Sih

Meaning: ‘sih’ has a range of subtle meanings such as why, how come, actually, because, but,
however
Application: Sometimes it’s pronounced ‘si’. Its general function is to smooth the flow of
conversation. The addition of “sih” after a word or a sentence many times is used to emphasize
or accentuate curiosity, uncertainty, anger, annoyance, confusion, amazement, surprise even
disbelief.

Mahal amat sih sepatunya.

Why the shoes is so expensive?
Bagus sih bagus cuma nggak cocok.
It’s actually good but it doesn’t suit (you/him/her).
Ada apa sih? Kok rame banget?
What’s really happening? Why is it so crowded?
Ngapain sih/
What are you really doing?
Denger denger sih dia baru beli TV baru.
Rumor has it he just bought a new TV.
Anak ini pinter soalnya orang tuanya guru
This kid is clever because his parents are teachers.
sih.
Why that person is so hostile?
Galak amat sih tuh orang?
How could you, it’s already noon and you’re still
Gimana sih, udah siang belom bangun
asleep?
juga.

 I wonder ... (sometimes need answer, sometimes not)

Tadi Pak Adi ngomong apa sih? = I wonder what Pak Adi said just now.
Berapa sih harganya? = I wonder how much the price is.

 expressing annoyance

Sebetulnya kamu lagi apa sih? = What are you EXACTLY doing?
Kenapa sih selalu telat? = Why are you always late?

 Because

Kamu sih datangnya lama, jadi semua telat = Because you came up late, everybody
become late.
Aku sedih, kamu jahat sih = I'm sad, because you are evil.

 selecting something different than the others

Karyawan di sana bodo-bodo yah? ~ Adi sih pinter, ... = All staffs there are stupid, aren't
they? ~ (All are stupid, except) Adi (which is) smart.

 But (sometimes the sentence stops there)

Semua soal bisa? ~ Bisa sih, cuma ada 1 yang ga = Did you successfully do all the
 questions? Yes I did, but there is one that I didn't.
Bisa main gitar? Bisa sih... = Can you play guitar? I can, but...

To be honnest I find this one to be the hardest one to use right because it has so many potential
meanings. Also don’t confuse the particle sih with si that you can translate by the (si cowok : the
guy).

Sih is very common within a question. It tends to make it sound like the request is smoother.
When you ask a personal question about someone, you very often use the sih particle

 Bulan ini, tanggal berapa sih yang kamu paling tunggu, kenapa ? [Month this, date how
many “sih” which you most wait, why ?] : This month, any special day you are waiting
for ? Why ?

Sih can also express an idea of uncertainty, especially when quoting someone else :

 Biasanya sih gitu : [Usually “sih” like that] : That usually what happens
 Dengar dengar sih dia selingkuh pacarnya [Hear hear “sih” he/she cheat girl/boyfriend
his/her] : The rumor say {he} cheated on {his} girlfriend
 Kayaknya sih [I think “sih”] : I think so yeah {but I’m not 100% sure}

Sih also conveys an idea of resentment or puzzlement. It is often used to make sarcasm or to
reply to a remark you didn’t like. Like always, the tone is key to understand the idea :

 Apaan sih : What the hell ?

 Ada apa sih : What is going on ? {Depending on how you pronounce it it can imply a
feeling of confusion or anger}
 Gimana sih [How “sih”] : common idiom, depending on the tone can mean How +
feeling of confusion or how come / what the hell
 Bisnya sih selalu terlambat [Bus this “sih” always late] : This bus is always late {it’s
pissing me off}
 Loh, pelit banget sih lo [Wow, stingy very “sih” you] : It’s amazing how stingy you are
(Jakarta slang)

Sih can also have the meaning of “as for” :

 Saya sih yakin kalau makan itu jadi sakit [I “sih” sure if eat that become ill] : As for me,
I’m sure that {you} will get sick if {you} eat that

Eventually sih can be used, like almost all the previous particles, to put the emphasis on
something. On top of that sih can introduce a notion of causality.

 Kamu sih, kita jadi ketinggalan pesawat [You “sih”, we become be left behind plane] :
Because of you, we eventually missed our flight
 Lucu banget sih lagunya [Cute very “sih” song this] : This song is sooo cute
Nah

Meaning: well, now then, so

Application: It occurs before a statement and it can be used to introduce a new topic. Or it can
occur during the continuation of a topic to draw the listener’s attention.

