Due to a long history of relations and immigration between China and Indonesia, the Indonesian language has borrowed words from several Sinitic languages. The meanings of many concern cuisine, trade, or concepts related to Chinese people and culture. According to the 2000 census, Chinese Indonesians, often termed , make up almost 1% of the Indonesian population, totaling about 3 million people. Most Chinese loanwords in Indonesian come from Hokkien (a Min Nan variety); Hakka loanwords are also common, with Mandarin, Cantonese, and Teochew (another Min Nan variety) loanwords rarer but also existent.

Some of the most common include or (; ; Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: ; ), (; ), (; ), (; ), and the slang pronouns (; ) and (; ). Words of Chinese origin are presented here with Traditional and Simplified Chinese characters and relevant pronunciations.

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Loanwords A Indonesian Word Indonesian Meaning Chinese Character (Traditional) Chinese Character (Simplified) Chinese Variant Chinese Transliteration Chinese Meaning Note Ref older women, such as older sister, aunt Hakka â-chí, â-chè, â-che elder sister Min Nan a-chí, a-ché son Min Nan a-ko elder brother Chinese female house-assistant Cantonese aa3 maa4 paternal grandmother Chinese girl Hakka amoi younger sister broken, bad luck Min Nan àm-siong 1. internal or invisible injury. 2. indiscernible damage cooking wine used for food flavour enhancer Min Nan âng-chiú red wine red tobacco Min Nan âng-hun red smoke food coloring from rice fermentation by Monascus purpureus Min Nan âng-khak grains of red sticky rice (Oryza glutinosa), see also Monascus purpureus small stove Min Nan âng-lô͘ furnace pavilion Min Nan âng-lô͘ red building perhaps related to "Dream of the Red Chamber" (紅樓夢, 红楼梦) gift money for Chinese New Year Min Nan âng-pau red envelope see also loanword from Mandarin "hongbao". angsiau Min Nan âng-sio âng-sio type of cooking style in which fish or meat is braised in soy sauce addressing parent, mister Hakka â-pak paternal uncle, old man see also empek bad person Min Nan áu-bân stubborn, arrogant, brutal

B Indonesian Word Indonesian Meaning Chinese Character (Traditional) Chinese Character (Simplified) Chinese Variant Chinese Transliteration Chinese Meaning Note Ref addressing Chinese male Mandarin bàba father , glutinous rice dumpling filled with meat Min Nan bak cang sticky rice dumpling mantou Min Nan bán-thâu mantou (Chinese black) ink Min Nan ba̍k 1. Chinese ink or ink in general, 2. black; ink-coloured; dark wooden clog Min Nan ba̍k-kia̍h clog (meat) noodle Min Nan bah-mī meat noodle bun Min Nan bah-pâu meatbun bakpia Min Nan bah-piáⁿ bakpia related to piáⁿ meatball Min Nan bah-sò braised minced pork alternatively from madam (of a brothel), procuress Min Nan bâ-thâu madam (of a brothel), procuress bakwan Min Nan bah-oân ten thousand Min Nan bān ten thousand Min Nan bîn-chi̍p A pomegranate-shaped container from brass or lacquer Min Nan bǎng-kheng round lacquer box for storing clothes 1. bed bug, 2. (colloquial) bad person. Min Nan ba̍t-sat, ba̍k-sat bed bug decorative grilles used in windows Amoy bān jī swastika-like pattern in lattice work Chinese lion dance Min Nan lāng-sai lion dance cycle rickshaw Min Nan bé-chhia horse-drawn carriage jicama (Pachyrhizus erosus) 夢光 梦光 Min Nan bāng-kong dream+light defense building, defense wall Min Nan hông sêng rice vermicelli Min Nan bí-hún 1. rice vermicelli 2. rice flour see also bihun land mafia 辟王 辟王 Min Nan phek-ōng monarch, king (Malaysia) pleasure-loving girl Min Nan bô-siaⁿ pleasure-loving girl? noiseless; voiceless; silent Chinese Christian pastor Min Nan bo̍k-su pastor, minister, clergyman, priest, chaplain bok choy Cantonese baak6 coi3 bok choy see bok choy (Brassica rapa chinensis) Min Nan be̍h-chhài moneyless 沒錢 没钱 Min Nan bu̍t-chî moneyless (colloquial) boxing Min Nan phah-bo̍k-sèng boxing moneyless Min Nan bu̍t-lûi moneyless see bokek Chinese graveyard Min Nan bōng tomb to feel the pulse, to feel the feeling Min Nan bong-me̍h to feel the pulse gravestone Min Nan bōng-pi grave stele pockmarked Min Nan bâ-pan pockmarked 1. heavily damaged, 2. too frail Min Nan bô-pok not going to; will not (Jakarta) beautiful Min Nan bô-thiú not ugly small brass box Min Nan bûn to cover

