How are you in Indonesian is apa kabar? (AH-pah KAH-bar), and the answer is baik (fine) or kabar baik (literally "good news"). Apa means "what" and kabar means "news", so the question is "what news?". It is the standard greeting between people who know each other, and it often replaces hello altogether. In casual speech you will hear the longer gimana kabarnya? (how's it going?) or just gimana?.
Here is the quick version, then each one with examples.
- Apa kabar?: how are you? Fine with anyone.
- Gimana kabarnya? (gee-MAH-nah kah-BAR-nyah): how's things? Casual. Gimana is the spoken form of bagaimana, "how".
- Baik / kabar baik: fine / good. The standard reply.
- Baik-baik aja: fine, just fine. The reply people actually give.
- Kamu? / Bapak? / Ibu?: and you? Add it after your answer.
1. Apa kabar and its answers
Apa kabar? has no tense and no "you" in it, so it works for one person or a whole room. The polite full reply is kabar baik, terima kasih (good, thank you). In conversation that becomes baik or baik-baik aja (just fine; aja is the spoken form of saja, "just"). Then return the question.
- Apa kabar? Baik. Kamu? How are you? Fine. You?
- Apa kabar, Pak? Baik, terima kasih. Bapak? How are you, sir? Well, thank you. And you?
- Apa kabar? Alhamdulillah, baik. How are you? Thank God, fine. (Very common among Muslim Indonesians, and a warm answer from anyone.)
Other honest answers: lumayan (not bad), capek (tired), sibuk (busy), kurang sehat (not too well). Indonesians do answer honestly more often than English speakers do, especially about being tired.
2. Gimana kabarnya, the spoken version
Among friends, apa kabar can sound a little like a textbook. The everyday forms are gimana kabarnya? (how's your news?) and the bare gimana? (how's it going?). Our page on what gimana means covers that word's other jobs. The answer is the same baik or baik-baik aja, and the question often comes with a name or a bro / kak attached.
- Gimana kabarnya, Kak? Baik-baik aja. Kamu gimana? How are you? Just fine. How about you?
- Eh, gimana? Lumayan. Hey, how's it going? Not bad.
3. Asking about someone else
Put the person after kabar: apa kabar ibumu? (how is your mother?), gimana kabar keluarga? (how is the family?). The reply is baik or sehat (healthy, well).
4. The greetings Indonesians use instead
Apa kabar is for people you have not seen for a while. For someone you see every day, the greeting is more likely a practical question: udah makan? (eaten yet?), mau ke mana? (where are you off to?), dari mana? (where have you been?). They want a one-word answer, not a report. See how to say hello in Indonesian for that set.
Common mistakes
Apa kabar to someone you saw an hour ago. It implies time has passed. Use hai or a practical question instead.
Answering with a full sentence. Baik is enough. Saya baik-baik saja, terima kasih is grammatical and nobody says it.
Forgetting to ask back. Baik, kamu? is the whole exchange. Stopping at baik sounds abrupt.
Kabar as "news" in the media sense. For a news story, Indonesian uses berita. Kabar is personal news, how someone is doing.
FAQ
What does apa kabar mean in English?
"How are you?" Literally "what news?", from apa (what) and kabar (news).
How do you answer apa kabar?
Baik (fine) or kabar baik (good). In conversation most people say baik-baik aja (just fine), then ask back with kamu? (and you?).
How do you say how are you in Indonesian informally?
Gimana kabarnya? or just gimana?. Gimana is the spoken form of bagaimana (how).
Is apa kabar formal or informal?
Neutral. It works with friends, strangers and elders. With elders add Pak or Bu, and reply with Bapak? or Ibu? rather than kamu?.
How do you say I am fine in Indonesian?
Saya baik or, in conversation, baik-baik aja. Aku replaces saya between friends.
The reply is where the real Indonesian starts
Any phrasebook gives you apa kabar. What comes back, baik-baik aja, lumayan, capek banget, is spoken Indonesian, and that is what JADI teaches from the first lesson. Our list of 50 basic Indonesian phrases gives the textbook form and the spoken form for each.
Every JADI lesson is written by Yohana, a native Indonesian teacher, around the sentences people say, with audio for each one and spaced repetition so they stay. The first 6 lesson days are free.
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