Nah sekarang gue mau nanya, kenapa

Now I want to ask, why was he angry?
dia marah?
That was when I was in Jakarta, then when I was in
Itu waktu gue di Jakarta, nah waktu gue
Bandung it was different again.
di Bandung lain lagi.
Well! What did I say ..
Nah! Apa gue bilang …

This one is quite easy, it is either a way to introduce a new topic or to draw the listener’s
attention. Hence you can usually translate it by then or well.

 Nah aku bilang juga apa, lebih baik pergi kemarin [“Nah” I say also what, more good go
yesterday] : Well, what did I say ? Better go yesterday

Nih and Tuh

tuh

 See that! (I don't want to do anything about it from now)

Makan tuh kuenya = Eat the cake (I don't want to eat anymore)
Kamu tuh kerjanya tidur melulu = All you do is sleeping (I'm annoyed)

nih

 comes from "ini" meaning "this", indicating something related to here / current
time

Cape nih = I'm tired (now)

Besok aja bikin kalimatnya, lagi sibuk nih = How if we make the sentences tomorrow,
since I'm busy (now)

 Are you really ... ?

Udah mau pergi nih? = Are you really going now?

  emphasizes the subject

Adi nih yang masak = The one who cooks is Adi, you know?

Meaning: this, these and that, those

Synonym: In formal Indonesian they are demonstratives pronouns ‘ini’ and ‘itu’
Application: Sometimes it’s pronounced ‘ni’ and ‘tu’.
It occurs:

1. before or after the noun;

2. with pronouns as intensifiers, giving emphasis;
3. in some cases after formal Indonesian demonstratives pronouns(ini and itu);
4. after a verbal or adjective predicate to give it a stress.

Dessy tuh sensasi banget deh. That Dessy is so sensational.

Ngerokok tuh nggak bagus. Smoking is definitely not good.
Dia tuh anak baru. He is a new kid.
Apa nih? Apa tuh? What’s this? What’s that?
Aku nggak tau kalo itu tuh bapaknya. I didn’t know that he is his father.
Maksudnya seperti ini nih. This is what I mean.
Anak-anak ini tuh suka males.** These kids are sometimes lazy.

Nih and Tuh

They are actually ini and itu with modified spelling. Most of the time they take a different
meaning that the original word (ini and itu).

Nih and tuh are very often used in combination with other particles and are a way to add more
emphasis.

 Fakta nih [Fact “nih”] : This is a fact

With a decreasing tone, it can convey an idea of annoyance

 Aku ga pergi ke sekolah tinggi, ga bisa dapat perkerjaan yang bagus nih [I no go to school high,
no can get job which good “nih”] : I don’t have any higher education, so I cannot get a corporate
job …
 Ntar aku tidur terlalu malam dan bangun pagi pagi nih [Later I sleep too much night and wake up
morning morning “nih”] : Later I’m going to go to sleep too late and wake up early {and I’m tired
and not happy about this}.
** ‘Ini’ gives immediacy – these are the kids being talked about – while ‘tuh’ gives distance
– they are not now present but have been mentioned previously.

Deh

The main purpose of deh is to express that you do / choose / accept something because there
you have no choice : you might be forced, or there is simply no available alternative (and you
wish there was one).

When using deh with a request or a command you are trying to create this feeling in the listener’s
mind, that this is the way it is.

This idea of pushing someone (or being pushed) is reflected into the pronunciation of the whole
sentence and the deh particle.

 Aku ke dokter aja deh [I to doctor just “no other choice”] : I will just go to the doctor then {I try
to rest, to medicate myself but it isn’t working and I have to go to work}
 Ikut deh [Join “deh”] : You’re coming with {us}
 Ya udah deh, aku akan pindah ke sana [Yes already “deh”, I will change to there] : Allright
allright, I will move there {I wish I could do otherwise but I accept the decision}

Giving an order with deh doesn’t have to be associated with an aggressive tone. You can
pronounce like you were begging the listener.

 Datang deh [Come “deh”] : Please come {I’m almost begging you so you have to come}

Deh can also be used to convey feelings associated to being forced to do something :
annoyance for instance.