C Indonesian Word Indonesian Meaning Chinese Character (Traditional) Chinese Character (Simplified) Chinese Variant Chinese Transliteration Chinese Meaning Note Ref Cuisine made from a mixture of meat (shrimp) and vegetables (mushrooms, petai, broccoli, bamboo shoots, cauliflower), little broth and starch 炒 炒 HokkienTeochew chháca2 to stir fry, to sauté (Jakarta) prostitute, whore (woman) 查某 查某 Min Nan cha-bó͘ woman, girl nuns in the temple who served to help the dead 菜媽 菜马 Min Nan chhài-má vegetarian nun, or woman Green mustard, Brassica chinensis 菜心 菜心 Min Nan chhài-sim Choy sum wooden clog 柴屐 柴屐 Min Nan chhâ-kia̍h wooden clog passenger recruiter, ticket scalper broker 查佬 查佬 Cantonese caa4 lou2 man who guides passengers to bus or train for payment, broker like to eat money (like to accept bribes or bribe) 食鐳 食镭 Min Nan chia̍h-lûi, chiā-lûi to take bribes snacks made from glutinous sticky rice, chopped meat, wrapped with bamboo leaves and steamed (tasty savory) 糉粽 粽 Min Nan chàng zongzi vegetable dishes (mustard greens, mushrooms, shrimp, chicken liver, and so on) are a little juicy 炒 炒 Min Nan chháca2 to stir fry, to sauté ten 十 十 Min Nan cha̍p ten stir fried vegetable dish 雜菜 杂菜 Min Nan cha̍p-chhài mixed vegetables lantern festival, part of Chinese new year 十五暝 十五冥 Min Nan cha̍p-gō͘-mêcha̍p-gǒ͘-mê lantern festival, part of Chinese new year lottery twelve numbers (letters) 十二枝 十二枝 Min Nan cha̍p-jī-ki paint 漆 漆 Min Nan chhat 1. varnish, lacquer, paint 2. varnish tree (Toxicodendron vernicifluum) 1. tweezers. 2. tongs, pincers. 3. black marketer, scalper, corrupter. 查突 查突 Min Nan châ-tu̍t man who guides passengers to bus or train for payment, broker leave, bye 走 走 Min Nan cháu, chó͘, chó to go, to leave cup 茶碗 茶碗 Mandarin cháwǎn teacup ten thousand 一萬 一万 Min Nan chi̍t-bān ten thousand one thousand 一千 一千 Min Nan chi̍t-chheng one thousand elder sister 姐姊 姐姊 Min Nan ché elder sister gambling with small rectangular cards 一枝 一枝 Min Nan chi̍t-ki one eye blindness 睛盲 睛盲 Min Nan chhéng-mêe blind warrior, ace 舂柄 舂柄 Min Nan cheng-pèng gang, robber tomb-sweeping day 清明 清明 Min Nan chheng-bêng qingming broker 成交 成交 Min Nan sêng-kau to close a deal; to conclude a transaction banker (gambling) 莊家 莊家 Min Nan chong-kee 1. banker (gambling) 2. farmhouse 1. should be, reasonable 2. fair, honest 情理 情理 Min Nan chêng-lí reasonable one hundred 一百 一百 Min Nan chi̍t-pah one hundred half a cent 一爿 一爿 Min Nan chi̍t-pêng half a cent weight unit: 1/10 tahil (for opium) 錢 钱 Min Nan chîⁿ money; a measure of weight for opium sitting party 餐桌 餐桌 Cantonese caan1 coek3 dining table to eat 食 食 Min Nan chiā to eat misfortune 食力 食力 Min Nan chiā-lia̍k misfortune, bad luck; difficult extraordinarily good 吃什米 吃什米 Min Nan chiâⁿ haⁿ mi̍hⁿ what did you eat? alternatively from elder sister 姐姐 姐姐 Min Nan chiá-chiá elder sister elder sister 姐姊 姐姊 Min Nan ché elder sister married Chinese woman 嬸 婶 Min Nan chím aunt (wife of father's younger brother) flexible 凊彩 凊彩 Min Nan chhìn-chhái 1. any, 2. casual; easygoing Cyclea barbata, and its grass or leaves jelly product 仙草 仙草 Min Nan sian-chháu Chinese mesona (Platostoma palustre), and its grass jelly product 1. ship owner representative, 2. ship captain 船主 船主 Min Nan chûn-chú shipowner cingge, march of people 妝藝 妆艺 Min Nan chng-gē cingge triple layer mat with gold decoration 蓆 蓆 Min Nan chhio̍h mat spirits, liquor 酒 酒 Min Nan chiú alcoholic drink 1. narrow, 2. small-minded 窄 窄 Min Nan chiak, chek 1. narrow, tight 2. narrow-minded Betawi folk dance 唱曲 唱曲 Min Nan chhiòⁿ-khek singsong matchmaking 作媒人 作媒人 Min Nan chok-m̂-lâng matchmaker ship chef 總鋪 总铺 Min Nan chóng-phò͘ chef xiangqi, the Chinese chess Min Nan chhiōⁿ-kî xiangqi, the Chinese chess afraid, tremble 懼 惧 Min Nan kū 1. to fear; to be afraid, 2. to scare; to frighten xiangqi, game like dam 象棋 象棋 Min Nan chhiǔⁿ-kî, chhiūⁿ-kî, chhiōⁿ-kî xiangqi small drap covering the chest during meal 手巾 手巾 Min Nan chhiú-kin (hand) towel, handkerchief tycoon 主公 主公 Min Nan chú-kong Your Excellency; His Excellency pacar cina (Aglaia odorata) 珠蘭 珠兰 Min Nan chu-lân length unit 1/10 feet 寸 寸 Min Nan chhùn large boat for transporting goods 船仔 船仔 Min Nan chûn-á a boat

