1 Kinship Terms 2 Social Hierarchy Terms 3 Introducing Others 4 Polite Address

챕터로 돌아가기

A1 Honorifics & Register 1 min read 쉬움

Social Hierarchy Terms

학습 완료로 표시

연습하기

Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds

In Indonesia, address people by their social role or age rather than just 'you' to show respect and build rapport.

Use 'Bapak' for older men or formal figures: 'Apakah Bapak mau makan?'
Use 'Ibu' for older women or formal figures: 'Ibu sudah makan?'
Use 'Kakak' or 'Mas/Mbak' for peers or slightly older people: 'Mas, ini kopinya.'

Title (Bapak/Ibu/Mas/Mbak) + Verb/Object

Common Address Terms

Term	Target	Register	Usage
Bapak	Older Man/Formal	Formal	High Respect
Ibu	Older Woman/Formal	Formal	High Respect
Mas	Younger Man/Peer	Neutral	Friendly
Mbak	Younger Woman/Peer	Neutral	Friendly
Anda	Generic You	Formal	Stiff/Rare
Kamu	Close Friend	Informal	Intimate

Meanings

Indonesian uses specific social titles instead of a generic 'you' (kamu/anda) to indicate respect, age, and social distance.

Respectful Address

Addressing someone older or in a higher position.

“Bapak mau ke mana?”

“Ibu sudah makan?”

Reference Table

Reference table for Social Hierarchy Terms
Form	Structure	Example
Affirmative	Title + Verb	Bapak makan.
Negative	Title + Tidak + Verb	Bapak tidak makan.
Question	Apakah + Title + Verb?	Apakah Bapak makan?
Polite Request	Title + Tolong + Verb	Bapak tolong bantu.
Greeting	Halo + Title	Halo, Ibu.
Closing	Terima kasih, Title	Terima kasih, Mas.

격식 수준 스펙트럼

격식체

Apakah Bapak/Ibu sedang makan?

Apakah Bapak/Ibu sedang makan? (Daily life)

중립

Mas/Mbak sedang makan?

Mas/Mbak sedang makan? (Daily life)

비격식체

Kamu lagi makan?

Kamu lagi makan? (Daily life)

속어

Lagi makan?

Lagi makan? (Daily life)

Address Term Hierarchy

Address Terms

Formal

Bapak Mr/Sir
Ibu Ms/Ma'am

Informal

Mas Young Man
Mbak Young Woman

수준별 예문

Bapak mau makan?

Would you (sir) like to eat?

Ibu, ini kopinya.

Ma'am, here is the coffee.

Mas, permisi.

Excuse me, sir (young).

Mbak, terima kasih.

Thank you, miss.

Apakah Bapak sudah punya tiket?

Do you (sir) already have a ticket?

Ibu mau pergi ke mana hari ini?

Where are you (ma'am) going today?

Mas, bisa bantu saya?

Could you (young man) help me?

Mbak, berapa harganya?

How much is it, miss?

Bapak, mohon maaf atas keterlambatannya.

Sir, I apologize for the delay.

Ibu, apakah ada waktu untuk rapat?

Ma'am, do you have time for a meeting?

Mas, tolong kirim dokumennya.

Could you please send the document?

Mbak, saya ingin memesan makanan.

I would like to order food.

Bapak sekiranya berkenan hadir di acara kami.

We hope you (sir) would be pleased to attend our event.

Ibu, mohon arahannya terkait proyek ini.

Ma'am, I request your guidance regarding this project.

Mas, apakah Anda sudah meninjau laporan tersebut?

Have you reviewed that report?

Mbak, saya sangat menghargai bantuan Anda.

I really appreciate your help.

Bapak, izinkan saya menyampaikan pendapat saya.

Sir, allow me to express my opinion.

Ibu, terima kasih atas bimbingan Ibu selama ini.

Thank you for your guidance all this time.

Mas, mari kita diskusikan strategi ini lebih lanjut.

Let's discuss this strategy further.

Mbak, mohon bantuannya untuk koordinasi acara.

I request your assistance in coordinating the event.

Bapak, kehadiran Bapak sangat berarti bagi kami.

Your presence is very meaningful to us.

Ibu, saya sangat menghormati dedikasi Ibu.

I truly respect your dedication.

Mas, saya rasa kita perlu meninjau kembali proposal ini.

I think we need to review this proposal.

Mbak, terima kasih atas kontribusi Mbak yang luar biasa.

Thank you for your extraordinary contribution.

혼동하기 쉬운

Social Hierarchy Terms 대 Anda vs Bapak/Ibu

Learners think 'Anda' is the standard 'you'.

Social Hierarchy Terms 대 Kamu vs Mas/Mbak

Learners think 'Kamu' is friendly.

Social Hierarchy Terms 대 Bapak vs Mas

Learners don't know when to switch.

자주 하는 실수

✗

Kamu

✓

Bapak/Ibu

Using 'Kamu' with a stranger is rude.

✗

Anda

✓

Bapak/Ibu

Anda sounds like a robot.

✗

Mas

✓

Mbak

Wrong gender.

✗

Bapak

✓

Mas

Too formal for a peer.

✗

Anda

✓

Bapak

Too stiff.

✗

Kamu

✓

Mbak

Too informal.

✗

Bapak

✓

Ibu

Wrong gender.

✗

Anda

✓

Bapak

Contextual mismatch.