 Berisik deh ! [Noisy “deh”] : It’s noisy {and I don’t like it}
 Ga tau deh ! [No know “deh”] : I don’t know {replied to someone who keep asking you the same
question, imply “leave me alone you’re bothering me”}

When pronounced neutrally, deh is a way to express the idea that this is the way it is : hence that
you’re telling the truth.

 Jangan percaya deh [Do no trust “deh”] : Don’t trust {people}, I’m telling you
 Bangga banget deh sama atlet-atlet Indonesia di SEA Games 2017! [Proud very “deh” with athlet
athlet Indonesia at SEA Games 2017 !] : So proud of Indonesian athlets for SEA Games 2017 !
 Indonesia emang paling jago deh kalo masalah kuliner nasi-nasian! [Indonesia indeed most
skillful “deh” if problem culinary rice stuff !] : Indonesia is indeed the best expert when it comes
to cooking rice !

Deh has also the function of showing that you changed or made up your mind :
  Malamnya kita ketemu di Kuningan. Eh ! Bukan deh ! Gwe salah ! Di SCBD aja iya ? [Night this
we meet at Kuningan. Eh ! No “deh” ! I wrong ! At SCBD just yes ?] : Tonight we meet in
Kuningan. Eh ! No no no ! I’m wrong ! In SCBD ok ?
  How about ...

Coba dulu deh = How about trying it first?

Lanjutin besok lagi deh = How about continuing it tommorow?

  I think ... / I decide ...

Mau yang mana? ~ Yang biru deh = Which one do you want? ~ I think I'll choose the
blue one.
Aku pergi deh = I think I'm going now / Better if I go

Deh

Meaning: I am telling you; that’s certainly the case; why don’t you; do it!; don’t do it!
Application:

1. Particle ‘deh’ occurs with statements as an emphatic particle urging the listener to believe what
is being said: ‘I am telling you; that’s certainly the case’.
2. It frequently follows adjective predicates, emphasizing the quality.
3. In an imperative structure ‘deh’ strongly urges the listener to do something: ‘why don’t you; do
it!’. or with a negative ‘don’t do it!’.
4. “Déh” can also be used in different context and can have different meanings such as to show
that you don’t mind or to agree on things because you have no choice.

Nggak tau deh. I don’t know, I tell you.

Gue udah bilang berkali-kali deh. I’ve told you many times, haven’t I.
Pasti gendut deh anaknya. His kid must be fat.
Jangan pacaran lama-lama deh. Don’t have a long term relationship.
Gue minum Coca Cola aja deh. I drink Coca-Cola then(because there’s not many choices).
Film itu bagus sekali, nonton deh. That movie is good, I suggest you watch it.

Kok

Another very common particle. The meaning depends on its position in the sentence :

 At the beginning of a sentence, it can be a colloquial alternative to kenapa (why), but it comes
with a feeling of not really pleasing surprise, so it can be translated also by how come :
o Kok ga ada namamu di pintu ? [Why not have name you at door ?] : Why your name
isn’t on the door ?
o Kok mobilku parkir di sana ? [How come car I parked at there ?] : How come my car is
parked over there ?
o Kok kamu tau ? [How come you know] : How come you know ?
  Elsewhere in the sentence it is more generally a way to emphasise your point. You could
translate it as something close to “you know“. Quite often it comes with an idea of refuting
what the other person said before
o Maaf iya, bahasaku belum sempurna [Sorry yeah, language I not yet perfect] : Sorry
yeah, my Indonesian is not yet perfect
o Answer : Tidak apa apa. Bahasamu sudah bagus kok [No what what. Language you
already good “kok”] : No problem. Your Indonesia is already good, you know
o Mahal, ga ? [Expensive, no ?] : Is it expensive or not ?
o Answer : Ga mahal kok [No expensive “kok”] : It’s not expensive, I tell you
o Kamu mau ga pergi besok ? [You want not got tomorrow ?] : Do you want to go
tomorrow or not ?
o Answer : Aku mau kok ikut kalian pergi besok [I want “kok” join you go tomorrow] : I do
want to join you guys tomorrow
 Kok
 Meaning: If it is placed before a statement it means ‘how could that be?; how come?’. If
it follows a statement it asserts emphatically that the statement is true which means ‘I am
telling you; this is so; you know’.
Application: Same like ‘kek’, the final ‘k’ is pronounced as a glottal stop, never as a ‘k’.

Kok mati lampunya? How come the light is off?

