Pronunciation Guide

Indonesian language is almost exclusively written in Romanized script with Dutch influence is obvious in the spelling and transcription. You will be happy to know that Indonesian pronunciation is very regular. With one or two exceptions what you see is what you say. The pronunciation of the alphabet is almost similar to that of Dutch.

The guide below will help you pronounce Indonesian in an acceptable way. With only very few exceptions, separate letters or certain combinations always have the same pronunciation.

Vowel Sounds

The vowel “a” in open syllables is pronounced more or less like the a in “star” or “bar”

lima = five
suka = like
sama = same

While in closed syllables it sounds like the English u in “but”

berat = heavy
surat = letter

The vowel “e”has two distinct sounds. When unstressed it is pronounced as the mute e in “open” or “again”

keras = hard
lembut = soft
empat = four

When stressed, it sounds somewhere between the e in “bed” and the a in “bad”

bebek = duck
lem = glue
meja = table

It is surprising that most textbooks and dictionaries, even those intended for foreign learners of the language, do not point this out, especially as it occurs in some very common words.

The vowel “i” in open syllables is pronounced as the ee in “teeth”

ini = this
ikan = fish
lima = five

The vowel “o” is pronounced like the a in “ball” or “mall”

tolong = help/please
kosong = empty

The vowel “u” is pronounced like the oo in “fool”

lucu = funny
duduk = sit
lupa = forget

Consonant Sounds

Most Indonesian consonants are pronounced as in English:

b biru blue
d dadu dice
f foto photo
g guru teacher
h hari day
j jam clock
k kuat strong
l lebar wide
m mau want
n nanti later
p panas hot
s susu milk
t teh tea
v vegetarian vegetarian
w warna colour
y ya yes
z zebra zebra

however:

The consonant “r” is always rolled and audible:
beras rice
besar big

Stress

There is in general no strong stress in Indonesian. Nearly all syllables have equal length.