Family Terms in Indonesian

Overview

Indonesian family vocabulary reflects the culture's strong emphasis on family relationships and social hierarchy. One distinctive feature is that sibling terms are based on age rather than gender: kakak means "older sibling" (brother or sister) and adik means "younger sibling." Gender can be specified by adding laki-laki (male) or perempuan (female).

Family terms are also widely used as address terms in Indonesian society. You might call a stranger Bapak/Pak (father/sir) or Ibu/Bu (mother/ma'am) as a sign of respect, even if they are not related to you. This dual use makes family vocabulary doubly important.

How It Works

Core Family Terms

Indonesian	English
ayah / bapak	father
ibu	mother
kakak	older sibling
adik	younger sibling
anak	child
suami	husband
istri	wife
kakek	grandfather
nenek	grandmother

Extended Family

Indonesian	English
paman / om	uncle
bibi / tante	aunt
sepupu	cousin
keponakan	niece/nephew
cucu	grandchild
mertua	parent-in-law
menantu	son/daughter-in-law

Specifying Gender

Indonesian	English
kakak laki-laki	older brother
kakak perempuan	older sister
adik laki-laki	younger brother
adik perempuan	younger sister
anak laki-laki	son
anak perempuan	daughter

Examples in Context

Indonesian	English	Note
Ayah ibu saya di Indonesia.	My parents are in Indonesia.	Core family
Kakak saya lebih tua.	My older sibling is older.	Age-based term
Adik sedang belajar.	Younger sibling is studying.	Subject without pronoun
Keluarga saya ada 5 orang.	My family has 5 people.	Counting family members
Dia anak pertama.	He/She is the first child.	Birth order
Ibu memasak di dapur.	Mother cooks in the kitchen.	Family as subject
Berapa saudara kamu?	How many siblings do you have?	Common question
Nenek tinggal di desa.	Grandmother lives in the village.	Extended family
Dia sudah punya cucu.	He/She already has grandchildren.	Family status
Suami saya orang Jawa.	My husband is Javanese.	Married relationship

Common Mistakes

Using gender-specific terms for siblings

• Wrong: Looking for separate words for "brother" and "sister"
• Right: Use kakak (older sibling) and adik (younger sibling); add gender if needed
• Why: Indonesian prioritizes age hierarchy over gender in sibling terms.

Forgetting that family terms double as address terms

• Wrong: Only using family terms for actual relatives
• Right: Ibu and Bapak are used to address any adult respectfully
• Why: In Indonesian culture, using family terms for non-relatives shows respect and warmth.

Using orang tua literally

• Wrong: Thinking orang tua means "old person"
• Right: Orang tua means "parents" (literally "old people")
• Why: This is a fixed expression. For "old person," use orang yang sudah tua or orang lanjut usia.

Practice Tips

1. Draw your family tree and label each person with the Indonesian term. Practice introducing each family member: Ini ayah saya, ini ibu saya, ini kakak saya...
2. Practice the question Berapa saudara kamu? (How many siblings do you have?) and your answer, as this is one of the most common conversation topics in Indonesia.

Related Concepts

• Personal Pronouns — family terms often replace pronouns in conversation