Numbers, Prices, and Bargaining in Indonesian
If there’s one category of vocabulary that will save you actual money in Indonesia, it’s numbers. Once you can count, ask prices, and negotiate with confidence, you transform from "tourist who pays the first price" to "savvy traveler who shops like a local."
Indonesian Numbers 1–10
Great news: Indonesian numbers are completely regular. No weird exceptions, no gender rules, no irregular forms.
- 1 – Satu (SAH-too)
- 2 – Dua (DOO-ah)
- 3 – Tiga (TEE-gah)
- 4 – Empat (EHM-paht)
- 5 – Lima (LEE-mah)
- 6 – Enam (EH-nahm)
- 7 – Tujuh (TOO-joo)
- 8 – Delapan (deh-LAH-pahn)
- 9 – Sembilan (sem-BEE-lahn)
- 10 – Sepuluh (seh-POO-loo)
Fun memory trick: "Lima" (five) also means "lime" the fruit. Hold up five fingers, picture a lime – you’ll never forget it.
Building Bigger Numbers
Here’s where Indonesian gets beautifully logical:
- 11 = sebelas (se + belas = one + teen)
- 20 = dua puluh (two + tens)
- 25 = dua puluh lima (two tens five)
- 100 = seratus (one hundred)
- 1,000 = seribu (one thousand)
You’ll need big numbers because Indonesian currency (Rupiah) uses large denominations. A meal might cost 25,000 rupiah (dua puluh lima ribu), which sounds enormous but is only about $1.50 USD.
The Essential Price Phrase
"Berapa harganya?" (beh-RAH-pah har-GAH-nyah) – "How much does it cost?"
This is your go-to. "Berapa" means "how much/how many" and "harga" means "price." The "-nya" suffix means "the/its." You’re literally asking "how much is its price?"
The Art of Bargaining
At traditional markets (pasar), street vendors, and souvenir shops, bargaining is expected and enjoyed. Here’s the flow:
- Point to what you want
- Ask: "Berapa harganya?"
- The vendor names a price (usually 2-3x what they’ll actually accept)
- You look surprised and say: "Terlalu mahal!" (Too expensive!)
- Counter with about 40-60% of their price
- Go back and forth, both smiling
- Meet somewhere in the middle
The key rule: always bargain with a smile. This is a social interaction, not a confrontation. Indonesians enjoy the dance of negotiation, and walking away with a laugh if you can’t agree is perfectly fine.
Where NOT to bargain: Supermarkets, malls, restaurants with printed menus, and any place with fixed price tags.
Practice your numbers in our Numbers and At the Market modules!