selamat malam
/səˈlamat ˈmalam/word by word
The Indonesian phrase for "good night" is selamat malam.
selamat malam is used both as a greeting when arriving in the evening and as a farewell when leaving or going to sleep. People typically start using this phrase once the sun has set. While selamat malam serves as a general farewell, there is a more specific way to say "good night" when someone is actually going to bed, which is selamat tidur.
Meaning: a farewell (phrase)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of selamat, meaning safe or blessed and malam, meaning night. Literally, it translates to "safe night".
Which one should you use?
selamat malam is a versatile phrase used for both "good evening" and "good night". In contrast, selamat tidur is used specifically to tell someone to sleep well.
How do you pronounce it?
/səˈlamat ˈmalam/
Did you know?
- In Indonesian, malam can refer to the 'night' or to a type of 'wax' used in batik fabric dyeing.
- The word selamat in the phrase is actually a loanword from the Arabic word for 'peace' or 'salutation', specifically the plural form salāmāt. This makes the greeting a wish for a 'blessed' or 'peaceful' night.
- Indonesian uses the same root selamat for 'good night' as it does for 'congratulations' and 'safe travels'.
Examples in context
- Dia mengucapkan selamat malam pada orang tuanya.He said good night to his parents.This sentence shows how to say good night to someone using the form selamat malam.Tatoeba #4087776 by Bilmanda, translation #304718 by CK
- Selamat malam.Good night.This is a simple way to say good night using selamat malam.Tatoeba #2815007 by lewis, translation #2362724 by NotApplicable
- Selamat malam!Good night!This is an enthusiastic way to say good night using selamat malam.Tatoeba #11231216 by Pacific, translation #426950 by Pun_intended
- 2 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Adi and Sari are finishing their phone call late at night.
- AdiAku harus tidur sekarang.I have to sleep now.
- SariBaiklah, selamat malam, Adi.Alright, good night, Adi.
- AdiSelamat malam, Sari.Good night, Sari.
- SariMimpi indah ya.Sweet dreams.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “good night” translations and entries selamat malam, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (selamat, malam) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries malam, selamat, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
