Facts for Kids

In the early 1900s, leaders who wanted Indonesia to be one country chose Malay as the best language for unity. In 1926 a writer suggested the name "Bahasa Indonesia" and, in 1928, young leaders agreed to use it as part of the independence movement. This helped people from many islands feel they belonged to one nation.

During the 1940s, foreign rulers and wartime events changed which languages were used for government, and in 1945 Indonesia made its choice official. Writers and teachers then worked to modernize the language, adding new words and changing some old ones so Indonesian could be used everywhere.

Indonesia has a rich storytelling tradition. Long before printed books, people shared poems, dramas, and stories by speaking or singing in local languages. Modern literature in Indonesian grew in the late 1800s and 1900s, when writers began publishing novels, short stories, plays, and free-form poems about everyday life and big events.

Classic novels you might explore are Sitti Nurbaya, Azab dan Sengsara, and Sengsara Membawa Nikmat. Famous writers include Pramoedya Ananta Toer, W.S. Rendra, and Chairil Anwar. One well-known novel, Belenggu (Shackles), has been translated into other languages, so people around the world can read it. Which story would you like to read first?

Indonesian (also called Bahasa Indonesia) is the national language of Indonesia. It grew from the Malay language, which people used as a common way to talk with one another across many islands for centuries. Today Indonesia has more than 280 million people, and over 97% of them use Indonesian to study, work, watch TV, and talk with people from other islands.

Many people also speak a local language at home — there are more than 700 of those. Indonesian mixes words from Javanese, Sundanese, Arabic, Dutch, and English, so the language can feel like a big, welcoming toolbox of words. What word would you add to a toolbox of language?

Indonesian uses the same 26 letters as English: the basic Latin alphabet. Uppercase and lowercase letters look like the ones you know. Letter names are closer to Dutch pronunciation, but spelling is simple: words are usually written how they sound.

This simple spelling system is called phonemic orthography, which means each sound has a steady way to be written. Some letters like Q, V, and X appear mainly in borrowed words. You also see letter pairs like "ng" (as in sing) and "ny" (as in canyon) that show special sounds.

Measure words are small words you use in Indonesian when you count things. They tell what kind of thing you mean, because objects can be very different shapes and sizes. For example, you say *dua buah meja* for two tables, *seekor ayam* for one chicken, and *tiga biji buah* for three small round fruits. These little words help speakers know if you mean animals, people, long sticks, or thin sheets.

The word for one, se-, joins to measure words to mean “one of.” So *seorang* is one person and *seekor* is one animal. Using measure words makes counting clearer and sounds natural in Indonesian.

Indonesian is the country's official language and a strong symbol of national unity. The 1945 Constitution names Indonesian as the national language, and later rules explain how it should be used in schools, government, and media. This means official speeches, laws, and many documents are written in Indonesian so people across islands can understand them.

The law also says that, if an agreement in Indonesia is not written in Indonesian, it might not be valid. Indonesian is also open to words from local languages and from Dutch and English, which helps it grow and stay useful for new ideas.

Indonesian borrows words from many places. Local languages like Javanese and Sundanese add flavor, and foreign languages such as Arabic, Dutch, and English have left many loanwords. This mixing makes Indonesian a rich language with familiar sounds from other tongues. Because of these borrowings, some Indonesian words differ from the words used in Malaysia.

Here are common words you might hear every week and month names too. Days: Senin (sə.nin), Selasa (sə.la.sa), Rabu (ra.bu), Kamis (ka.mis), Jumat (dʒum.ʔat), Sabtu (sab.tu), Minggu (miŋ.gu). Months: Januari, Februari, Maret, April, Mei, Juni, Juli, Agustus, September, Oktober, November, Desember.