Gimana means "how", and it is the everyday spoken form of bagaimana. You will hear it in every conversation: gimana kabarnya? (how are you?), gimana caranya? (how do you do it?), gimana? (so, what do you think?). A textbook will teach you bagaimana; the person next to you on the bus says gimana, and the two are the same word.
It is pronounced gee-MAH-nah, with a hard g as in "go".
Here is the quick version, then each use with examples.
- How: Gimana caranya? (How do you do it?)
- How are you: Gimana kabarnya? (How are things?)
- What about you: Gimana sama kamu? (How about you?)
- What do you think: Gimana? (Well? So?)
- So here's the thing: Jadi gimana... (So, the thing is...)
1. Gimana means "how"
The dictionary meaning. Gimana asks about the way or the manner of something.
- Gimana caranya ke bandara? How do I get to the airport?
- Gimana rasanya? How does it taste? / How does it feel?
- Gimana kalau besok? How about tomorrow?
- Gimana bisa? How is that possible?
Gimana kalau... (how about...) is the everyday way to make a suggestion, and gimana caranya (how, literally "how is the way") is the one you will use most as a learner.
2. Gimana kabarnya: the real "how are you"
Apa kabar? is the greeting every app teaches. Indonesians do say it, but between people who know each other the common form is gimana kabarnya? or just gimana?, how are things?
- Gimana kabarnya? Baik, kamu? How are you? Good, you?
- Gimana, sehat? How are you, well?
- Gimana, lancar? How's it going, smoothly?
Kabar means "news", so gimana kabarnya is literally "how is the news", and the answer is baik (good), sehat (healthy) or alhamdulillah (thank God). Small talk like this is covered in our podcast episode on basa-basi, with a native speaker explaining what the questions really mean.
3. Gimana sama kamu: turning the question around
Yohana ends several podcast episodes with the same line: Gimana sama kamu? or Gimana sama kalian?, how about you? In the episode on culture shock, beda budaya, it is Gimana sama kamu? Kamu udah pernah mengalami culture shock di Indonesia? How about you, have you ever had culture shock in Indonesia? In perkenalan, the introductions episode, it is Gimana sama kalian? Selain bahasa Indonesia, apa kalian belajar bahasa lain? How about you all, apart from Indonesian, are you learning other languages?
- Gimana sama kamu? How about you?
- Gimana pengalaman kalian? How was your experience?
- Kalau kamu gimana? And you, how about you?
Sama here means "with", not "same", and kalian is "you" to more than one person. This is the phrase that keeps a conversation going, and it is worth having ready.
4. Gimana on its own: "well?"
Said alone, with a rising tone, gimana? asks for a verdict, a decision or an update.
- Gimana? So? What do you think?
- Gimana, jadi? Well, is it on? (See our guide to what jadi means.)
- Gimana, udah? Well, done yet?
- Gimana dong? So what now? (Dong adds mild frustration or pleading.)
Gimana dong and gimana ya ("hmm, how though") are what people say when they are stuck. You will hear them more than you expect.
5. Jadi gimana: starting a story or a problem
Jadi gimana (so, how...) opens an explanation, a complaint or a bit of gossip.
- Jadi gimana ceritanya? So what happened? (Literally: so how is the story?)
- Jadi gimana, kita berangkat jam berapa? So, what time do we leave?
- Terus gimana? Then what? (The reply that keeps a story going.)
Ceritanya (the story) and terus (then, and then) are the two words that live next to gimana in a long chat.
Gimana vs bagaimana
| Word | Where you meet it | Example | |---|---|---| | gimana | speech, chat, social media | Gimana caranya? | | bagaimana | textbooks, news, formal speech, work emails | Bagaimana caranya? |
They mean exactly the same thing. Bagaimana is right anywhere; gimana is right everywhere except formal writing and formal speech. The clipping follows the same pattern as udah from sudah, nggak from tidak and gini from begini: Indonesian drops the first syllable of its most-used words in speech, and the spoken forms are the ones a learner needs to recognise by ear. The difference between the two columns is also the difference between most apps and real life, which we wrote about in Duolingo Indonesian: is it enough?.
Common mistakes
Translating "how" as gimana everywhere. "How old are you" is umur kamu berapa (literally "your age is how much"), and "how much" is berapa. Gimana is the manner of a thing, not its quantity.
Answering gimana kabarnya with a long answer. Baik is the answer. Then ask it back.
Using bagaimana in a chat message. Correct, and it reads like a government letter. Gimana is what your friends type.
Hearing gimana and bagaimana as two different words. Same word. If you learned only the long form, train your ear on the short one, because that is the one you will hear.
FAQ
What does gimana mean in English?
"How". It is the spoken form of bagaimana. On its own, gimana? means "well?" or "what do you think?".
What is the difference between gimana and bagaimana?
None in meaning. Gimana is casual and spoken; bagaimana is formal and written. Use gimana with friends and bagaimana in writing or with officials.
What does gimana kabarnya mean?
"How are you?", literally "how is the news?". It is the everyday version of apa kabar. Answer with baik (good) and ask it back.
What does gimana sama kamu mean?
"How about you?" or "what about you?". Sama here means "with". It is how you turn a question around to the other person.
What does gimana dong mean?
"So what now?" or "what should I do then?". Dong adds a note of frustration or appeal, so it is what people say when they are stuck.
Learn the question before the answer
Gimana is the first word of half the questions you will be asked in Indonesia. Knowing it, and knowing that bagaimana is the same word in a suit, is the difference between following a conversation and catching every third sentence.
Every JADI lesson is written by Yohana, a native Indonesian teacher, around spoken Indonesian, with audio for every sentence and spaced repetition so it sticks. Starting from zero? Our beginner's guide to learning Indonesian lays out the first three months. The first 6 lesson days are free.
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