S

Saja

Meaning

just, only, all the time

Application

saja, aja

Usage

Biar saja(aja) Let it be
Baik-baik saja Just fine
Satu saja Just(only) one
Anak itu diam saja That kids have been quiet all the time
Dia baru saja makan He just ate
Perasaan saya biasa saja I feel indifferent

Sampai

Meaning

until, arrival, reach, up to, get at

Synonym

tiba(arrive)

Application

sampai, sampé, nyampé, kesampaian, menyampaikan

Usage

Udah sampai belom? Are we there yet?
Udah sampai mana? How far did you go?
Sampaikan salam saya
Sampéin salam gue
Give my regards ..
Sampai jam berapa rapatnya? When will the meeting be finished?
Sampai di Jakarta jam berapa? What time did you arrive in Jakarta?
Dia tinggal di Amerika sampai umur 10 tahun He lives in the USA till he was 10 years old
Dari nomor satu sampai nomor sembilan From number one up to number nine
Kesampaian juga keinginnannya He finally gets what he wishes for
Saya hanya menyampaikan pesan ibu saya .. I just pass my mother's message ...
Tolong sampaikan pesan saya Please pass on my message

Sangat

Meaning

very, really, tremendously, utmost, exceptionally, considerably, greatly

Synonym

amat, banget, sekali, betul-betul, terlalu

The word 'sangat' is mostly used if we want to make it sound more formal/polite.

Usage

Makasih(terima kasih) banget
Terima kasih sekali
Thank you very much
Saya sangat berterima kasih I really thank you
sangat kecil
kecil banget
kecil sekali
amat kecil
very small
Kok kecil banget?
kecil banget?
Why is it so small?
Amat sangat tinggi Very very high

Sasar

Meaning

aim, objective, goal, target

Synonym

tuju

Application

sasaran, kesasar/tersasar(meaning: lost)

Usage

Sasaran pasar kampanye kali ini adalah ... The target market of the campaign this time is ...
Kasihan anak itu, selalu jadi sasaran ejekan teman temannya That poor boy, he is always the target among his friends
Dalam perjalanan menuju kantor saya kesasar I got lost on the oway to the office

Saya

Meaning

I, me, my, mine

Synonym

saya, aku, gué, gua

Application

'Saya' and 'aku' can be used in both formal and informal situation. 'Gué' should be avoided in formal situation as well as when we speak to an older or respected person

Sayang

Meaning

dear, darling, pity, unfortunately

Application

sayang, kesayangan, disayangkan, menyayangkan

Usage

Dia memeluk anaknya dengan kasih sayang She hugs her daughter fondly/affectionately
Sayang sekali dia harus pulang Unfortunately he has to go home
Kucing ini kesayangan anak saya This cat is my daughter's pet
Apa yang terjadi antara dia dengan ayahnya sangat disayangkan What happened between him and his father is regrettable

Sebab

Meaning

because, reason

Application

sebab, penyebab, menyebabkan, disebabkan

'Sebab' is quite rarely used in daily conversation. 'Soalnya" is mostly used instead.

Usage

Saya nggak bisa dateng pagi besok soalnya musti nganter anak-anak ke sekolah dulu I can not come early tomorrow because I have to take the kids first to school.
Saya laper sekali soalnya belom makan tadi pagi I am really hungry because I didn't eat this morning
Dialah penyebab semuanya He is the one who's causing all this mess
Salah satu sebabnya adalah ... One of the reasons is ...

Sedang

Meaning

  1. average, medium, moderate
  2. while, in the process of, at the time that

Application

sedang, sedangkan, sedang-sedang

Usage

Pertandingan sedang berlangsung The match is on
Proyek itu sedang dikerjakan The project is being done
Dia sedang menunggu ibunya She's waiting for her mother
Bajunya berukuran sedang The size of his clothes is medium
Keahliannya sedang-sedang saja His skill is average(mediocre)
Harga saham hari ini naik, sedangkan nilai dollar Amerika turun The stock price rises today meanwhile the American dollar falls

Sekali

Meaning

  • tremendously, greatly, severe, very
  • once
  • Synonym

    amat, banget, betul-betul, terlalu, sangat, satu kali

    Application

    Usage

    Banyak sekali(amat) belanjanya hari ini You shopped a lot today, didn't you
    Cantik sekali(amat) kamu hari ini You're so pretty today
    Pelit sekali sih You' re so stingy
    Saya baru sekali pergi ke rumah bu Sri I only went to Mrs. Sri's House once
    Sekali-sekali saya suka berenang di pantai Occasionally I swim at the beach
    Tolong kerjakan sekali lagi Please do it again(once more)

