Beautiful in Indonesian is cantik (CHAN-tik) for a person, usually a woman, and indah (IN-dah) for a view, a place or a piece of music. A man is ganteng (GAHN-teng), handsome. For things, from a shirt to a plan, the everyday word is bagus (BAH-goos), good or nice. And the compliment you will hear most from younger Indonesians is keren (kuh-REN), cool. Pick the wrong one and you are understood, but cantik for a sunset and indah for a friend both sound slightly off.
Here is the quick version, then each one with examples.
- Cantik: beautiful, pretty. People (women, girls), also flowers, dresses, handwriting.
- Indah: beautiful. Scenery, places, music, memories. Not people.
- Ganteng: handsome. Men and boys. Formal: tampan.
- Bagus: good, nice, well made. Things, performances, ideas.
- Keren: cool, awesome. Anything, in casual speech.
- Banget (BAH-nget): very, so. Put after any of them: cantik banget, so beautiful.
1. Cantik: beautiful people
Cantik is the word for a beautiful woman or girl, and by extension for things that are pretty in a delicate way: a dress, a flower, a cake, a photo of a person. The spoken intensifier is banget after the adjective; the textbook sangat goes before it and sounds written.
- Kamu cantik banget hari ini. You look so beautiful today.
- Bunganya cantik. The flowers are pretty.
- Cantik sekali. Very beautiful. (polite, slightly formal)
Indonesians give this compliment freely and expect a light reply: makasih with a laugh, or ah, bisa aja (oh, you're just saying that). Our page on thank you in Indonesian has the forms.
2. Indah: beautiful places and things of beauty
Indah is for beauty you look at or listen to: a view, a beach, a temple, a song, a poem. It is never used for a person's looks. The word for "beautiful" in the name of a place or a dream also tends to be indah: mimpi indah, sweet dreams.
- Pemandangannya indah sekali. The view is beautiful.
- Pantai ini indah banget. This beach is gorgeous.
- Lagunya indah. The song is beautiful.
3. Ganteng and tampan: handsome
Ganteng is the everyday word for a good-looking man; tampan is the same thing in formal or written Indonesian. Like cantik, it is used openly, including by mothers about sons and by shop staff about customers. Cakep (CHAH-kep) is a casual word that works for either gender, "good-looking".
- Pacarmu ganteng, ya. Your boyfriend is handsome.
- Anaknya cakep. Their kid is good-looking.
4. Bagus: good, nice, well made
Bagus is the workhorse. It is the word for a nice shirt, a good film, a well-built house, a smart plan. If you are unsure which beauty-word fits a thing, bagus is almost always safe. It is also the one-word reply of approval: Bagus! (Good! Nice one!).
- Bajunya bagus. Nice shirt.
- Filmnya bagus banget. The film was really good.
- Ide yang bagus. Good idea.
- Bagus, lanjutkan. Good, carry on.
5. Keren and the compliments people actually use
Among anyone under about forty, keren (cool) covers most of what English would call awesome, great or stylish: a motorbike, a photo, an outfit, a trick. You will also hear mantap (solid, excellent, often about food or a performance), oke banget (really good) and luar biasa (extraordinary, a little formal). For food the word is enak (tasty), never bagus.
- Keren banget motornya! Your bike is so cool!
- Mantap! Excellent! (a plate of nasi goreng, a goal)
- Enak banget. Delicious.
Common mistakes
Cantik for a view. Say indah. Cantik makes the beach sound like a person.
Indah for a person. It sounds like a poem. Say cantik or ganteng.
Bagus for food. Food is enak. Bagus for a meal sounds as if you are judging the plate.
Sangat in conversation. Sangat cantik is correct and written. People say cantik banget.
FAQ
How do you say beautiful in Indonesian?
Cantik for a person, indah for a place, view or piece of music, bagus for a well-made thing.
How do you say you are beautiful in Indonesian?
Kamu cantik or, with feeling, kamu cantik banget. To someone older or in a formal setting, Anda cantik sekali.
What does cantik mean?
Beautiful or pretty, used of women and girls and of pretty things such as flowers and dresses.
What is the difference between cantik and indah?
Cantik is for people and pretty objects, indah is for scenery, places and art. A woman is cantik, a beach is indah.
How do you say handsome in Indonesian?
Ganteng in conversation, tampan in formal Indonesian. Cakep is a casual word for good-looking that works for anyone.
Compliments are a conversation
Knowing cantik from indah is the kind of thing a word list cannot teach and a native speaker corrects in a second. JADI's lessons are built around that: real sentences, written by Yohana, a native Indonesian teacher, with audio for every one and spaced repetition so they stay. Our list of 50 basic Indonesian phrases gives the textbook form and the spoken form for each. The first 6 lesson days are free.
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