You should learn to greet people in Indonesian even if you don't plan to become
fluent.
Apa kabar?/How are you?
These are great words to start a friendly conversation with an Indonesian.
Good Morning/Selamat Pagi
Spoken from sunrise until about 11 AM
Good Afternoon (Part I)/Selamat Siang
Spoken in the middle of the
day (11 AM to 2 PM) when the sun is at its brightest
Good Afternoon (Part II)/Selamat Sore
Spoken from 2 PM until sunset
Good Evening/Selamat Malam
Spoken at night only
Good Night/Selamat Tidur
Spoken to someone going to sleep
Selamat Datang/Welcome
Spoken to someone arriving
Selamat Tinggal/Goodbye
This is spoken when sending a long farewell to a
person being left behind.
In this case, the person departing expresses these words to the person staying behind.
In Indonesian, tinggal means to "live" or "stay".
Selamat Jalan/Goodbye
This is spoken when sending a long farewell to a
person leaving. In this case,
the person staying behind expresses these words to the person departing.
In Indonesian, jalan means to "travel" or "go".
Sampai jumpa/See you later
Spoken to someone who will return shortly
Terima Kasih/Thank You
Spoken to show your appreciation even if you don't mean it
Nanti/Later
Spoken to someone you will meet later that same day
Halo/Hello
Spoken most often when answering the phone.
It has the same informal meaning as English.
Hai/Hi
Spoken informally around young people and
has the same meaning in English.
It can also mean "yes".
Right Hand Rule
You can introduce yourself with a handshake
especially in a business environment.
Don't use your left hand though, it's considered unclean. I think this has
something with an action we perform in the bathroom. Just remember to
use your right hand when interacting with people especially when giving and
receiving things. A firm handshake will do. Don't squeeze until their
eyes pop out. Now that would be embarassing.
Don't Pat People's Head
Nearly everything I read regarding Indonesian
etiquette tells me not to
pat someone's head. Patting little kids or siblings on the head may be
the only exception to this rule. If you find yourself unable to resist
patting someone on the head for whatever reason, then please
remember to use your right hand (see Right Hand Rule above).
Don't Call People Animal Names
Of course, we learned that it's not polite to call
people names. In Indonesia,
calling someone a dog (anjing), pig (babi) or pretty much any
other kind of animal is not a good idea. So why do I point out the obvious?
Well, here in the United States, it's ok to "address" a person as a dog as
long as we don't "call" s/he a dog. Here's an English example with
Indonesian translation:
StudyIndonesian