Discover the richness of Indonesian vocabulary, from Jakarta's street slang to centuries-old regional dialects, organized alphabetically for your convenience.
“An informal adjective meaning extraordinary, impressive, or outstanding to a high degree. Used to describe something that surpasses ordinary expectations, whether in terms of quality, appearance, or performance. The word carries a strong and admiring positive connotation.”
“The act of deliberately seeking attention from others in an excessive or conspicuous manner; commonly synonymous with “showing off” or “seeking the spotlight”. Derived as an abbreviation of cari perhatian (attention-seeking).”
“A specific situation that requires handling, investigation, or a decision. Comes from English meaning “case.””
“A Javanese verb meaning to call or to summon someone, either directly or from a distance. Its passive form diceluk means “to be called” by another person.”
“A person who possesses high intelligence, has broad insight, and is wise in their thinking. This term refers to an “intellectual” individual recognized for their ability to understand complex issues and for possessing a depth of thought in specific fields of knowledge.”
“A Sundanese word meaning 'they say' or 'reportedly', used to convey information heard from others or circulating rumors.”
“An adjective meaning “small” in size, dimension, or quantity. An informal or colloquial form of the standard word “kecil” commonly used in Javanese language and everyday conversational contexts.”
“A slang term or colloquialism functioning as an adverb or interjection used to inquire about or confirm the truth of an information. It is a phonetic variation of the word serius (serious), typically used in informal contexts to express surprise or disbelief.”
“A vulgar interjection used to express intense frustration, anger, or shock. It is a euphemistic spelling variation of the terms cok or jancuk that functions as a coarse profanity or emotional intensifier in informal social media discourse.”
“A trait describing someone who is excessively talkative, nagging, or “chatty” to an annoying degree. Used to characterize a person who cannot stop talking or complaining.”
“A “slang” term referring to “profit” or financial gain obtained from an activity, transaction, or investment.”
“This expression refers to a “time” or “moment” that has arrived, indicating that an “event” or “occurrence” is due to happen.”
“Mouth or lips; also means to talk a lot or be talkative in Javanese ngoko dialect”
“Feeling tired or exhausted.”
“The act of creating a fake online persona to deceive someone emotionally or romantically”
“Cegil refers to an attitude of being excessively obsessive or intense about something, such as hobbies, games, or idols, to the point of appearing unnatural or ridiculous. The term is used jokingly to tease friends who exhibit such behavior without intending offense.”
“A piggy bank is a term for a money storage place, originating from the word 'celeng' (pig). It serves as a way for little kids to practice saving money from an early age.”
“A person who is easily frightened, cowardly, or lacks courage in facing challenging situations; behavior or characteristic that demonstrates mental weakness or lack of bravery.”
“A cute and humorous expression of encouragement or support, internet version of 'semangat' (spirit/cheer up)”
“A loanword from Sundanese used to convey information or remarks heard from others, often indicating that the information is “unconfirmed” or merely a “rumor”.”
“Ciamik means cool or awesome, quite popular across various groups. This word originates from Betawi/Jakarta dialect and has spread widely throughout various regions in Indonesia.”
“Rapid switching between multiple tasks or applications, typically causing reduced focus and productivity.”
“Feeling of embarrassment or disgust when seeing awkward, tacky, or over-the-top content on social media”