Welcome~
On today’s post, I will share about the numbers used in Indonesia.
Actually, the written numbers are the same as English, as we also use the Arabic numbers. The reading, however, is quite different than their English counterparts, though I think it has similarities with their Sanskrit counterparts.
Edit 9/9/20: The video is up! Click here to watch^^
Now, let’s get to the numbers~
Here are the basic 0-10 count:
0 is read as ‘nol’ or ‘kosong’ (‘nol’ or ‘ko-song’)
1 is read as ‘satu’ (‘sa-tu’)
2 is read as ‘dua’ (‘du-a’)
3 is read as ‘tiga’ (‘ti-ga’)
4 is read as ‘empat’ (‘em-pat’)
5 is read as ‘lima’ (‘li-ma’)
6 is read as ‘enam’ (‘e-nam’)
7 is read as ‘tujuh’ (‘tu-juh’, though sometimes the ‘h’ sound in the back is not pronounced)
8 is read as ‘delapan’ (‘de-la-pan’)
9 is read as ‘sembilan’ (‘sem-bi-lan’)
10 is read as ‘sepuluh’ (‘se-pu-luh’)
Easy, right? Now, let’s upped it another level and discuss the next numbers (11-99)!
11 is read as ‘sebelas’ (‘se-be-las’)
12 is read as ‘dua belas’ (‘du-a be-las’)
15 is read as ‘lima belas’ (‘li-ma be-las’)
20 is read as ‘dua puluh’ (‘du-a pu-luh’)
28 is read as ‘dua puluh delapan’ (‘du-a pu-luh de-la-pan’)
30 is read as ‘tiga puluh’ (‘ti-ga pu-luh’)
60 is read as ‘enam puluh’ (‘e-nam pu-luh’)
81 is read as ‘delapan puluh satu’ (‘de-la-pan pu-luh sa-tu’)
99 is read as ‘sembilan puluh sembilan’ (‘sem-bi-lan pu-luh sem-bi-lan’)
From the examples above, can you see the pattern? Starting from 11, or even from 10, you might see that 10 and 11 are strange because different from their fellow teens, they use ‘se-’ as opposed to ‘satu’. Why not say ‘satu puluh’ or ‘satu belas’? This is because the prefix ‘se-’ has the same meaning as ‘a/an’. For example, if you say ‘a person’ in Bahasa Indonesia it will become ‘seorang’ with ‘se-’ representing one or a/an and ‘orang’ means person/human. This prefix also applies for one hundred and one thousand, which I will explain further later one.
For now, let’s continue discussing these numbers. As you can see from the examples of 12 and 15, the teens follow a simply pattern: the last digit + ‘belas’. Mind you, this pattern only applies until 19. However, there are no other irregularities in the ‘belasan’ or teens row other than the on for 11 as I’ve mentioned above. To understand this easier, just think of English numbers pronunciation, where, for example, 14 is read as ‘fourteen’ (the last digit + ‘teen’) and 19 is read as ‘nineteen’ (the last digit + ‘teen’). In short, ‘belas’ in Bahasa Indonesia is the same as ‘teen’ in English.
Now for the tens, the pattern is also very simple: the first digit + ‘puluh’. In this ‘puluhan’ or tens row, there are also no irregularities other than 10. Even when you add another digit in the back, you simply need to add the ‘satuan’ or ones on the back of it, making the pattern became first digit + ‘puluh’ + last digit. For this one also, just think of English numbers. For example, 60 is read as ‘sixty’ (the first digit + ‘ty’) and 99 is read as ninety-nine (the first digit + ‘ty’ + the last digit).
Next, we’ll learn hundreds, thousands, and so on. To be short:
· Hundreds = ‘ratus’
· Thousands = ‘ribu’
· Millions = ‘juta’
· Billion = ‘miliar’
As I’ve said before, for 100 and 1.000 we use the prefix ‘se-’, so it became ‘seratus’ and ‘seribu’ respectively. For 10.000 and 100.000 it became ‘sepuluh ribu’ and ‘seratus ribu’. You can say we divide our number per thousand (3 zeros), the same as in English and different from, say, Japanese. The rest of hundreds and thousands use the same pattern as before, using the same satuan (ones). For example, 300 is read as ‘tiga ratus’, 5.000 is read as ‘lima ribu’, 90.000 is read as ‘sembilan puluh ribu’, and 700.000 is read as ‘tujuh ratus ribu’.
In the same line, 1.000.000 is read as ‘satu juta’ and 1.000.000.000 is read as ‘satu miliar’. Notice that for one million and one billion, we’re back to using ‘satu’ as opposed to ‘se-’. However, the rest are still the same, where, for example, 4.000.000 is read as ‘empat juta’, 20.000.000 is read as ‘dua puluh juta’, 800.000.000 is read as ‘delapan ratus juta’, and 6.000.000.000 is read as ‘enam miliar’.
Also, note that I use full stop mark (.) to divide the thousands, rather than a comma (,). This is not a typo, as in Indonesia, the thousands are divided by a full stop mark. Whereas the comma is used in decimals. You can say the use of full stop and comma in Indonesian number is reversed from the English counterpart. Say, in English, π will be written as 3.14 and read as three point one four. However, in Indonesia it will be written as 3,14 and read as ‘tiga koma satu empat’. Here, ‘koma’ means ‘comma’; very similar right? Another thing to remember is that the numbers after the ‘koma’ are not tens or thousands but instead an individual number and as such should be read as so. Still, a lot of Indonesian read that number as ‘tiga koma empat belas’ as it is easier for them to say, and even though it is not correct, people still understand what they are trying to say.
Now, learning numbers is very important, especially when you’re dealing with money and currency. The smallest Indonesian currency used currently is IDR100, but this has no real practical use AKA you cannot buy anything with only IDR100 any longer. Also, while the international symbol of Indonesia’s currency, Rupiah, is IDR (Indonesian Rupiah), Indonesian use the symbol Rp in everyday lives, and barely anyone use IDR. Our coin and paper currencies are Rp100, Rp200, Rp500, Rp1.000, Rp2.000, Rp5.000, Rp10.000, Rp20.000, Rp50.000, and Rp100.000.
As you can see, our currency doesn’t start at 1 or even less than that (cents). In a way, you can say that Rp1.000 is like, though not equal to, US$1, and those less than Rp1.000 are like, but again not equal to, cents. The current exchange rate is Rp13.000 something for US$1, I think, though it might change already. So, yes, the Rupiah is quite weak compared to the currency of developed country like USA or Japan, though I think average when compared to fellow developing countries. The cost of living in Indonesia, however, has been said to be quite low as compared to those developed country. For example, you can still buy a fulfilling meal of rice, vegetable, and a bit of protein for less than Rp10.000, even in metropolitan cities. That’s less than $1 for a meal! Of course, if you want to buy more luxurious meals, you have to pay more, and the prices in Indonesia has slowly risen because of many factors, but it still stands that you can get a B*gM*c at a price of less than half in Indonesia than if you buy it in the USA (according to the Big Mac Index in January 2020, at the very least).
The conclusion of today’s lesson is as follow:
So, yeah, that’s it for basic numbers. I might post another one to explain about mathematical expressions and measurements in Bahasa Indonesia later on.
Semangat~!
Trivia:
1. The word ‘kosong’ often used to read the number ‘0’ actually means ‘empty’ in Bahasa Indonesia, just like how zero is null.
2. If you choose not to sound the ‘h’ at the end of ‘tujuh’ (7), then be careful because the world ‘tuju’ itself exist in Bahasa Indonesia and means ‘headed’ as in going to a destination, though it is usually accompanied by affixes.
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