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Pak, Bu, Mas, Mbak: addressing strangers

Indonesian prefers titles to pronouns. Four words cover almost everyone you will meet.

a1Lesson 13 of 436 min

By the end of this lesson

  • Address a stranger without guessing at a pronoun
  • Choose the right title by age and situation

The safest thing you can do in Indonesian is stop using pronouns for the person in front of you and use a title instead. It sounds warmer, it avoids every register trap, and it is what Indonesians do with each other.

The four

Bapak, shortened to Pak, for a man older than you or in a position of authority.
Ibu, shortened to Bu, for a woman older than you or in a position of authority.
Mas for a man around your own age.
Mbak for a woman around your own age.

Pak and Bu are the shortened forms you will hear almost exclusively. Bapak and Ibu also mean father and mother, which tells you exactly how much respect they carry.

Using them instead of you

Pak mau ke mana? ‘Where are you going, sir?’
Bu sudah makan? ‘Have you eaten, ma’am?’

There is no word for ‘you’ in either sentence. To an Indonesian ear this is more polite than any pronoun could be.

Using them with names

Titles go in front of the first name, not the family name.

Pak Budi, Bu Siti, Mas Andi

Calling someone Pak Wijaya by their surname is a foreigner move. Indonesia uses first names, and many Indonesians have only one name.

When you are not sure

Round up. Addressing a thirty-year-old as Pak is mildly formal and completely safe. Addressing a fifty-year-old as Mas is over-familiar and lands badly.

In a warung, a shop, or with a driver, Pak and Bu are never wrong.

What you’ll actually hear

Younger Indonesians in cities use Mas and Mbak for almost everyone in service situations, regardless of age, the way English uses “mate”. Follow what you hear locally rather than applying the age rule rigidly.

Words from this lesson

Bapak / PaksirAny man notably older than you, or in authority.
Ibu / Buma'amAny woman notably older than you, or in authority.
MasbrotherA man roughly your own age. Javanese in origin, national in use.
MbaksisterA woman roughly your own age.