly in size or quantity, from s ...
are used in the end of a sentence. Usually, these particles do not directly change the sentence's meaning, in the sense that the
truth conditions In semantics and pragmatics, a truth condition is the condition under which a sentence is true. For example, "It is snowing in Nebraska" is true precisely when it is snowing in Nebraska. Truth conditions of a sentence do not necessarily reflect cu ...
remain the same. However, they can have other effects, such as emphasizing a sentence, or suggesting hesitancy. They can be used to reinforce the social link between speaker and listener. For example, the sentence ''Dia datang'' (she/he comes) could be modified by one of the following particles: * ''Dia datang nih'' - used as exclamation. * ''Dia datang dong'' - expresses certainty (''She comes for sure''), or sometimes obviousness (usually cheekily); ''dong'' can be stressed with a long vowel to mean ''She has to come''. * ''Dia datang kok'' - used to convince someone who might doubt the sentence. * ''Dia datang lah'' - expresses a high level of certainty. * ''Dia datang lho'' - could be translated as ''She comes, you know''. * ''Dia datang ah'' - expresses hesitancy; could be translated as ''I think she/he comes''. * ''Dia datang dooong'' - expresses hesitancy; could be translated as ''I wish she'd come'' or ''Please let her come'' * ''Dia datang deng'' - used to correct what was wrong; could be translated as ''She came apparently'' * ''Dia datang deh'' - used to emphasize that 'finally' the person is coming, or in different intonation and context, it is used to emphasize a condition for proposing a request, for instance in a context of: 'She will come too, so please also come with us' * ''Dia datang, lagi'' or ''Dia datang pula'' - expresses annoyance, exasperation, or general displeasure; could be translated as ''She/he comes, too?'' Particles can also be used to introduce questions. The following examples could both be translated as ''How could she come?'': * ''Kok, Dia datang?'' - used when the speaker finds the sentence difficult to believe. * ''Lho? Dia datang'' - indicates surprise or disbelief.


Vocabulary evolution


Pre-1980s

''Kumpul kebo'' literally means 'water buffalo-style gathering' or 'gather like cattle'. It originated during the Dutch colonial era and was known as ''koempoel gebouw'', from ''koempoel'' 'to gather' and Dutch ''gebouw'' 'building', thus the phrase means to live together under the same roof (as an unmarried couple). Confusion has caused this term to be linked with Javanese ''kebo'' 'buffalo'. This term basically means that two people in a relationship are living together without being married, i.e. in a domestic partnership or a ''de facto'' relationship. To ''kumpul kebo'' in Indonesia is considered immoral and sometimes illicit. For these reasons and also those relating to religion, Asian culture, and general ethics, it is often frowned upon in modern Indonesian society to do such a thing.


1980s

The 1980s was the era of ''bahasa prokem''. At this time slang language vocabulary was formed by the insertion of the infix ''-ok-'', creating a totally new word. ''Prokem'' itself is a ''prokem'' word from ''préman''. ''Prokem'' words created by reducing the ultima, then inserting the infix ''-ok-'' before the vocal of the
penult Penult is a linguistics term for the second to last syllable of a word. It is an abbreviation of ''penultimate'', which describes the next-to-last item in a series. The penult follows the antepenult and precedes the ultima. For example, the main ...
(which is now become the ultima). If the penult is an open syllable, the penult taking the nearest consonant after it as its
coda Coda or CODA may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * Movie coda, a post-credits scene * ''Coda'' (1987 film), an Australian horror film about a serial killer, made for television *''Coda'', a 2017 American experimental film from Na ...
. If the word is monosyllabic, the infix simply inserted before the vocal. Examples are given below, with the vocal of the penult marked with bold and the nearest consonant marked with underscore: * ''ba-pak'' → ''bap'' → ''bokap'' 'father' * ''ju-al'' → ''jul'' → ''jokul'' 'to sell' * ''sen-di-ri'' → ''sen-dir'' → ''sendokir'' The word ''sekolah'' 'school' was transformed into ''skokul'', from ''skul'', reminiscent of the English word "school". This word slowly become outdated and by the 1990s the word was no longer used, and changed to ''sekul'' or simply ''skul''. Other notable words such as ''mémblé'' 'ugly, frowning', ''kecé'' 'beautiful, good looking' (from ''keren cekali'' 'very cool'), the sentence attribute ''nih yé'', and the exclamation "''alamakjan!''" all emerged in the same decade.


