There are many ways of learning Bahasa Indonesia. But, the fastest way to master this language is to practice it in daily conversations. Well, in daily conversation usually Indonesian will use a lot of slang words, while in documents, news, letters, literature, and other writings, standard formal Bahasa Indonesia will be used. Proverbs and sayings are also widely used in those pieces.
Here are some proverbs and sayings in Bahasa Indonesia that will help you to understand something you read or hear more, and of course help you to learn Bahasa Indonesia:
| Proverbs or sayings | Literal meaning | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Nasi sudah menjadi bubur | The rice has become porridge | What’s done is done |
| Ada udang di balik batu | A shrimp hides behind the stone | There is hidden agenda/hidden intention (usually negative intention) behind something or someone’s activity |
| Rumput tetangga selalu lebih hijau | The neighbor’s grass is always greener than ours | What people have always appears better/more/bigger than ours |
| Sambil menyelam minum air | Drinking water while diving | Multitasking, doing more than one thing at the same time |
| Bertepuk sebelah tangan | To clap with only one hand | The feeling/attraction/agreement is one-sided (usually used for a love interest, or in business environment when striking a deal) |
| Seperti/bagai telur di ujung tanduk | Like an egg on the tip of a horn | In a dangerous, tense, critical situation |
| Otak di dengkul | Brain on the knees | Someone is so dumb |
| Tong kosong nyaring bunyinya | Empty can sounds the loudest | People who don’t have knowledge (or the dumbest) speak the loudest |
| Lempar batu sembunyi tangan | The hand that throws the stone is hidden | Blame someone or make them responsible for a problem you should deal with |
| Sepandai-pandai tupai melompat, akhirnya jatuh juga | No matter how smart a squirrel jumps, it will eventually fall | Even the wisest and most competent man makes mistakes / no matter how hard one does something (unfairly or underhandedly), people will know eventually |
| Sudah jatuh tertimpa tangga | Fell and struck down by a ladder | Experience something unlucky more than once in a short period of time / make a difficult situation even worse for someone |
| Besar pasak daripada tiang | The peg is bigger than the pole | Expenditure is way bigger than the income |
| Buah jatuh tidak jauh dari pohonnya | The fruit falls near the tree | Son’s or daughter’s nature resembles their parents |
| Berakit ke hulu, berenang ke tepian | Rafting to the headwaters, swimming to the riversides | No pain no gain; in order to achieve something great, suffering is necessary |
| Kacang lupa kulitnya | Peanut forgets its shell | Someone who forgets or doesn’t want to acknowledge his family/friends once he becomes successful |
| Air tenang menghanyutkan | Still water can sweep you away | a calm deamenor may hide a lot of knowledge |
| Dikasih/diberi hati, minta jantung | Get the liver but still ask for the heart | Refers to situation when someone becomes generous to someone but then he demands even more |
| Tak ada gading yang tak retak | There is always imperfect tusk | Usually used in the end of the speech or text, means the works/speech/text is imperfect and still needs some improvements |
| Ada asap ada api | If there is smoke, there must be the fire | No effect without some cause |
| Karena nila setitik, rusak susu sebelanga | With only a drop of poison, a pot of milk is damaged | Because only a small mistake, all the efforts are wasted |
| Bagai pungguk merindukan bulan | Like an owl missing/yearning for the moon | To wish for something impossible |
| Bagai pinang dibelah dua | Like a betel nut split in half | Identical, very similar |
| Bagai air di daun talas | As the water is on the taro leaf | Describes a volatile person who can’t be trusted or wishy-washy |
| Guru kencing berdiri, murid kencing berlari | A teacher pees standing up, and pupils pee on the run | If the teacher (this can refers to parents, teacher, role models) is bad, the youngsters or the followers are worse |
| Mulutmu harimaumu | Your mouth is your tiger | Control every word you say because words are reflection of yourself |
| Tak ada rotan akar pun jadi | If there is no rattan, roots can be used | If you can’t find the things you need, use something else |
