How To Say Thank You In Indonesian

Halo semuanya, ketemu lagi dengan saya, Iman Prabawa. In this article, I want to talk to you about how to say [thank you] in the Indonesian language. We will also watch examples from movies where this phrase is spoken by the Indonesian people.

If you have any questions regarding the Indonesian language, you can ask me directly. You can see how to do that on my About Me page. 

If you are a beginner in the Indonesian language, you can learn step by step with My Lesson Here.

So, without further ado, let's dive in.

Thank You In The Indonesian Language

Thank you in Bahasa Indonesia is [terima kasih].

Terima kasih.

And here is how you pronounce [terima kasih].

A lot of times, you will hear Indonesian people say it [makasih].

Makasih.

And here is how you pronounce [makasih].

[Makasih] is a common reduction for [terima kasih]. The difference between [makasih] and [terima kasih] is that [terima kasih] is more formal than [makasih]. [Makasih] is usually used in daily conversations.

Sometimes, you will hear them add [ya] to the phrase [terima kasih].

Terima kasih ya.

[Ya], in this case, doesn't have any meaning. It's just a filler word. And here is how you pronounce [terima kasih ya].

Or you will hear, [terima kasih lho]. 

Terima kasih lho.

[Lho] in here also has no meaning. It's just a filler word. Here is how you pronounce [terima kasih lho].

You can also add [ya] to [makasih], and it's common, and you will hear Indonesian people saying this a lot.

Makasih ya.

And here is how you pronounce [makasih ya].

Also, you will hear Indonesian people saying [makasih lho].

Makasih lho.

And here is how you pronounce [makasih lho].

And, if you want to say [thank you very much], you can say this.

Terima kasih banyak.

And here is how you pronounce [terima kasih banyak].

[Banyak] means many or a lot. Next, we will watch examples from movies where these phrases are spoken by the Indonesian people.

Examples of Terima Kasih In Use

The first example we are about to watch is taken from a TV series called Mimpi Metropolitan (2019). In this scene, the phrase [makasih ya] is used. Let's watch the scene below.

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Below is the conversation from the scene above with English translations.

Pelayan: Kopi, kopi, teh. (Coffee, coffee, tea.) 

Bambang: Hm, mas mas. Saya mau kopi. Hee, masnya malah bengong. Ngga usah grogi di depan saya. Santai aja. Sini. (Hei, I want a cup of coffee please. Hey, don't be dumbfounded like that. Don't be nervous with me. Just relax. Bring the coffee here.) 

Pelayan: Iya, iya, iya. (Okay.) 

Bambang: Gitu. Makasih ya. (That's my boy. Thank you.) 

Pelayan: Oke, sama-sama. (You're welcome.)

The situation in this scene is between Bambang and a waiter. This waiter is serving coffee and tea and offering tea and coffee to the people in that location. 

Vocabulary From the Scene

[Kopi] = coffee.

[Teh] = tea.

[Mas] is an honorific title to address older men in Indonesia or strangers on the street. For more about this, you can read my article, Mas Meaning In Bahasa.

[Mau] = want.

[Bengong] = dumbfounded.

[Grogi] = nervous.

The second example is still from the same movie, Mimpi Metropolitan (2019). In this scene, the phrase [makasih ya] is used. Let's watch the scene below.

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The conversation in the scene with English translations is as follows.

Woman: Eh, iya nih. Makan nih. (Hey, I got this for you. You can eat this.) 

Bambang: Buat saya mba? (This is for me?) 

Woman: Iya, buat loe. Oh iya, jangan lupa ya dialognya. Yang tawuran itu, yang naskah. (Yes, that is for you. Don’t forget about the dialog, the script about fighting scene from the script.) 

Bambang: Siap! (Okay.) 

Woman: Awas lho! Udah, gue pergi dulu ya? (Please, do not forget! Okay, I got to go now.) 

Bambang: Makasih ya mba. (Thank you.) 

Woman: Iya, sama-sama. (You’re welcome.)

In this scene, a woman gives [nasi kotak] to Bambang. [Nasi kotak] is food in a box. Here is what [nasi kotak] looks like.