New Millennium

Much of the slang language created post-2000 originated from the Indonesian
LGBT ' is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. In use since the 1990s, the initialism, as well as some of its common variants, functions as an umbrella term for sexuality and gender identity. The LGBT term ...
community. The latest method for transforming a word is to take a totally different word which differs in its ultima,
rime Rime may refer to: *Rime ice, ice that forms when water droplets in fog freeze to the outer surfaces of objects, such as trees Rime is also an alternative spelling of "rhyme" as a noun: *Syllable rime, term used in the study of phonology in ling ...
, or coda. For example, the word ''mau'' 'want' is replaced with the word ''mawar'' 'rose'. Despite its creativity and originality, this latest form of Indonesian slang can be quite complicated to understand, even to the native Indonesians themselves. For example, "''Akika tinta mawar macarena''" originates from the sentence written in proper Indonesian "''Aku tidak mau makan''", which means 'I don't want to eat'. The abbreviations often used to mask insult, such as ''kamseupay'' 'totally lame', abbreviation of ''kampungan sekali udik payah'' which means 'really bumpkinish, yokel, lame'.


Region specific slang


Medan slang

Medan Medan (; English: ) is the capital and largest city of the Indonesian province of North Sumatra, as well as a regional hub and financial centre of Sumatra. According to the National Development Planning Agency, Medan is one of the four mai ...
is the capital of
North Sumatra North Sumatra ( id, Sumatra Utara) is a province of Indonesia located on the northern part of the island of Sumatra. Its capital and largest city is Medan. North Sumatra is Indonesia's fourth most populous province after West Java, East Java and ...
Province. Most of the slang from Medan are heavily influenced by Malay, Hokkien and Karo language. For example, "bapa" for "father", "nande" for "mother", "kedé" for "shop", "tutup lampu" for "turn off the light", "buka radio" for "turn on the radio". Another example of Medan slang is by adding "punya" at the end of the sentence. For example, "mobil aku punya" for "my car". They also have the tendency to confuse between e and é.


Jambi & Palembang slang

Jambi Jambi is a province of Indonesia. It is located on the east coast of central Sumatra and spans to the Barisan Mountains in the west. Its capital and largest city is Jambi. The province has a land area of 50,160.05 km2, and a sea area of 3 ...
and
Palembang Palembang () is the capital city of the Indonesian province of South Sumatra. The city proper covers on both banks of the Musi River on the eastern lowland of southern Sumatra. It had a population of 1,668,848 at the 2020 Census. Palembang ...
slang mostly involves changing the letter at the end of the word with letter 'o'. However, not all words can be modified to include the characteristic 'o', as this rule applies mostly to words ending with the letter 'a'. Sometimes Palembang use shorter-version of word by erase first syllables, like 'segala' in standard Malay-Indonesian to 'galo'. *''Kito'' - ''kita'' (we) *''Galo'' - ''segala'' (all, every) *''Ngapo'' - ''kenapa'' (why or what happened) *''Jugo'' - ''Juga'' (too) Another characteristic pattern of Jambi and Palembang slang involves the addition or replacement of the final letter of a word with 'k'. *''Pulak'' - ''pula'' (too, also, as well) *''Aek'' - ''air'' (water) Another classic Malay Sumatran dialect also prevailed in most of Sumatran cities, from Palembang to Bengkulu, Jambi and Pekanbaru. These classical Malay words such as ''nian'' is used in Sumatran cities instead of ''sangat'' or ''banget'' (very). *''Nian'' - ''nian'' (classical Malay) - ''sangat'' (standard Indonesian) - ''banget'' (Indonesian slang)


