Kacang lupa kulitnya.
Peanuts forget their shells.
– Indonesian proverb

This proverb is used to describe someone who has forgotten its roots. I’d just like to share some useful phrases to talk about our background, including our family, hometown, nationality, and heritage.

Latar belakang: background

1. Kamu lahir di mana? = What’s your birthplace?
You [were born] where?

• lahir (verb) = to be born

Saya lahir di Bandung.
I was born in Bandung.

2. Kamu lahir tanggal berapa? = What’s your date of birth?
You [were born] date which?

• tanggal (noun) = date

Saya lahir tanggal 31 Juli 1991.
I was born on 31 Jult 1991.

TTL /té.té.él/ (Tempat Tanggal Lahir) = Place and date of birth (found in forms)

3. Kamu besar di mana? = Where did you grow up
You [grew up] where?

• besar (verb) = to grow up
• besar (adj) = big

Saya besar di Sydney.
I grew up in Sydney.

4. Kamu pernah tinggal di mana saja?  = Where have you lived?
You ever stay/live where else?

• tinggal (verb) = to stay or to live
• pernah (marker) = temporal or perfective aspect
  marker

Pernah indicates action which had happened in the past or used to happen. In English, the usage of pernah is often equivalent to the perfective tense.

Saya pernah tinggal di Tokyo dan New York.
I’ve lived in Tokyo and New York.

Family questions

Family members

Bapak/Ayah/Papa = father
Ibu/Bunda/Mama = mother
Kakak = older sibling
Adik = younger sibling
Laki-laki = male
Perempuan = female
Saudara kembar (kembaran) = twin sister/brother
Anak sulung = oldest child
Anak bungsu = youngest child

1. Kamu berapa bersaudara? = How many siblings do you have?
You [how many] [to have siblings]?

• bersaudara (verb; ber- + saudara) = to have siblings
• saudara (noun) = siblings

Saya punya satu kakak laki-laki dan dua adik perempuan. I have one older brother and one younger sister.

2. Kakak-adikmu umur berapa? = How old are your siblings
Siblings[-mu=your] age [how many]?

• umur (noun) = age

Kakak saya (ber)umur 21 tahun sedangkan adik saya (ber)umur 10 tahun.
My older sibling’s 21 while my younger sibling is 10.

3. Kamu asli Inggris? = Are you originally from English?
You origin England?

asli (noun)= origin (used to ask about your birthplace, but sometimes people use it to ask about your heritage)

Saya (ber)asal dari Inggris, tapi orang tua saya asli Indonesia.
I’m from England, but my parents are originally from Indonesia.

• berasal (verb; ber- + asal) = to come from

Heritage

A couple of friends have expressed frustrations at not being to convey their national identity or heritage in Indonesian. So here’s a couple of keywords. (Ask for particular phrases)

Identity

• Warga negara (noun) = nationality
• Saya warga negara Mesir. = I’m Egyptian (citizen of Egypt).
• Keturunan (noun) = descent
• Saya keturunan India. = I’m Indian descent.
• Suku (noun) = tribe, ethnic group (used mostly in Indonesia)
• Saya orang Bugis. Itu suku saya. = I’m Bugis. That’s my ethnic group.
• Anak angkat/adopsi (noun) = adopted child
• Saya anak angkat/adopsi. Saya diadopsi oleh keluarga Amerika. = I was adopted by an American family.
• Campuran (noun) = mixed
• Saya campuran. Bapak saya kulit hitam dan ibu saya kulit putih. = I’m mixed race. My father’s black and my mother’s white.

Semoga membantu!

I often get these questions from my students, which come from very diverse backgrounds. Ask me for specific phrases or words

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