Goodbye in Indonesian: Jalan or Tinggal

Indonesian splits goodbye according to who is going and who is staying. English does not, so this one has to be learned rather than guessed.

Selamat jalan is said to the person leaving. Jalan means to go, so you are wishing them a safe journey.

Selamat tinggal is said by the person leaving to those staying. Tinggal means to stay.

Why the mistake matters

Selamat tinggal carries weight. It is the goodbye of departures with no return date, of leaving the country, of the end of something. Say it as you walk out of a shop and you have announced you are leaving for good.

Rina waves goodbye while walking away, looking back over her shoulder at a friend who stays behind and waves back.

The cost of getting it backwards is not confusion but comedy, and the person will remember it.

The way out

Almost nobody uses either in daily life. Use sampai jumpa ‘see you’, which works in both directions and cannot be got wrong.

Sampai jumpa besok ‘see you tomorrow’
Sampai nanti ‘see you later’

What you’ll actually hear

What the book says: Selamat jalan. What you’ll hear: Dadah! or, borrowed straight from English, bye!

Dadah is what you say to children and friends, with a small wave. It is everywhere.

Check yourself

Four questions on what's above. Pick one and the answer explains itself. No score, no streak, nothing to sign up for.

1.A friend is leaving on a long trip. You're staying. What do you say to them?

Selamat tinggalThat's what the person leaving says to those staying. You've got it backwards, and they'll remember it.Selamat jalanSaid to the person leaving. Jalan means to go, you're wishing them a safe journey.Sampai jumpaNot wrong, and it works in both directions, but it misses the occasion here.

2.You're walking out of a shop. Which of these have you just announced?

Sampai jumpa. That you'll be backCorrect and unremarkable, which is exactly what you want on the way out of a shop.Selamat tinggal, that you're leaving for goodIt carries weight: departures with no return date, leaving the country, the end of something. In a shop it's comedy.Selamat jalan. That the shopkeeper is going somewhereOdd, but not the announcement in question.

3.The safe way out, when you can't remember which is which: ___

Selamat jalanOnly correct if the other person is the one going.Sampai jumpa'See you'. Works in both directions and cannot be got wrong, which is why almost nobody uses the other two daily.Selamat tinggalThe one with weight. Keep it for departures that mean something.

selamat jalan	goodbyeSaid to the person who is leaving. Jalan is 'to go'.
selamat tinggal	farewellSaid BY the person leaving. Tinggal is 'to stay'.
sampai jumpa	see youNeutral, safe, works in both directions.
dadah	byeCasual, slightly childlike, very common.

Goodbye in Indonesian: two of them, and one means never

Why the mistake matters

The way out

What you’ll actually hear

Check yourself