Language/Indonesian/Vocabulary/Animal
In this lesson, you will learn to talk about animals in Indonesian: words, expressions, idioms, cultural facts and videos. Good learning!
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Animals (Alphabetical Order)
| English Name | Indonesian Name |
|---|---|
| ant | semut |
| arowana | arwana |
| bear | beruang |
| bee | lebah |
| beetle | kumbang badak |
| bird | burung |
| bird of paradise | cenderawasih |
| boar | babi hutan |
| buffalo | kerbau |
| buffalo, midget | anoa |
| butterfly | kupu-kupu |
| camel | unta |
| cassowary | kasuari |
| cat | kucing |
| caterpillar | ulat |
| chicken | ayam |
| chimpanzee | simpanse |
| civet | musang |
| cockroach | kecoak |
| cocoon | kepompong |
| cow | sapi |
| cricket | jangkrik |
| crocodile | buaya |
| crow | gagak |
| deer | rusa |
| dog | anjing |
| dragon | naga |
| dragonfly | capung |
| dove | burung dara |
| duck | bebek |
| eagle | elang |
| elephant | gajah |
| fish | ikan |
| fly | lalat |
| fox | rubah |
| frog | katak |
| gecko | tokek |
| giraffe | zarafah |
| grasshopper | belalang |
| goat | kambing |
| gorilla | gorila |
| hippopotamus | kuda nil |
| horse | kuda |
| iguana | iguana |
| kangaroo | kangguru |
| koala | koala |
| komodo dragon | komodo |
| ladybird | kumbang |
| leech | lintah |
| lion | singa |
| lizard | kadal |
| monkey | monyet |
| mosquito | nyamuk |
| mouse | tikus |
| orangutan | orangutan |
| owl | burung hantu |
| panda | panda |
| parrot | beo |
| peacock | burung merak |
| pig | babi |
| pigeon | burung merpati |
| rabbit | kelinci |
| seal | anjing laut |
| sea lion | singa laut |
| shark | ikan hiu |
| sheep | domba |
| shrimp | udang |
| snail | siput |
| snake | ular |
| squirrel | tupai |
| swan | angsa |
| tiger | harimau |
| wallaby | walabi |
| whale | paus |
| wolf | serigala |
| worm | cacing |
| zebra | zebra |
Animals Endemic to Indonesia
There are various animals which are native to Indonesia. Even some of them only live in Indonesia. Below is a list of endemic animals of Indonesia:
- Bird of Paradise
- Cassowary
- Javan rhinoceros
- Komodo dragon
- Orangutan
- Peacock
- Sumatran elephant
- Sumatran tiger
- Tapir
Curse Words
In Indonesian, many animals are used as curse words. This case is similar to the English bitch which literally means a female dog. Some of the animals that are used to curse are:
- anjing - dog
- babi - pig
- monyet - monkey
Idioms
Some animals are also used in Indonesian idioms.
- buaya darat - land crocodile Has the same meaning with the English playboy.
- kabar burung - bird news Rumours.
- lintah darat - land leech Has the same meaning with the English loan shark.
- mata sapi - cow's eye A sunny side egg.
- mati ayam - chicken dead Used to describe an absurd, stupid death.
- membeo - parroting Used to describe someone who likes to copy someone else's words.
- muka badak - rhinoceros' face Used to describe someone who literally has no shame of doing anything anymore.
- otak udang - prawn brained Used to describe someone stupid. It is known that a prawn stores its faeces inside its head.
- ular kepala dua - two headed snake Used to describe a hypocrite.
Cultural facts
The Rooster
In Southeast Asia, the rooster has roots in rituals as a sacred vessel to religious worship.
In Indonesia, cockfighting is an ancient tradition from Balinese Hinduism.
The Horse
There are more than 20 different breeds of horse in Indonesia, and their presence can be traced to the 13th century.
In The Diponegro War diorama, showcased at the Monumen Nasional, the horse is a vehicle for man’s expeditions in discovery and war throughout history.
The Monkey
The monkey has long been represented in Hindu mythology as brave, loyal and dedicated to justice.
In the Ramayana epic, an army of monkeys attack Kumbakarna in a struggle to free the kidnapped wife of the hero Rama.