✗

Kamu

✓

Mas

Contextual mismatch.

✗

Bapak

✓

Mas

Contextual mismatch.

✗

Anda

✓

Bapak

✗

Kamu

✓

Mas

✗

Bapak

✓

Ibu

✗

Mas

✓

Bapak

문장 패턴

___, apakah ___ mau makan?

___, tolong bantu saya.

Terima kasih, ___.

Apakah ___ sudah datang?

Real World Usage

Restaurant constant

Mas, minta menu.

Office very common

Bapak, ini laporannya.

Texting common

Ibu, nanti saya datang.

Street common

Permisi, Pak.

Shop very common

Mbak, berapa ini?

Meeting very common

Bapak, mohon izin.

💡

When in doubt, use Bapak/Ibu

If you aren't sure, Bapak/Ibu is always safe.

⚠️

Avoid 'Anda'

It sounds like a textbook or a robot.

🎯

Watch the locals

Observe how they address each other.

💬

Respect is key

Using titles is about respect, not just grammar.

Smart Tips

Start with 'Bapak' or 'Ibu' to be safe.

Halo, kamu siapa? → Halo, Bapak/Ibu, siapa namanya?

Use 'Mas' or 'Mbak' to get their attention.

Hei, ini menu! → Mas, boleh minta menu?

Always start with 'Permisi' and a title.

Di mana jalan ke sana? → Permisi, Pak, di mana jalan ke sana?

Use titles to be polite.

Kamu di mana? → Mas, lagi di mana?

발음

IPA: /bapak/

Bapak

Pronounced 'Bah-pahk'. The 'k' at the end is a glottal stop.

IPA: /ibu/

Ibu

Pronounced 'Ee-boo'.

Question

Bapak mau makan? ↑

Rising intonation for questions.

암기하기

기억법

Bapak is Big (older), Ibu is Important (older), Mas is Mate (peer), Mbak is Miss (peer).

시각적 연상

Imagine a formal office. The boss is 'Bapak' or 'Ibu' sitting at a large desk. The young colleagues are 'Mas' and 'Mbak' working at computers.

Rhyme

For men who are older, use Bapak with pride, for women who are older, Ibu is the guide.

Story

You walk into a shop. You see an older man, so you say 'Bapak'. You see a young woman, so you say 'Mbak'. They smile because you are polite.

Word Web

Bapak is the polite choice.

Choose the correct title. 객관식

Addressing a young man:

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Mas

Mas is for young men.

Fix the sentence. Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

Kamu mau ke mana, Pak?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Bapak mau ke mana?

Use Bapak for Pak.

Change to formal. Sentence Transformation

Kamu makan apa?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Bapak makan apa?

Bapak is formal.

Match the title to the person. Match Pairs

Match each item on the left with its pair on the right:

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Ibu

Ibu is for older women.

Which is most polite? 객관식

Addressing a boss:

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Bapak

Bapak is respectful.

Fill in the blank.

Terima kasih, ___.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Mbak

Mbak is polite.

Make it a question. Sentence Transformation

Bapak mau pergi.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Apakah Bapak mau pergi?

Use Apakah for questions.

Score: /8

연습 문제

8 exercises

Fill in the blank.

___, mau pesan apa?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Bapak

Bapak is the polite choice.

Choose the correct title. 객관식

Addressing a young man:

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Mas

Mas is for young men.

Fix the sentence. Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

Kamu mau ke mana, Pak?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Bapak mau ke mana?

Use Bapak for Pak.

Change to formal. Sentence Transformation

Kamu makan apa?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Bapak makan apa?

Bapak is formal.

Match the title to the person. Match Pairs

Match: Older Woman

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Ibu

Ibu is for older women.

Which is most polite? 객관식

Addressing a boss:

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Bapak

Bapak is respectful.

Fill in the blank.

Terima kasih, ___.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Mbak

Mbak is polite.

Make it a question. Sentence Transformation

Bapak mau pergi.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Apakah Bapak mau pergi?

Use Apakah for questions.

Score: /8

자주 묻는 질문 (8)

Indonesian culture values hierarchy and respect. Using 'you' (kamu/anda) is too direct.

People will understand, but it might sound a bit funny or rude. Just apologize and correct yourself.

Only in formal writing, like contracts or official emails.

It's about age and status. If they look older or are in a position of authority, use 'Bapak'.

Yes, they are standard across the country.

You can use 'Mas/Mbak' with friends, but 'Kamu' is more common among close friends.

Not really. You must choose based on gender.

These are short forms of 'Bapak' and 'Ibu'. They are very common.

Scaffolded Practice

1

2

3

4

Mastery Progress

Needs Practice

Improving

Strong

Mastered

In Other Languages

Spanish high

Señor/Señora

Indonesian titles replace the pronoun entirely.

French high

Monsieur/Madame

Indonesian uses them in almost all settings.

German moderate

Herr/Frau

Indonesian titles are used without surnames.

Japanese partial

-san

Indonesian titles are standalone words.

Arabic moderate

Sayyid/Sayyida

Indonesian titles are more frequent in daily speech.

Chinese moderate

Xiansheng/Nvshi

Indonesian titles come before the verb.

Learning Path

Prerequisites

Kinship Terms

Introducing Others

Related Grammar Rules

Informal Register

Formal vs Informal You

Polite Address

Address Terms