Jakarta slang

Jakarta Jakarta (; , bew, Jakarte), officially the Special Capital Region of Jakarta ( id, Daerah Khusus Ibukota Jakarta) is the capital city, capital and list of Indonesian cities by population, largest city of Indonesia. Lying on the northwest coa ...
including Botabek is the capital city of Indonesia with a population of more than 20 million people. Consequently, such a huge population will undoubtedly have a role in the Jakarta slang evolution. Much of the slang evolved from the Betawi dialect. Some prominent examples: *''Ajé'' (from 'saja') - Only, just, from the Betawi dialect *''Ayé'' - I, me *''Bacot'' - Talk too much. *''Bang'' (from 'abang') - Slang form of address for elder males/ brother. *''Banget'' - Very, from the Betawi dialect *''Bégo'' (from 'bodoh') - Stupid, from the Betawi dialect *''Berapa duit?'' or ''Berapaan?'' - How much money/ how much is the cost? *''Bo'il'' (with a
glottal stop The glottal plosive or stop is a type of consonantal sound used in many spoken languages, produced by obstructing airflow in the vocal tract or, more precisely, the glottis. The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents thi ...
between ''o'' and ''i'') - Car *''Bokap'' - Father *''Nyokap'' - Mother *''Bonyok'' - Mother and Father combined, also a slang which means a bruise. * ''Cabé'' - chili pepper (cabai) * ''Capek'' - Tired (lelah) * ''Kebon - ''Garden (kebun) *''Nyolot'' - Haughty, arrogant. *''Doang'' (from 'saja')- which means only, that's all *''Émangnya kenapa?'' - So what? / What does it matter? *''Gilé!'' (from 'gila')- An exclamation meaning crazy/insane/obscene, as emphasis to a sentence or phrase. *''Gua''/''Gué'' - I, Me, from the Betawi dialect *''Jayus'' (from ''ja''il, ''us''il') - Ignorant and nosy. *''Manyun'' - Someone with protruding lips, usually used to describe when someone is upset. *''Mécing'' - From English word matching which means fitting. *''Busèt'' - A form of expression which is similar to "Oh My God" or "Alas" or "Holy shit!" *''Lu''/''Lo'' - You, from the Betawi dialect * ''Pengen - ''Want (ingin) * ''Kondangan'' - Invitation (undangan), usually a wedding invitation *''Gan''/''Agan'' - Boss, from Sundanese "juragan" *''Gendut'' or ''Gembrot'' - Fat *''Gombal'' - Crazy or, as another term, flirtatious words *''Sinting'' - Insane, a freak person. *''Yo'i'' - Yes, very cool. *''Guga'' - Juga, (also) *''Ngenlay'' - Kangen, although "kangen" is slang for rindu. The following words are taken from Hokkien (Fukkien) Chinese, and commonly used in transactions. *''Gocap'' - IDR 50 *''Cepek'' - IDR 100 *''Gopek'' - IDR 500 *''Seceng'' - IDR 1000 *''Cenggo'' - IDR 1500 *''Goceng'' - IDR 5000 *''Ceban'' - IDR 10.000 *''Goban'' - IDR 50.000 However, many Indonesians of non-Chinese descent do not know the meaning of the transaction words above, probably with the exception of Goceng due to its usage on KFC Indonesia's advertising on their "Goceng" products, in which all "Goceng" menus are sold at the IDR 5000 price range. Sometimes the word "perak", literally "silver", is used to describe small denominations of currency.


Sundanese slang

In the
West Java West Java ( id, Jawa Barat, su, ᮏᮝ ᮊᮥᮜᮧᮔ᮪, romanized ''Jawa Kulon'') is a province of Indonesia on the western part of the island of Java, with its provincial capital in Bandung. West Java is bordered by the province of Banten ...
and
Banten Banten ( id, Banten; Sundanese: , romanized ''Banten'') is the westernmost province on the island of Java, Indonesia. Its capital city is Serang. The province borders West Java and the Special Capital Region of Jakarta on the east, the Ja ...
region, the main place for Sundanese speakers, there are several words or phrases belonging to the slang language. This diversity of slang has its own peculiarities in each region in West Java Province.