Kok gue lupa ya namanya? How could I possibly forget her name?
Gue nggak mau ikut kok. I don’t want to join in, I tell you.
Gampang kok. It’s easy, you know.
Dia ngaku kok. She admit it, I tell you.

 Why (asking) / I wonder why (just expresses wonder)

Ko kamu telat? = Why are you late?

Ko bisa dia dipukul papanya, aneh = I wonder why he is attacked by his father, it's
strange.

 Actually ... (denying assumption)

Makan di sana enak ga? Aku ga pernah ke sana ko = Is it nice to eat there? Actually I
haven't been there (I don't know)
Tiap hari aku tidur 8 jam, lama yah ~ Aku juga ko = I sleep 8 hours every day, it's long
isn't it? ~ Actually me too (I think that's not too long)

Dong

‘Dong’ occurs:

1. in statements to give strong emphasis, with a suggestion that the listener should already know
that what is said is the case;
2. to express a praise as well as accentuate impatience, pride or disappointments;
3. in imperatives, making them more emphatic, to refine an injunction/instruction sentence, to
persuade, to politely ask;
 4. following the statement or command;
5. as an insertion within the proposition.

‘Dong’ is never placed in the beginning of the sentence. Generally it is placed after the word,
the phrase or the sentence that needs to be emphasize.

Lebih dong. Get me more please or Of course it’s more.

Enggak dong. Of course not.
Jangan begitu dong. Please don’t be like that.
Bilang dong ‘terima kasih. You should say ‘thank you’.

 indeed / of course / You should have known that ...

Kamu dapet kue gratis juga? Dapet dong = Did you get the free cake? Of course I got it.
Suka yang mana? (choosing a girl) ~ Yang itu dong = Which one do you like? ~ Of
course him/her (I think you think the same too)

 soften a prohibition or command

Jangan keras-keras dong (lagunya) = Don't set it so loud please (the music)
Eh, kertasnya masukin semua dong = Hey, please insert all the paper!

Loh

Also written lho (original spelling in Javanese), it either conveys an idea of surprise (especially
if placed at the beginning of a sentence), either an emphasis or an idea similar to “you know“.

 Loh, dia dipecat ? [What, he “passive”-sack”] : What ? He got fired ?

 Bagus loh ceritanya [Bagus “emphasis” story the] : The story is really good
 Hari ini ulang tahun Ibu loh ! [Day this repeat year Mum “you know” !] : Gosh, today is Mom’s
birthday !
 Aku cuman pesan dua loh [I just order two “you know”] : I only ordered two, ok ? {Possible
answer to someone telling you that you ordered a lot and you are a little bit annoyed}

Loh is often combined with kok.

 Loh restaurantnya kok tutup ? [“Loh” restaurant the “kok” close ?] : What ? How come the
restaurant is closed ?
 expressing surprise after hearing something

Loh, katanya ga mau ikut? ~ Pikir-pikir pengen juga = What? Didn't you say that you
didn't want to join us? ~ After thinking, I became more interested.
Aku bolos aja deh ~ Loh, kenapa? = I think I will skip (the lecture) (for now) ~ What?!
Why is it?
  You know? / I'll let you know that ...

Ikut dong, Adi aja ikut loh = Please join us, even Adi joined us, you know?
Jangan main api, nanti kebakar loh = Don't play with fire, you may be burned, you know?

 asserting / making sure

Datang loh ke ultah Adi! = Don't forget to come to Adi's birthday party.
Ingat loh pesan saya! = Make sure you remember my advice.
 Meaning and Application : The word ‘loh’ derives from Javanese ‘lho’. Before a
statement it is an expression of surprise at what has been said. Occurring after a word it is
emphasizes the word and asserts that it is true, it implies the meaning of ” .. you know”.
Synonym: Many times it’s written ‘lho’ in Indonesian publications.

Lho! kenapa belum dikerjain?

What? Why haven’t you done this?
Tinggal di Indonesia ternyata enak
It’s good to live in Indonesia(you know).
lho.
There is a 9 AM meeting tomorrow, (make sure that) you
Besok ada rapat jam 9 pagi. Jangan
don’t forget!
lupa lho!
Ah! I love living in Bandung.
Gue seneng lho tinggal di Bandung.
I want you to know that I will decline if anybody ask me
Gue nggak mau lho kalo disuruh
to sing.
nyanyi.

