[Indonesia] Survival in Indonesia - What is Indonesian(Bahasa Indonesia)?
I've worked in Jakarta for 1 year 2 months. Although I communicate with my colleagues in English, I speak in Indonesian(Bahasa Indonesia) in my daily life.
Actually, my Indonesian level is not so high. Just I can communicate with local people when I greet, call my driver, go shopping, buy a coffee at Starbucks.
However, it is my real story when I've survived everyday in Jakarta, Indonesia.
It would be useful for someone who wants to learn Indonesia(Bahasa) in the basic level.
Indonesian language is 'Bahasa Indonesia'.
Bahasa means "language", Indonesia means "Indonesia"
- For reference : Comparison of Malaysian and Indonesian
They are almost same languages. Malaysian and Indonesian can communicate with their mother tongues.
There are few exceptions in grammar(words and pronunciation).
As I'm a Korean, Korean is my mother tongue.
What is Korean in Indonesian? "Bahasa Korea"
Japanese? "Bahasa Jepang"
If I want to speak like.. "I'm Korean from Seoul, Korea"
In Indonesian, "Saya Orang Korea dari Korea."
Can you guess it ?
Saya = I / Orang = person / dari = from
There is a funny story.
Orang means a 'person'. you're familiar with that word maybe.
Because you already knew a name of animal, 'Orang Utan'
Utan means a 'forest'. Orang utan means.. 'a man in the forest'