    Selamat

    Meaning

    safe. welfare, prosperity. happy, blessed, congratulations, wish for good luck

    Application

    Selamat, selamet, selamatan, menyelamatkan, penyelamat, keselamatan

    Usage

    Dia sudah sampai di Jakarta dengan selamat He has safely arrived in Jakarta
    Selamat Congratulations!
    Selamat pagi! Good morning!
    Saya ingin memberi selamat padanya I want to congratulate him
    Dia selamat dari banjir He survived the flood
    Dia selalu selamat dari berbagai bencana He is a survivor
    Dia bekerja sebagai penyelamat pantai He works as a life guard on the beach
    Tiap tahun dia mengadakan upacara selamatan Every year she holds an offering ceremony
    Dia menyelamatkan saya He safed me
    Semoga tuhan memberi kita keselamatan May God bless us

    Sempat

    Meaning

    chance, have sufficient time, opportunity, suit

    Application

    sempat, sempet, kesempatan, menyempatkan, disempatkan, sesempatnya

    Usage

    Ini kesempatan terakhir buat saya This is the last chance for me
    Maaf, saya tidak sempat mampir ke toko buku Sorry, I didn't get the chance to drop by at the book shop
    Sebaiknya disempatkan untuk mampir ke kantor saya It's better if you cound make the time to come to my office
    Saya ingin menyempatkan diri untuk bisa bertemu dengan orang tuamu I want to have the opportunity to meet your parents
    Kalau kamu sibuk kamu tidak perlu datang, sesempatnya saja If you're busy you don't need to come, whenever suits you

    Sempit

    Meaning

    tight, narrow, squeeze

    Synonym

    sempit, mépét, ketat, rapat, mendesak

    Application

    sempit, kesempitan

    Usage

    Pikirannya sempit He is narrowminded
    Waktunya terbatas
    Waktunya sempit
    Waktunya mépét
    The time is limited
    We don't have time
    Karena jalannya sempit saya musti mépét-mépét supaya bisa lewat Because the walk path is too narrow I have to squeeze myself to get through
    Ruangannya sempit The room is too crampy
    Bajunya kesempitan Her dress is too tight

    Semua

    Meaning

    all, entirely, everybody, altogether, whole

    Synonym

    segala, sekalian, segenap, seluruh

    Application

    semua, semuanya

    Usage

    Hampir seluruh murid di kelas ini mendapat nilai bagus Almost all students in this class get good marks
    Semua orang akan mati Everybody will die
    Suatu sistem yang seluruhnya dikerjakan oleh orang Indonesia berjalan dengan baik An entirely new system that was done by Indonesian went well
    Segala yang ada di pikiran saya ... Everything in my mind ...
    Segenap masyarakat ... All people ..
    Kedua hal ini akan saya kerjakan sekalian I will do both things at the same time

    Seni

    Meaning

    art, refined

    Synonym

    artistik

    Application

    seni, nyeni, seniman, kesenian

    Usage

    Dari segi seni ... From artistic point of view ...
    Ini semua adalah soal kesenian All of this is about art
    Dia nyeni banget He is very artistic
    Dia seorang seniman He is an artist
    air seni urine
    seni tari dance
    seni pahat sculpture
    seni lukis painting
    seni peran akting
    seni suara singing

    Sepele

    Meaning

    futile, simple, easy, unimportant, insignificant

    Application

    sepélé, menyepélékan, disepélékan

    Usage

    Jangan buang-buang waktu untuk hal-hal yang sepélé Don't waste your time with trivial things
    Persoalan ini sepélé sekali This problem is insignificant
    Pemecahan masalah ini sepélé kok To solve this problem is easy(simple)
    Dia merasa disepélékan He feels belittled

    Sesat

    Meaning

    lost, mislead, go astray

    Synonym

    sasar

    Application

    sesat, menyesatkan, tersesat

    Usage

    Dalam perjalanan ke kantor saya tersesat
    Dalam perjalanan ke kantor saya kesasar
    I got lost on the way to the office
    Jangan menyiarkan berita yang menyesatkan Don't brodacast the misleading news
    Permintaan ibumu cuma satu, jangan hidup di jalan sesat Your mother's only wish is for you not to go astray

