If you’ve ever arrived in a country for the first time and felt overwhelmed immediately by the idea of getting from airport to hotel, you know how important figuring out travel can be. And Indonesia comprises thousands of islands, so transportation is clearly going to be a key component for when you visit. One of the best ways to get a jumpstart is by learning Indonesian transportation vocab!
And while there are many languages spoken around the country, Indonesian — the lingua franca of Indonesia — is your best bet for getting around. Even just learning which is left and which is right can help in a big way.
We’ve collected some basic Indonesian transportation vocab to get you started on your linguistic (and literal!) journey. Click the play button on each of the words to hear how they’re pronounced by a native speaker.
Indonesian Transportation Vocab And Phrases
General Navigation
to the left — ke kiri
to the right — ke kanan
straight ahead — lurus
Excuse me, where is the city center? — Maaf, di mana pusat kota?
Traveling By Plane
plane — pesawat terbang
airport — bandara
terminal — terminal
his/her luggage — bagasinya
hand baggage (carry-on) — bagasi kabin
flight — penerbangan
flight attendant — pramugara (masc.), pramugari (fem.)
departure — keberangkatan
the security check — pemeriksaan keamanan
to board — naik pesawat
to leave, to depart — berangkat
to land — mendarat
to check in — check-in
Traveling By Train Or Bus
public transportation — angkutan umum
bus — bis
subway — kereta bawah tanah
train — kereta api
tram — trem
tram stop — halte trem
train station — stasiun
ticket — karcis
platform — peron
bus stop — halte bus
passenger — penumpang
inspector — pemeriksa
timetable — jadwal
to catch — naik
to change (as trains) — pindah kendaraan
Traveling By Car Or Bike
car — mobil
driver — pengemudi
windshield wipers — penyeka kaca
seat belt — sabuk pengaman
key — kunci
driver’s license — surat izin mengemudi
to drive — mengemudi
to park — memarkir
to break down — mogok
bicycle — sepeda
cyclist — pengendara sepeda
helmet — helm