Bandung slang

Bandung Bandung ( su, ᮘᮔ᮪ᮓᮥᮀ, Bandung, ; ) is the capital city of the Indonesian province of West Java. It has a population of 2,452,943 within its city limits according to the official estimates as at mid 2021, making it the fourth most ...
is the capital city of
West Java West Java ( id, Jawa Barat, su, ᮏᮝ ᮊᮥᮜᮧᮔ᮪, romanized ''Jawa Kulon'') is a province of Indonesia on the western part of the island of Java, with its provincial capital in Bandung. West Java is bordered by the province of Banten ...
province with a predominantly
Sundanese culture The Sunda or Sundanese ( id, Orang Sunda; su, ᮅᮛᮀ ᮞᮥᮔ᮪ᮓ, Urang Sunda) are an indigenous ethnic group native to the Java, western region of Java island in Indonesia, primarily West Java. They number approximately 42 million and ...
. The
Sundanese language Sundanese (: , ; Sundanese script: ) is a Malayo-Polynesian language spoken by the Sundanese. It has approximately 40 million native speakers in the western third of Java; they represent about 15% of Indonesia's total population. Classific ...
has three levels or forms, namely: high (polite), middle class, and low (impolite). Bandung slang often uses the Low Sundanese pronouns along with the many other Sundanese translations of popular Indonesian. Some examples: *''Uing'' (from ''kuring'') - I/me *''Didieu'' (from ''di dieu'', actually mean 'here') - I/me *''Didinya'' (from ''di dinya'', actually mean 'there') - You *''Euy'' - Sundanese particle in the end of the sentence to express excitement and surprise *''Da'' - Sundanese particle in the end of the sentence to express certainty and emphasizes the meaning, somehow similar to Japanese "desu". *''O'on'' (from Blo'on) or ''Oneng'' (from the name of a slow witted character in Sinetron Bajaj Bajuri) - stupid, dim witted *''Belegug'' - stupid *''Aslina'' - (from word ''asli'' 'real', plus a suffix ''-na'') which is mean 'for real'. *''Jangar -'' headache


Bogor slang

Bogor Bogor ( su, , nl, Buitenzorg) is a city in the West Java province, Indonesia. Located around south of the national capital of Jakarta, Bogor is the 6th largest city in the Jakarta metropolitan area and the 14th overall nationwide.West Java West Java ( id, Jawa Barat, su, ᮏᮝ ᮊᮥᮜᮧᮔ᮪, romanized ''Jawa Kulon'') is a province of Indonesia on the western part of the island of Java, with its provincial capital in Bandung. West Java is bordered by the province of Banten ...
with the former Kingdom of Sunda Padjajaran, Bogor slang is Sundanese with its influence from
Indonesian language Indonesian ( ) is the official and national language of Indonesia. It is a standardized variety of Malay, an Austronesian language that has been used as a lingua franca in the multilingual Indonesian archipelago for centuries. Indonesia ...
and sometimes uses Sundanese with the word pronounced backwards.


Sukabumi slang

Sukabumi , nickname = id, Kota Santri en, City of Learners , image_map = Map of West Java highlighting Sukabumi City.svg , map_caption = Location within West Java , mapsize = , pushpin_map = In ...
slang the language is a non-standard variety of
Sundanese language Sundanese (: , ; Sundanese script: ) is a Malayo-Polynesian language spoken by the Sundanese. It has approximately 40 million native speakers in the western third of Java; they represent about 15% of Indonesia's total population. Classific ...
that is often used in Sukabumi,
West Java West Java ( id, Jawa Barat, su, ᮏᮝ ᮊᮥᮜᮧᮔ᮪, romanized ''Jawa Kulon'') is a province of Indonesia on the western part of the island of Java, with its provincial capital in Bandung. West Java is bordered by the province of Banten ...
in the ''Tipar'' area, because ''Widal'' itself means ''Tipar''. This ''Sani'' or ''Widal'' language can also be called slang or slang in the Sundanese dialect, where the pronunciation of the letters in the consonants changes. For example, the letter G becomes S, J becomes C, and 'ng' becomes 'ny' and so on.