Lah

Lah essentialy means that “this is the right thing to do“. It can be pronounced either nicely or
in a more annoyed way.

Let’s say you pronounced lah in a gentle, enthusiast way (usually increasing tone) :

 Bego lah [Silly “lah”] : Silly you {you’re acting like an idiot but it’s okay, I like it / I think it’s funny}
 Makan lah [Eat “lah”] : Just eat {it’s the right thing to do, stop waiting for me and eat}
 Beli yang merah lah [Buy which red “lah”] : Buy the red one, trust me {it’s the best one}

Let’s say you pronounce it in a more annoyed way (decreasing tone) :

 Pergi lah [Go “lah”] : You better go away

 Lebih bagus naik ojek, ada macet di sini [More good go up ojek, have traffic jam at here] : Better
ride a motorbike taxi, there is a traffic jam here
 Answer : Pake ojek lah [Use ojek “lah”] : Allright, I’ll use an ojek {I know it’s the best thing to do
because there is traffic, but I still don’t like the idea}

The difference between the last answer and “Pake ojek deh” is that the later one implies that
there was no other choice available (no taxi, no bus, no car …) while the lah version implies that
you know it’s the best thing to do (but you could still take your car and get stuck).
Kan

The kan particle is often used in informal Indonesian, most of the time you can translate it by right. You
are asking for the other people agreement or confirmation.

 Kamu temenin aku kan ? [You accompany me right ?] : You will accompany me, right ?
 Bagus kan kacamataku ? [Good right glasses I ?] : My sunglasses are good right ?

It can also means that you are reminding something to the listener or you are putting the
emphasis on something. From my experience kan is a rather neutral particle.

 Kan, masih butuh 2 juta lagi [See still need 2 million] : See, you still need 2 more million
 Tuh kan [That see] : See, I told you {tuh is an equivalent of itu}
 Saya lagi di kantor kan, harus selasai siapkan semua untuk besok [I “happening right now” at
office “you know” must finish prepare all for tomorrow] : I’m at the office, I told you I have to
finish preparing everything for tomorrow
 Isn't it (question tag to assert)

Dia yang namanya Adi kan? = He is the one called Adi, right?
Bagus kan? = Good, isn't it?

 Didn't you remember that ...

Hah, dia mau datang? ~ Kan mu yang bilang, masa lupa? = Heh, he is coming? ~ Wasn't
it you who said it to me, how can you forget?

 Because

Kenapa ga masukin kulkas aja? ~ Mana cukup, kan kulkasnya kecil = Why don't you put
it in the fridge? ~ It's not enough, because the fridge is small.

Meaning: as a tag similar to ‘right?’, isn’t it?, you know

Synonym: a tag ‘bukan?’ in formal Indonesian
Application: ‘Kan’ is extremely common and the most frequently used in Colloquial Indonesian.
It is used:

1. to request agreement with what is said or to request verification;

2. to remind listeners of a piece of shared knowledge;
3. to show solidarity.
4. to emphasize;

Dia udah cerai kan? He is divorced, isn’t he?

Anak baru yang elu ceritain itu si Nina kan? The new girl you told me, it’s Nina, isn’t it?
Elu ngerti kan maksud gue? You understand, don’t you, what I mean?
Gue jarang ketemu Santi. Dia kan di lantai I rarely see Santi. She’s on the second floor, while
dua, gue di lantai satu. I’m on the first floor.
Kek

The final ‘k’ is pronounced as a glottal stop, never as a ‘k’. It indicates that either of two
possibilities is acceptable. There is also possibility where only one or more than two possibilities
are mentioned.
Example:
Mau dateng kek, mau nggak kek, gue nggak peduli.
Whether he come or she doesn’t come, I don’t care.

 Mah
 Meaning: The word ‘mah’ derives from Sundanese. It is not frequently used. It acts to
mildly stress or emphasize a word or statement.
Synonym: sih

Gue sih/mah nggak mau kalo disuruh nyanyi. I will decline if anybody ask me to sing.
Kalo dipikir pikir mah/sih harganya murah Come to think of it the price is actually
sebenernya. cheap.

Yuk

 Meaning: come on, let’s go

Synonym: ayo, mari(in formal Indonesian)
Application: It urges the listener to do something together with the speaker.

Makan yuk! Let’s eat!

Yuk! Come on!