    Sial

    Meaning

    bad luck, unlucky, adversity

    Application

    sial, sialan(bringing bad luck; expression/exclamation of dissatisfaction)

    Usage

    Dasar sial! It's just bad luck!
    Nasibnya sial melulu He is always unlucky
    Sialan! Damn it!
    Anak itu emang sialan banget That kid is not very nice

    Siapa

    Meaning

    who

    Application

    Siapa

    Usage

    bukan siapa siapa not anybody you know
    Beritahu saya siapa saja yang mau datang Please name everyone who wants to come
    siapa lagi yang datang? Who else is coming?
    siapa pun ... whoever ...
    siapa yang marah?
    siapa sih yang marah?
    who gets angry?

    Soal

    Meaning

    problem, matter, object

    Application

    soal, persoalan, mempersoalkan, soalnya(meaning: because)

    Usage

    Ini bukan persoalan mudah This is not an easy matter
    Soal ujian tahun ini susah sekali The questions of this year's exam is very difficult
    Kenapa kamu selalu mempersoalkan masalah uang? Why do you always make money an issue?
    Saya tidak bisa datang besok soalnya saya harus ke dokter I can not come tomorrow because I have to see a doctor

    Sombong

    Meaning

    arrogant, cocky, big-head

    Synonym

    sok, belagu, sok belagu, arogan, angkuh

    Application

    sombong, kesombongan, menyombongkan

    Usage

    Dia orangnya sombong He is cocky
    Baru jadi kasir udah sombong He's only a cashier and he's already such a big-head
    Dia suka menyombongkan diri He brags a lot

    Sudah

    Meaning

    already, finished, never mind, done

    Application

    sudah, udah, sesudah, menyudahi

    Usage

    Ibunya sudah datang Her mother has come already
    Udah siap? Are you ready?
    Sudahlah
    Udah deh
    Never mind
    Don't worry about it
    Lupakan saja yang sudah-sudah Just forget what has happened.
    Sesudah itu ... After that ...
    Dia menyudahi rapat dengan doa He ends the meeting with prayer

    Suka

    Meaning

    like, be fond of, joy

    Synonym

    doyan(slang)

    Application

    suka, kesukaan, menyukai, disukai

    Usage

    Kamu suka makan apa?
    Apa makanan kesukaan kamu
    What's your favorite food?
    Suka sama suka Liking each other
    Saya lebih suka manis dari pada asin I prefer sweet dan salty
    Saya tidak suka dia I dislike him
    Dia tidak suka mengikuti adat He is a nonconformist
    Dia suka memberontak terhadap orang tuanya He is rebellious towards his parents
    Dia suka menolong sesama He is a philanthropy
    Dia sangat disukai teman-temannya She is very popular among her friends
    Dia suka mencampuri urusan orang She is nosy/nosey

    Surat

    Meaning

    letter, note, form, document

    Application

    surat, suratan, surat menyurat, tersurat

    Usage

    Dia sedang menulis surat He is writing a letter
    surat kuasa power of attorney
    surat kawin marriage certificate
    surat keterangan reference letter
    surat wasiat will
    surat ijin licence, permit
    surat tanah title deed
    surat edaran circular
    surat bukti voucher
    surat kepercayaan credential
    surat hutang debenture
    surat berharga security paper
    surat kabar(koran) newspaper
    surat menyurat correspondance
    Semua ini sudah suratan All of this is destiny
    Secara tersurat artinya ... Literally it means ..


    Suling


    Suling is an Indonesian flute made out of a long tube bamboo which has a very thin surface. The head of suling, near a small hole, is circled with a thin band made of rattan to produce air vibration. It is used in gamelan ensembles. It can be found in West Java(Sunda), Central Java(Java) and Bali. The fingering position changes the wavelength of sound resonance inside the suling's body. Depending on the distance of nearest hole to the suling's head, different notes can be produced. The airflow speed also can modify the tone's frequency. (Source:wikipedia; www.fabulousgiftshop.uk)



    e-Learning

    The University of Hawaii at Manoa offers three dedicated distance education e-learning courses for advanced Indonesian under the supervision of Dr. Uli Kozok, coordinator of the Indonesian language program at the University of Hawaii. The three courses offered are available not only to UH students but to anyone anywhere. You can enrol through UH Outreach College.