Javanese slang

These slangs are shared across
Central Java Central Java ( id, Jawa Tengah) is a province of Indonesia, located in the middle of the island of Java. Its administrative capital is Semarang. It is bordered by West Java in the west, the Indian Ocean and the Special Region of Yogyakart ...
and
Yogyakarta Yogyakarta (; jv, ꦔꦪꦺꦴꦒꦾꦏꦂꦠ ; pey, Jogjakarta) is the capital city of Special Region of Yogyakarta in Indonesia, in the south-central part of the island of Java. As the only Indonesian royal city still ruled by a monarchy, ...
where Javanese is predominantly spoken. Like Sundanese which are spoken in Bandung, Javanese also has 3 different set of vocabularies, based on the politeness level. Common people usually talk with a mix between low-Javanese, middle-Javanese, and Indonesian. Some non-Javanese residents added their own dialects to the pot, resulting what is called the Central Java slang


Jogjakarta

Jogjakarta slang is also known as ''Basa Walikan'', literally means '' 'Reverse Language'

It is a transformation of Javanese, in which Javanese consonants are switched with one another, as shown below: *ha na ca ra ka ↔ pa dha ja ya nya *da ta sa wa la ↔ ma ga ba tha nga With the above rules, the expletive expression ''Matamu!'' (which literally means: 'Your Eyes!') becomes ''Dagadu!''. The following website automatically performs this transformation
Walikan Translator


Malang

Malang slang is inverted alphabetical word (mostly from Javanese and little bit from Indonesian). Commonly known in Javanese as Boso Walikan Malang (Reversed: Osob Kiwalan Ngalam. Meaning: Malang's Reversed language). The slang started appearing sometime in 1949 when the people at
Malang Malang (; ) is a landlocked city in the Indonesian province of East Java. It has a history dating back to the age of Singhasari Kingdom. It is the second most populous city in the province, with a population of 820,043 at the 2010 Census and ...
's Gerilya Rakyat Kota (GRK meaning City People's
Guerilla Guerrilla warfare is a form of irregular warfare in which small groups of combatants, such as paramilitary personnel, armed civilians, or irregulars, use military tactics including ambushes, sabotage, raids, petty warfare, hit-and-run ...
) needed a form of communication method that is unknown to the occupying Dutch intelligence (Both to the Dutchman, and the recruited natives) while maintaining typical daily conversation. Thus, the idea to reverse Javanese and Indonesian words was born. The goal of the creation of the language is to maintain plan secrecy, prevent leakage of information, and to confuse the enemy.In Indonesian: https://www.goodnewsfromindonesia.id/2019/02/23/boso-walikan-malang-dan-sejarah-panjang-para-pejuang At First, the language was only known amongst the guerillas. Further adding the language's purpose as an identifier whether that person is a friend or foe. But after the Dutch retreated from the city, the language remained and becoming more widespread amongst the people of Malang and its surroundings. In recent years, the technique of reversing words has become more popular nationwide and played a role in creating modern Indonesian slang. Words such as ''Ngab'' (From: Abang meaning 'Older Brother'), ''Sabi'' (From: Bisa meaning 'Be able to..' or 'Can') or ''Kuy'' (From: Yuk meaning 'Let's go') owes credit to Malang's Reversed Language. ''Examples'': ''Sam'' = Mas (Older brother. Javanese version of 'Abang' or 'Bang') ''Ongis Nade''= ''Singo Edan'' (the nickname of
Arema Cronus F.C. Arema Football Club is an Indonesian professional association football, football club based in Malang Regency, Malang, East Java. The club competes in the Liga 1 (Indonesia), Liga 1, the top flight of Football in Indonesia, Indonesian Footba ...
) ''Helum''= Muleh (Go home) ''Ublem''= Mlebu (Enter) ''Utem''= Metu (Exit) ''Ojob''= Bojo (Husband/Wife) ''Oges''= Sego (
Rice Rice is the seed of the grass species '' Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice) or less commonly ''Oryza glaberrima'' (African rice). The name wild rice is usually used for species of the genera '' Zizania'' and '' Porteresia'', both wild and domesticat ...
) ''Rajajowas''= Sawojajar (an area in Malang) ''Oyoborus''= Suroboyo ''Ngalam''=
Malang Malang (; ) is a landlocked city in the Indonesian province of East Java. It has a history dating back to the age of Singhasari Kingdom. It is the second most populous city in the province, with a population of 820,043 at the 2010 Census and ...
''Kera Ngalam''= Arek Malang (lit. The kid of Malang. Referring to The People of Malang) ''Libom''= Mobil (Car) ''Nawak Ewed'' = Kawan Dewe (Your own Friend/s) ''Silup''= Pulis (
Police The police are a Law enforcement organization, constituted body of Law enforcement officer, persons empowered by a State (polity), state, with the aim to law enforcement, enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citize ...
(Although the Javanese word for police is the same as in Indonesian, ''Polisi''. they altered the word slightly to make it less obvious))


