Indonesian consonants are pronounced similarly to their counterparts in many other languages. Here is a guide to the pronunciation of the most common consonants in Indonesian using IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) symbols. Here is a chart with sounds for each IPA symbol.
The letter B is pronounced as /b/, similar to the “b” in “bat”.
Example: buku (book) – pronounced as /ˈbuku/
buku ‘book’
bibi ‘aunt’
⚠ Please note that /b/ in final position occurs in only a few words and is then always pronounced as /p/. For example, the word lembab is pronounced /lǝmˈbap¬/ (where ¬ indicates that the preceding plosive, in this case the /p/ sound, is unaspirated, meaning no puff of air is released). However, when a suffix such as -an is added, the “b” retains its original pronunciation as /b/, as in kelembaban /kǝlǝmbaˈban/ ‘moisture’.
lembab ‘moist’
The letter C is pronounced as /tʃ/, similar to the “ch” in English “chess”, the “tj” in Dutch “beetje”, the “ci” as in Italian “ciao”, or the “tsch” as in German “tschüss”.
Example: cinta (love) – pronounced as /ˈtʃinta/
cepat ‘quick’
cocok ‘suitable, apporiate’
The letter “c” never appears at the end of a word.
⚠ The Indonesian letter “c” is never pronounced as the “c” in “can” or “cent”
The letter D is pronounced as /d/, similar to the “d” in “dog”.
Example: dunia (world) – pronounced as /ˈdunia/
dada ‘chest’
⚠ Please note that /d/ in final position only occurs in a few foreign loan words, and is then pronounced /t/. So the word abad ‘century’ is pronounced /abat/. However, if a suffix such as -i is attached, then the “d” is pronounced /d/: abadi /aˈbadi/ ‘eternal’.
The letter G is pronounced as /ɡ/, similar to the “g” in “go”.
Example: gajah (elephant) – pronounced as /ˈɡadʒah/.
gula ‘sugar’
pagi ‘morning’
The letter “g” never appears at the end of a word or syllable.
⚠ The Indonesian letter “g” is never pronounced as the “g” in “giant” or “gym”!
The letter H is pronounced as /h/, similar to the “h” in “hat”.
Example: hari (day) – pronounced as /ˈhari/
hari ‘day’
tahun ‘year’
buah ‘fruit’
The letter J is pronounced as /dʒ/, similar to the “j” in “jam”.
Example: jalan (road) – pronounced as /ˈdʒalan/
jalan ‘street’
janji ‘promise’
The letter “j” never appears at the end of a word or syllable.
The letter K is pronounced as /k/, similar to the “k” in “kite”.
Example: kucing (cat) – pronounced as /ˈkutʃiŋ/
kaki ‘foot, leg’
The letter “k” in final position is pronounced as the glottal stop.
enak ‘tasty, delicious’
kakak ‘elder sibling’
The letter L is pronounced as /l/, similar to the “l” in “lamp”.
Example: laut (sea) – pronounced as /ˈlaut¬/
laut ‘sea, ocean’
lalu ‘then, after that’
pukul ‘hit’
The letter M is pronounced as /m/, similar to the “m” in “man”.
Example: makan (eat) – pronounced as /ˈmakan/
malam ‘night’
kembali ‘return’
The letter N is pronounced as /n/, similar to the “n” in “not”.
Example: nama (name) – pronounced as /ˈnama/
naik ‘ascend, go up, ride’
kentang ‘potatoe’
bikin ‘to make’
The combination Ng is pronounced as /ŋ/, similar to the “ng” in “sing”.
Example: naga (dragon) – pronounced as /ˈnaɡa/
In the next lesson we will cover the “ng” in detail.
The combination Ny is pronounced as /ɲ/, similar to the “ny” in “canyon” or “gn” in Italian “campagna”.
Example: nyanyi (sing) – pronounced as /ˈɲaɲi/
nyanyi ‘sing’
The letter P is pronounced as /p/, similar to the “p” in “pat”. In final position, it is often unreleased.
Example: pintu (door)—pronounced as /ˈpintu/
penuh ‘full’
⚠ Note that /p/ in final position is NEVER aspirated. There is no puff of air released as in the English word “tap”.
atap ‘roof’
The letter R is pronounced as a rolled or trilled /r/, similar to the “r” in Spanish or Italian. Typically, native speakers of English have difficulties forming a rolled /r/, and many think that it is impossible for them. No, it’s not. Simply follow this guide.
Example: rumah (house) – pronounced as /ˈrumah/
rumah ‘house’
pagar ‘fence’
The letter S is pronounced as /s/, similar to the “s” in “see”, “s” in Italian or Spanish “casa”, or “ss” as in German “essen”.
Example: sekolah (school) – pronounced as /səˈkolah/
susu ‘milk, female breast’
pedas ‘spicy hot’
The letter T is pronounced as /t/, similar to the “t” in “top”. It is a dental sound, pronounced with the tongue against the upper teeth.
Example: tangan (hand) – pronounced as /ˈtaŋan/, and empat (school) – pronounced as /əmˈpat¬/
tangan ‘hand, arm’
⚠ Please note that /t/ in final position is NEVER aspirated. There is no puff of air released as in “sit”.
adat ‘custom, tradition’
empat ‘four’
The letter W is pronounced as /w/, similar to the “w” in “water”. Speakers of Italian and German, please note that Indonesian “w” is not pronounced like “w” in German “Wein”, and also not as the “v” in Italian “viva”. Both German and Italian do not have the /w/ sound.
Example: waktu (time) – pronounced as /ˈwaktu/.
waktu ‘time, when’
wartawan ‘journalist’
The letter Y is pronounced as /j/, similar to the “y” in “yes”, or “j” in German “jeder”.
Example: yang (which) – pronounced as /jaŋ/
yang ‘which’
kayu ‘wood’