Indonesian alphabet, vowels, consonants, and digraphs (ng, ny, kh, sy)
Can recognize and pronounce Indonesian letters, vowels, and key digraphs
Look at these examples. Can you spot the grammar pattern?
Nama saya Rina.
My name is Rina.
Selamat pagi!
Good morning!
Terima kasih.
Thank you.
Saya mencari rumah kecil.
I am looking for a small house.
Pay attention to the highlighted parts. What do they have in common?
Indonesian uses the Latin alphabet with 26 letters, the same as English. Spelling is phonetic — every letter is almost always pronounced.
Vowels:
| Letter | Pronunciation | Example |
|---|---|---|
| a | [a] — open | apa (what), nama (name) |
| i | [i] | ini (this), ikan (fish) |
| u | [u] | untuk (for), buku (book) |
| e | [e] or [ə] (pepet) | sore [e] (afternoon), semua [ə] (all) |
| o | [o] | orang (person), kota (city) |
The letter "e" has two sounds: é [e] as in sore, and e pepet [ə] as in empat. This difference is important but not marked in writing.
Key digraphs:
| Digraph | Pronunciation | Example |
|---|---|---|
| ng | [ŋ] — one sound! | dengan (with), ngarai (canyon) |
| ny | [ɲ] | nyaman (comfortable), nyanyi (sing) |
| kh | [x] | khusus (special) |
| sy | [ʃ] | syarat (requirement) |
Key consonants: 'c' is always [tʃ] (like English 'ch'), 'r' is rolled [r], 'h' is always pronounced. No silent letters!
Apply this grammar in A1 course exercises
Practice ExercisesPronouncing 'c' as [k] or [s] instead of [tʃ]
Indonesian 'c' is ALWAYS [tʃ] like English 'ch' in 'church'. Never [k] or [s].
Confusing the two 'e' sounds: [e] and [ə]
The pepet [ə] sounds like 'a' in English 'about'. Listen carefully to native speakers — context and memorization help.
Splitting digraphs ng, ny, kh, sy into separate sounds
These digraphs represent single sounds: ng=[ŋ], ny=[ɲ], kh=[x], sy=[ʃ]. Practice them as units.
Nama saya Rina.
My name is Rina.
All letters are pronounced. 'a' is always [a]. No silent letters in Indonesian.
Selamat pagi!
Good morning!
Selamat = greeting word. Pagi = morning. Note: 'e' in 'selamat' is pepet [ə], not [e].
Terima kasih.
Thank you.
Every syllable is pronounced: te-ri-ma ka-sih. 'h' at the end is audible.
Saya mencari rumah kecil.
I am looking for a small house.
'c' in 'mencari' and 'kecil' is always [tʃ] — like English 'ch'. Never [k] or [s].
Practice in course
Apply this grammar in A1 course exercises