Consonant
How Letter ‘C’, ‘G’, ‘J’ and ‘R’ are Pronounced
| C |
G |
J |
R |
| It is pronounced like the English /ch/ in ‘cheese’ and never as the /c/ in ‘car |
It is pronounced like the English /g/ in ‘god’; ‘golf’, and never the /g/ in ‘giraffe’ |
It is pronounced like the English /j/ in ‘Jill’; not the /j/ in ‘John’ |
This is the rolled or trilled /r/ like the Italian or Spanish in ‘signora’; ‘senora’ |
| cuci – wash |
gigi – tooth/teeth |
juga – also |
rasa – taste |
| cari – look for |
guru – teacher |
jari – finger |
drama – drama |
| cucu – grandchild |
gajah – elephant |
jujur – honest |
kabar – news |
/h/ is pronounced like the English /h/ in ‘hen’, ‘home’. This can occur in the initial, medial and final positions
| H in initial position |
H in medial position flanked by the same vowels |
H in medial position flanked by 2 different vowels |
‘H’ in final position |
| /h/ is pronounced clearly. In daily conversation is optionally audible |
/h/ is pronounced clearly. |
/h/ is optionally audible. |
/h/ must be pronounced clearly otherwise the meaning changes. |
| hujan – rain |
mohon – request |
lihat – see/look |
darah – blood |
| hari – day |
leher – neck |
lahir – born |
basah – wet |
| handuk – towel |
sihir – witchcraft |
pahit – bitter |
susah – difficult |
Combination of Consonants
| Ng |
Ng + g = Ngg |
Ny |
Sy |
Kh |
| It is pronounced like the English /ng/ in ‘sing’; ‘king’. |
It is pronounced like the English /ng/ in ‘tango’; ‘finger’. |
It is pronounced like the English ‘ny’ in ‘canyon’. |
It is pronounced like the English ‘sh’ in ‘shark’; ‘she’. |
It is pronounced like the Scottish ‘ch’ in ‘loch’. The words are mostly of Arabic origin. |
| ngantuk – sleepy |
panggil – call |
banyak – many |
syarat – requirement |
akhir – end |
| tangan – hand |
tunggu – wait |
nyamuk – mosquito |
syair – verse |
khayal – imagination |
| datang – arrive |
enggak – no (informal) |
nyanyi – sing |
syukur – thank God |
khusus – special |
