Sorry in Indonesian is maaf (mah-AHF, two syllables, with a small catch between the a's). It is both "sorry" and "pardon", and the softer maafkan saya or saya minta maaf is "I apologise". Excuse me, when you are passing someone or getting attention, is permisi (per-MEE-see). And the reply to an apology, the one you will say and hear every day, is nggak apa-apa (ng-GAH AH-pah AH-pah), "it's nothing", often shortened to gapapa.
Here is the quick version, then each one with examples.
- Maaf: sorry, pardon. Any size of apology, and also "sorry?" when you did not hear.
- Maaf, ya: sorry (soft, between friends).
- Saya minta maaf / mohon maaf: I apologise / we apologise. Formal.
- Permisi: excuse me. Passing, entering, interrupting.
- Nggak apa-apa / gapapa: it's fine, no problem. The reply.
- Turut berduka cita: my condolences. The "sorry" for a loss.
1. Maaf, and how big the apology is
Maaf is from Arabic and means forgiveness. On its own it covers bumping into someone, being late and interrupting. The size of the apology comes from what you put around it.
- Maaf. Sorry.
- Maaf, ya, telat. Sorry I'm late.
- Maaf, saya nggak sengaja. Sorry, I didn't mean to.
- Saya minta maaf. I apologise. (serious)
- Mohon maaf atas ketidaknyamanannya. We apologise for the inconvenience. (signs, announcements)
Maaf is also the polite way to start a question to a stranger, where English uses "excuse me": maaf, Pak, stasiun di mana? (excuse me, sir, where is the station?). And said with a rising tone, maaf? is "sorry, what did you say?"
2. Permisi: excuse me
Permisi asks for a small permission: to pass, to enter, to interrupt, to leave. You say it squeezing through a crowd, at the door of a house or shop, and when you get up from a group. It is the word that makes you polite in Indonesian without any sorry at all.
- Permisi, numpang lewat. Excuse me, coming through.
- Permisi, ada orang? Excuse me, anyone home?
- Permisi, saya duluan. Excuse me, I'm off. (See how to say goodbye.)
3. Nggak apa-apa: the reply
When someone apologises, the answer is nggak apa-apa (it's nothing), spoken fast as gapapa and written gpp in texts. The formal form is tidak apa-apa. It also answers "is it okay if...?" and "are you alright?", so you will use it constantly. Our page on nggak covers the word it is built on.
- Maaf, ya. Nggak apa-apa. Sorry. It's fine.
- Maaf, saya telat. Gapapa, santai. Sorry I'm late. No problem, relax.
- Kamu nggak apa-apa? Are you okay?
4. Sorry for a loss, and sorry before Lebaran
Condolences are turut berduka cita (I share your grief), or the shorter ikut berduka. For a Muslim family, innalillahi is the first thing said on hearing of a death. And once a year, at the end of Ramadan, the whole country apologises to each other: mohon maaf lahir dan batin (forgive me, body and soul) is the Lebaran greeting, sent by text to everyone you know. If you are in Indonesia then, send it too.
Common mistakes
Maaf when you only want to pass. Say permisi. Maaf for squeezing past sounds like you did something wrong.
Permisi as an apology. Permisi asks leave; it does not say sorry. If you stepped on a foot, maaf.
Over-apologising. English speakers say sorry far more than Indonesians. A maaf for a real mistake, a permisi to pass, and otherwise a smile.
Tidak apa-apa in a chat. Correct, but nobody writes it. Gapapa or gpp.
FAQ
How do you say sorry in Indonesian?
Maaf, pronounced mah-AHF. For a proper apology, saya minta maaf.
How do you say excuse me in Indonesian?
Permisi to pass, enter, interrupt or leave. Maaf to get a stranger's attention before a question.
What does nggak apa-apa mean?
"It's fine", "no problem", "never mind". It is the reply to an apology, and also "it's okay" in general. Shortened to gapapa.
What is the difference between maaf and permisi?
Maaf is sorry; it admits a fault or softens a question. Permisi is excuse me; it asks a small permission and admits nothing.
How do you say I'm sorry for your loss in Indonesian?
Turut berduka cita, or the shorter ikut berduka.
The reply tells you more than the phrase
Any phrasebook gives maaf. The reply, gapapa, santai, is where spoken Indonesian starts, and it is what learners who studied only the book cannot catch. Our list of 50 basic Indonesian phrases gives the textbook form and the spoken form for each.
JADI teaches the spoken forms from the first lesson: every one is written by Yohana, a native Indonesian teacher, with audio for every sentence and spaced repetition so it stays. The first 6 lesson days are free.
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