nasi
/ˈnasi/
In Indonesian, cooked rice is nasi.
The term refers to rice that has been prepared through steaming or boiling. It serves as the base noun in many common dishes, such as nasi goreng, which means fried rice.
Meaning: rice cooked by either steaming or boiling (non-idiomatic translations) (noun)
Which one should you use?
It is important to distinguish between the cooked grain and the raw grain. While nasi refers specifically to cooked rice, the word beras is used to describe uncooked or raw rice.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈnasi/
Did you know?
- The phrase nasi kucing, meaning 'cat rice', refers to very small portions of rice wrapped in banana leaves. These are sold at street stalls and are intended to be cheap snacks rather than full meals.
- There is a specific term, nasi aking, for rice that has been cooked, dried in the sun, and then re-cooked. This was historically used as a survival food during times of extreme scarcity.
- In Indonesia, rice is so central to the diet that the word nasi is often used metonymically to refer to 'a meal' itself, even if the meal contains other foods.
Examples in context
- Nasi yang pulen susah ditemukan di warteg.Well-cooked rice is difficult to find in warteg.This sentence is useful for describing the quality of nasi found in a warteg.Tatoeba #5482043 by menyo, translation #5733577 by halucnation
- Nasi udah masak belum?Is the rice cooked?
- Saya ingin makan nasi goreng.I want to eat fried rice.
- Nasi ini masih sangat hangat.This rice is still very warm.
Example conversation
At a small food stall in the afternoon.
- RianApakah ada nasi yang tersisa?Is there any rice left?
- IndahMasih ada banyak nasi, Kak Rian.There is still plenty of rice, Brother Rian.
- RianBagus, saya mau tambah nasi.Great, I want more rice.
- IndahBaik, saya siapkan sekarang.Okay, I will prepare it now.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry nasi, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
