How to Say Hello in Balinese

Co-authored by Tian Zhou

Last Updated: September 9, 2022 References Approved

Bali is a beautiful island province in Indonesia. When you travel around Bali, you will want to be able to greet people you meet in a friendly, polite and respectful way. Learn to say "hello" as well as a few other greetings and phrases before you travel.

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Saying "Hello" in Balinese

1
Say "om suastiastu". To say "hello" in Balinese you should say "om suastiastu."^{[1]
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Research source} The Balinese language has a different alphabet to Western languages, so this transcribing of the phrase for hello is written as it is pronounced in Balinese. This is a kind of pidgin version of Balinese that makes it easier for people to speak certain phrases without learning the Balinese alphabet and script.^{[2]
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- Pronounce the phrase as it is spelled. It might help to think of it in three parts "Om Swasti Astu." Place a slight emphasis on the "Om" and the repeated "ast" sounds. "Om SwASti AStu."
- You can listen to a recording of someone saying "om suastiastu" online to listen for the pronunciation.^{[3]
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- The greeting translates as "peace and greetings from God."
- The person will reply with the same phrase "om suastiastu."
2
Use the right gestures. In Balinese culture you traditionally accompany words of greeting with a gesture. To be as polite and respectful as possible to the person you are greeting, you should hold your hands in front of your chest, in a praying position with the palms together and fingers pointed up.
- This is a traditional Hindu greeting, which has in recent years become more commonly used.
- Many people will greet you with a light handshake. Some people may touch their chest afterwards, as part of a greeting ritual.
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3
Try some alternative greetings. You can also try out some alternative Balinese greetings, which enable you to say things such as good morning and good evening. Having a slightly wider repertoire of greetings will help you feel a little more in tune with your Balinese hosts.^{[4]
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- To say good morning, say "rahajeng semeng."
- To say good evening, say "rahajeng wengi."
4
Say hello in Bahasa Indonesian. Another very common language spoken in Bali is Bahasa Indonesian, so why not learn some basic greetings in this language too? It is common to just say "Halo" or "Hi" to greet people. It is also common to greet someone by saying "how are you?" which translates as "Apa kabar?" Other commonly used greetings will depend on what time of day it is.^{[5]
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- Good morning translates as "Selamat pagi."
- Good afternoon is "Selamat siang."
- To say good evening, say "Selamat sore."
- For goodnight, say "Selamat malam."^{[6]
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- You can practice your pronunciation by listening to the phrases spoken correctly online.^{[7]
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Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Learning Some Other Basic Expressions

1
Introduce yourself. When you greet someone in Balinese, you might like to be able to introduce yourself. You can do this by saying "wastan tiang" followed by your name. This translates simply as "my name is..." You can follow this up by asking the person you are greeting what he or she is called, by asking "sira pesengen ragane."^{[8]
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2
Say thank you. If you have stopped and asked someone for help or directions, you will want to thank them warmly for the assistance before you say goodbye. You can thank someone in Balinese by saying "suksma," which translates as "thanks."^{[9]
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- For a more polite version, you could say "terima kasih" for "thank you," or "matur suksma" for "thank you very much."
3
Close a conversation politely. After greeting the person respectfully, you will want to end the conversation in the same way. People will appreciate you saying goodbye in a more polite way than just saying "bye", or "dah" in Indonesian slang. The most polite way to say goodbye is to say “Titiang lungsur mapamit dumun," which translates to "I’m taking leave now." This is generally used for people who are highly respected or of a high caste.^{[10]
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- Alternative farewells include “Pamit dumun,” “Pamit,” “Ngiring dumun,” and “Ngiring.”
- A more informal goodbye to someone you know well could be “Kalihin malu.”
- Flashcards help in learning a new language. You can use them to memorize the new vocabulary.
- First, write and learn the general and most essential words.
- You don't have to memorize every single word you don't know. Try to tackle 20-50 words per lesson, day, or week.