Surabaya

As the second largest city in Indonesia and the capital of
East Java East Java ( id, Jawa Timur) is a province of Indonesia located in the easternmost hemisphere of Java island. It has a land border only with the province of Central Java to the west; the Java Sea and the Indian Ocean border its northern and ...
,
Surabaya Surabaya ( jv, ꦱꦸꦫꦧꦪ or jv, ꦯꦹꦫꦨꦪ; ; ) is the capital city of the Indonesian province of East Java and the second-largest city in Indonesia, after Jakarta. Located on the northeastern border of Java island, on the M ...
uses a rougher dialect of Javanese and has a fairly complete list of its own slang. Javanese language originated from the Central Javanese farmland and by the time it reached the coastal area of East Java, it changed from its original polite form into a more impolite version with the creation or further adaptation of many new 'Javanese-style' words and swearwords. One of the most notable Surabaya slang is the word Jancok.


Pontianak slang

Pontianak Pontianak or Khuntien is the capital of the Indonesian province of West Kalimantan, founded first as a trading port on the island of Borneo, occupying an area of 118.31 km2 in the delta of the Kapuas River at a point where it is joined ...
slang is influenced by Malay, Teochew and Dayak and sometimes combined with
Hakka The Hakka (), sometimes also referred to as Hakka Han, or Hakka Chinese, or Hakkas are a Han Chinese subgroup whose ancestral homes are chiefly in the Hakka-speaking provincial areas of Guangdong, Fujian, Jiangxi, Guangxi, Sichuan, Hunan, Zhej ...
. It is spoken in the Malay dialect. These slang varieties are spoken throughout
West Kalimantan West Kalimantan ( id, Kalimantan Barat) is a province of Indonesia. It is one of five Indonesian provinces comprising Kalimantan, the Indonesian part of the island of Borneo. Its capital city is Pontianak. The province has an area of 147,307&nbs ...
.


