Indonesian might be an Austronesian language at its core, but scratch the surface and you’ll find Dutch lurking everywhere. Around 3,000 Dutch loanwords pepper modern Indonesian, a linguistic legacy of 350 years of colonial rule. Some are so deeply embedded that Indonesians rarely realise they’re speaking colonial remnants.
Why So Many Dutch Words?
When the Dutch East India Company (VOC) established control in the 17th century, they brought not just spices and trade, but bureaucracy, infrastructure, and European concepts unfamiliar to the archipelago. Malay (Indonesian’s predecessor) absorbed these terms out of necessity:
- Administrative terms (kantor from kantoor, meaning office)
- Legal jargon (advokat from advocaat, lawyer)
- Everyday objects (handuk from handdoek, towel)
Everyday Dutch-Indonesian Words
| Indonesian | Dutch Origin | English Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| sepeda | velocipède | bicycle |
| buku | boek | book |
| polisi | politie | police |
Pronunciation often shifted to fit Indonesian phonetics. Dutch schroef (screw) became sekrup, dropping the tricky Dutch sch sound.
False Friends & Curiosities
Not all loanwords kept their original meanings. The Dutch vrij (free) became prei in Indonesian – but now means leek, the vegetable. Meanwhile, karcis (ticket) comes from Dutch kaartjes, plural of ‘little card’.
gratis
/ˈɡratis/“free”
Modern Usage & Attitudes
Post-independence, Indonesia actively replaced some Dutch terms with Sanskrit or Malay-rooted alternatives (universitas became perguruan tinggi). Yet many Dutch words remain irreplaceable in daily speech. Younger Indonesians often don’t realise terms like rokok (cigarette, from roken) are Dutch imports.
For Dutch learners, recognising these cognates can be a fun shortcut. Check out our guide to everyday Dutch words to spot more connections.
