The proper Pronunciation of ke

Be careful to pronounce ke correctly. It is not pronounced like English “key” or “kay”. It sounds a bit like the first syllable in the English word “kebab”.

You and Bu

Notice that in the above dialogue some sentences have no word for “you” (Anda):

Mau ke mana, Bu?
Where are (you) heading for, Ma’am?

Ellipsis of subject frequently occurs, especially in colloquial Indonesian. A subject can be omitted if it is clear from context, such as “you” in the above example.

Notice also how Bu is used. Bu can be a title, often equivalent to the English “Mrs”, although Bu can apply to unmarried women as well, especially if they are past their mid-twenties in age. It can even apply to younger unmarried women if they are regarded as having high status (like a school teacher, for example). When Bu is used as a title, it is usually followed by the name of the person concerned (as is the case with the English “Mrs”). Eh, Bu Adam. Mau ke mana? = “Well, Mrs Adam! Where are you going?”

Bu can also be a formal or semi-formal term of address when you are talking to any older or mature woman. In this case it means something like the (now rarely heard) English “ma’am” or “madam”. Selamat pagi, Bu. Dari mana? = “Good morning, ma’am. Where have you just been?”

Pak is also used like Bu as a title and term of address. As a title it is roughly equivalent to the English “Mr” followed the person’s name, and as a term of address is rather formal, roughly corresponding to the English “sir” (though it is not quite as formal as “sir”). Selamat malam, Pak. Mau ke mana? = “Good evening, sir. Where are you off to?”

Students in Indonesia usually address each other using the informal second person pronoun kamu but only when they speak to someone who is either of same age or younger. If they address someone from a higher level, they use terms of address such as mbak (for elder female) or mas (for elder male). This is the convention followed in Java. On other islands different terms of addresses are used.

Pronouncing the Indonesian /r/

In Indonesia, most people (but by no means all people) trill or roll the consonant /r/. Some English-speaking learners find this hard to do, but if you can succeed in doing it your Indonesian will sound much more authentic. If you find the trilled /r/ difficult to produce, try exaggerating it first, making a loud purring noise whenever you meet an /r/ sound. After a while, when you have mastered the trill and it has become a habit, you can cut back on the exaggeration. Wikihow provides several methods on how to roll the /r/. May be worth giving it a try!

Try saying these words with a good, strong rolled /r/.