Makassarese slang

Makassarese slang is highly influenced by the native Makassarese dialect and sometimes combined with Chinese accents. The slang, in the end, sounds more informal and 'rude', as going with the tough image of Makassarese people. The possessive word for ''you'' (''kamu'') has three degrees of politeness: ''-ta'' (very formal and respectful), ''-mu'' (neutral), and ''-nu'' (informal). For example: *''This book belongs to you'' → Buku ini punya''-ta'' (the - reads as a glottal stop, which makes it punya'ta. In Makassarese dialect, the apostrophe is sometimes added in written form). Buku ini punya'mu is deemed more neutral, while ''Buku ini punya'nu'' is only spoken with very close friends. Meanwhile, the word for ''you'' itself is divided into two, the formal ''ki'' and the informal ''ko''. *'Di mana ''maki'' (Where are you now) as opposed to informal 'Di mana ''moko''. The ''-ma'' and ''-mo'' derives from the ''-mi'' which is often added in the end of words, having various meanings. It is hard to determine when to use ''mi'' or not, except to learn it by heart. Ini ''mi''? -> 'This one?' Biarkan ''mi'' -> 'Let it go' Ko sudah belajar ''mi''? -> 'Have you studied?'. ''Ko'' derives from the informal Indonesian word ''Kau'', which stands for 'you'. Sudah dimulai''mi'' itu ulangan? -> 'Has the exam started?', literally, 'Has-been started-the exam?' ''Ji'' is also often used in the end of words. Most often, it means 'only', or used to give a more assuring tone to a sentence. * Sedikit ''ji'' -> 'It's only a little' * Tidak apa-apa ''ji'' -> 'It's okay' * Tidak susah ''ji'' soalnya -> 'The problem isn't difficult.' ''Di'' functions more like a question tag, read with a glottal stop at the end, which makes it to be 'dik' *Tidak susah ''ji'' ''di''?? -> It's not difficult, right? Aside from that, Makassarese more often speak with a heavier accent, mixing many of the Indonesian words with native Makassar words. *''Tena ku isseng'i apa maksudnya'' (or even more complicated ''Tena ku isseng'i apa massu'na '') -> Literally, "No I understand what its meaning", actually meaning, "I don't understand what it means". In places, Makassarese slangs add ''-i'' at the end of words, putting a glottal stop before that. Furthermore, the words tend to be shortened considerably, which makes ''-nya'' read as ''-na'' and words ending with ''-d'' or ''-t'' gets its ending replaced with glottal stops. ''Menyusut'' (shrinking) becomes ''menyusuk'', and vice versa. Native Makassar people usually reads ''becak'' (pedicab) as ''becat''.


See also

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Language families and languages A language family is a group of languages related through descent from a common ''ancestral language'' or ''parental language'', called the proto-language of that family. The term "family" reflects the tree model of language origination in his ...
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Demographics of Indonesia The population of Indonesia was 270.20 million according to the 2020 national census, an increase from 237.64 in 2010. Indonesia is the fourth most populous country in the world. Approximately 55% of Indonesia's population resides on Java, ...
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British slang British slang is English-language slang originating from and used in the United Kingdom and also used to a limited extent in Anglophone countries such as Ireland, South Africa, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand, especially by British expat ...
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Cant (language) A cant is the jargon or language of a group, often employed to exclude or mislead people outside the group.McArthur, T. (ed.) ''The Oxford Companion to the English Language'' (1992) Oxford University Press It may also be called a cryptolect, arg ...
, a variety of French using slang words, similar to Indonesian slang. *
Alay (or ''4L4Y'', ', ''Anak Jablay'' or ', ) is an Indonesian pop culture phenomenon.Kasali, Rhenald. 2011. ''Cracking Zone''. Jakarta: Gramedia. Hal. 71. It is a stereotype describing something "tacky" (') and/or "cheesy" ('). The Alay culture phe ...


References

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Harimurti Kridalaksana Harimurti Kridalaksana (December 23, 1939 in Ungaran – July 11, 2022) was an Indonesian linguist. He has authored dictionaries and other publications in the field of Indonesian linguistics. In 1963, he graduated from the University of Indonesia, ...
(2008). Kamus Linguistik (4 ed.). Jakarta: Gramedia Pustaka Utama. .


External links

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Indonesian Slang Online Dictionary
with user-contributed definitions

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Pusatbahasa: Bahasa prokem
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Kitab Gaul
- Kamus bahasa gaul Indonesia, cari dan temukan arti kata-kata gaul terkini

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Slang Particles in Indonesian Language
Slang language, Indonesian Slang by language