Indonesia is unique in that it’s a single country made up of tens of thousands of smaller islands, each with their own language or dialect. In the 1945 the government declared that Bhasa Indonesia (literally, the Language of Indonesia) would be the lingua franca of the nation. Thus, while it’s not necessarily the first language of every citizen, it’s taught in school and a universal means of communications for Indonesians. While most people in the touristy areas will speak English, it’s handy to know a bit of Indonesian while getting around.

It’s important to note that Bhasa Indonesia is the same language as Bhasa Malaysia—aside from a few dialectical differences, they are the same language, and all of these phrases can be used in Malaysia as well, with the exception of rural Borneo, where they speak Dusun!