Bali is a fascinating island in Indonesia. If you travel to its territory, you naturally want to be able to greet the people you meet in a friendly, polite and respectful way. Learn to say "hello" or "good morning" and to address other greetings even before leaving.
Steps
Method 1 of 2: Say "Hello" or "Good morning" in Balinese
Step 1. "Hello" or "good morning" is "om suastiastu"
For a generic greeting in Balinese you can say "om suastiastu". The Balinese language adopts a different alphabet than the Latin one, so this is the phonetic transcription of its pronunciation. It is a kind of "pidgin" version of the language, which allows those who do not know the alphabet to pronounce individual sentences.
- Say the sentence as you see it written. It may be useful to imagine it divided into three parts: "Om Swasti Astu". Put a slight accent on the syllable "Om" and the sound "ast", which is repeated twice: "Om SwASti AStu."
- To learn the correct pronunciation, you can listen to an online recording of a native speaker.
- The literal translation is "peace and greetings from God".
- You answer by repeating the same formula: "om suastiastu".
Step 2. Use the correct gestures
In Balinese culture, words are traditionally accompanied by specific gestures. To show the utmost education and respect for the person you are greeting, hold your hands in front of your chest in the prayer position, palms together and fingers pointing up.
- It is a traditional Hindu greeting, which has recently spread.
- Many will greet you with a light handshake. Some will follow the act of touching the chest as part of the greeting ritual.
Step 3. Try other greetings
You can also throw yourself into other expressions that allow you to say things like "good morning" and "good evening". A slightly wider repertoire of greetings will help you feel even more in tune with your Balinese host.
- "Good morning" is said "rahajeng semeng".
- "Good evening" is "rahajeng wengi".
Step 4. Say hello in Indonesian ("Bahasa Indonesia")
Another widely spoken language in Bali is Indonesian, so why not learn the main greeting formulas in this language too? To say hello, it is often used to simply say "Halo" or "Hi". It also says "Apa kabar?" Which means "How are you?". Other commonly used greetings depend on the time of day.
- "Good morning" is said "Selamat pagi".
- "Good afternoon" is said "Selamat siang".
- "Good evening" is said "Selamat sore".
- "Goodnight" is said to be "Selamat malam".
- You can practice pronunciation by listening to correctly pronounced sentences online.
Method 2 of 2: Learn More Basic Greeting Formulas
Step 1. Introduce yourself
When you greet someone in Balinese you might be interested in being able to introduce yourself. You can do this by saying the phrase "wastan tiang", followed by your name. The translation is simply "my name is …". You can continue by asking your interlocutor what is his name: "sira pesengen ragane?".
Step 2. Give thanks
If you've stopped to ask for road information, before saying goodbye to whoever provided it to you, you'll want to thank them warmly for their help. In Balinese thanks are said by saying "suksma", which translates as "thank you".
If you want to be even more cordial you can say "terima kasih" ("Thank you") or "matur suksma" ("Thank you very much")
Step 3. End the conversation politely
After greeting someone with respect, you will want to end the conversation the same way. Saying "goodbye" in a more polite way than with a simple "hello" ("dah" in Indonesian dialect) will receive the approval of your interlocutor. The most polite farewell formula is "Titiang lungsur mapamit dumun", which roughly translates as "I ask for leave". It is generally aimed at highly respected people or members of a higher caste.
- Other farewell formulas are "Pamit dumun", "Pamit", "Ngiring dumun" and "Ngiring".
- A slightly more informal alternative, to tell someone you know well, is "Kalihin malu".