[Nasi kotak] is very common in Indonesia. And then Bambang is saying thank you to the woman who gave him [nasi kotak] using the phrase [makasih ya].

Vocabulary From the Scene

[Eh, iya nih] is a phrase used when you want to start talking about something and to attract the attention of the person you are talking to.

[Makan] = eat.

[Makan nih] is used when you offer someone food, like in this scene. The woman gives Bambang food to eat.

[Buat saya?] comes from the full sentence [ini buat saya?] is usually said when you want to make sure that something is really for you.

[Oh iya] is used when you suddenly remember something to say.

[Loe] is informal for [Anda] = you. For more about this, you can read my article, Loe Meaning In Bahasa.

[Jangan lupa] = don't forget. [Jangan lupa] is usually used to remind people about something and to warn them to not forget about something important.

[Siap] in literal meaning means [ready], but [siap] is usually used when someone orders you to do something and you are willing to do it. In this scene, the woman orders him to not forget about the dialog, and he says yes.

[Tawuran] is when you fight not one by one but as a group or many people fighting altogether.

[Awas lho!] is used when you threaten someone.

[Pergi] = to leave a place.

[Gue] is informal for [saya] = I. For more about this, you can read my article, Gue Meaning In Bahasa.

The third example is taken from a movie called Strawberry Surprise (2014). In this scene, the phrase [makasih lho] is used. Let's watch the scene below.

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The conversation with English translation in the scene is as follows.

Man 1: Mas, ngopi dulu, mas. (Here is coffee for you.) 

Timur: Makasih lho, mas. (Thank you.) 

Man 1: Silakan duduk. (Please, have a seat.) 

Timur: Iya. (Okay.)

Let's learn the vocabulary used in this scene.

Vocabulary From the Scene

[Ngopi] is the colloquial way of saying [minum kopi]. It means drinking coffee.

[Ngopi dulu] is usually used to offer someone coffee, like in the scene. If you say [ngopi dulu yuk?] to your friends, it means that you are asking your friends to drink coffee with you.

[Silakan duduk] is a phrase used when you ask someone to sit down.

The fourth example is still from the same movie, Strawberry Surprise (2014). In this scene, the phrases [makasih lho] and [terima kasih banyak] is used.

Let's watch the scene down below.

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The conversation with English translation from the scene is as follows.

Guard: Maaf, mas itu mau lihat galeri atau mau apa? (Sorry, do you want to see the gallery or else?) 

Timur: Oh, sebenarnya saya mau ketemu sama mba Aggi. (Actually, I want to meet mba Aggi.) 

Guard: Oh, mba Aggi ya? (Oh, you want to meet mba Aggi?) 

Timur: He'eh. (Yes.) 

Guard: Sebentar, mas. Tak buka'e dulu. Sik, sik, sik. (Wait a minute. I will open this for you. Just a sec.) 

Timur: Wah, makasih lho, mas. Terima kasih banyak. (Thank you. Thank you very much.) 

Guard: Maaf lho, mas. (Please come in.)

In this scene, the guard uses a mix of Indonesian and Javanese languages. 

Vocabulary From the Scene

[Maaf] is usually used as a polite way before you ask something to a person.

[Mau apa?] is used when you ask what someone wants or wants to do.

[Sebenarnya] If translated literally, the truth is.

[Mba] is an honorific title to address women. For more about this, you can read my article, Mba In the Indonesian Language.

[Sik, sik, sik] comes from the Javanese language. [Sik] in this context has the same meaning as [sebentar]. It means to wait for a second.

[Maaf lho, mas] literally means [I'm sorry, sir], but in this scene, this phrase is used to just be polite. That's why I translated the phrase into [please come in].

The fifth example is taken from a serial called Wedding Agreement, Season 1, Episode 1 (2022). Let's watch the scene below.

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In this scene, [terima kasih] is used. [Terima kasih] is the most formal form of all.  

     Related Article: How to Answer Terima Kasih

I guess this is all for now. If I find another example, Insha Allah, I will update this article again. Thank you for reading this article, and I'll see you soon. Bye now.