D Indonesian Word Indonesian Meaning Chinese Character (Traditional) Chinese Character (Simplified) Chinese Variant Chinese Transliteration Chinese Meaning Note Ref balance scale 檯秤 台秤 Min Nan tâi-chhèng platform scales dim sum 點心 点心 Cantonese dim2 sam1 1. snack, light refreshment, 2. dim sum

E Indonesian Word Indonesian Meaning Chinese Character (Traditional) Chinese Character (Simplified) Chinese Variant Chinese Transliteration Chinese Meaning Note Ref dried prawns, shrimps 蝦米 虾米 Min Nan hê-bíhêe-bí dried prawns, shrimps see also ebi in Japanese 1. a kind of fishcake from Palembang, Indonesia (pempek), 2. father 阿伯 阿伯 Min Nan a-peh paternal uncle, old man see also, apek to carry on the waist 抱 抱 Min Nan phǒ͘, phō, phǒ 1. to heft in the arms; to carry 2. to hug; to embrace pure-blood Chinese man 阿叔 阿叔 Min Nan a-chek uncle (father's younger brother) sap (to attach wood), adhesive, glue 黃膠 黄胶 Min Nan n̂g-ka (yellow) glue, adhesive, gum, resin elder brother 阿哥 阿哥 Min Nan a-ko elder brother grandfather 阿公 阿公 Min Nan a-kong paternal grandfather, maternal grandfather maternal uncle 阿舅 阿舅 Min Nan a-kū, a-kǔ maternal uncle can, may 會使 会使 Min Nan ē-sái, ē-saih, ě-sái can, may

F Indonesian Word Indonesian Meaning Chinese Character (Traditional) Chinese Character (Simplified) Chinese Variant Chinese Transliteration Chinese Meaning Note Ref feng shui Mandarin fēngshuǐ feng shui see also variant hongsui, a loanword from Min Nan

G Indonesian Word Indonesian Meaning Chinese Character (Traditional) Chinese Character (Simplified) Chinese Variant Chinese Transliteration Chinese Meaning Note Ref (Jakarta) gold thread Min Nan kim, gim1 gold 1. lipstick, 2. (cake, cookie) coloring 銀硃銀朱 银朱 Min Nan gîn-chu body movement mastery through inner power 輕功 轻功 Min Nan khin-kang Pandare aralia ginseng 人參人蔘 人参 Min Nan jîn-song ginseng (Panax sp.) jade 玉 玉 Min Nan gio̍k 1. jade (originally nephrite, now also including jadeite), 2. precious stone; gem, 3. pure; beautiful earring 耳環 耳环 Hakka ngí-vàn earring copper money with value 2.5 cent 五半 五半 Min Nan gō͘, gǒ͘, ngó͘, gó͘-pòaⁿ, poàn fifty 五十 五十 Min Nan gǒ͘-cha̍pgō͘-cha̍p girl who prostitutes herself for pleasure solely without fee 戇女 戆女 Min Nan gōng-lí stupid; foolish; simple; simple-minded + woman Mandarin gōngxǐfācái a Chinese New Year greeting, literally "congratulations and be prosperous" five hundred 五百 五百 Min NanHakka gō͘-pah, gǒ͘-pahńg-pak five hundred five Min Nan gō͘-tún, gǒ͘-tún five shield five (money) money in this case refers to đồng, guilder, gulden, or rupiah I (slang) 我 我 Min Nan góa I (first person, singular) shiny-coated pitchers Min NanCantonese koàn-chígun3 zi2 small jar Mandarin a Chinese New Year greeting

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