How to Say "Handsome" in Indonesian

tampan

/ˈtam.pan/

The Indonesian word for handsome is tampan. Wiktionary also lists ganteng.

Meaning: of man: attractive (adj)

Ways to say it

“handsome” in Indonesian
Indonesian	IPA
tampan	/ˈtam.pan/
ganteng	/ˈɡan.təŋ/

Both tampan and ganteng are used to describe an attractive man.

tampan is the more formal or literary version of handsome, whereas ganteng is the more common, colloquial version used in daily conversation.

The word tampan is pronounced /ˈtam.pan/. It has two syllables, and the stress is on the first syllable.

There is a distant linguistic connection between the Javanese word ganteng and the word santing in Kapampangan, a language spoken in the Philippines.
While tampan means handsome, its phonetic neighbor tampang refers to one's face or appearance in a much more general, often blunt, way.
In some social contexts, calling a man tampan can sound overly dramatic, almost as if he is a character in a soap opera.

Ia pemuda yang tampan.
He is a handsome young man.
This sentence uses tampan to describe a young man.
Tatoeba #7883132 by dbahasa, translation #292460 by CC
Tom laki-laki yang tampan.
Tom is a handsome man.
Tatoeba #5894637 by Bilmanda, translation #1025172 by CK
Dia tampan.
He is handsome.
This sentence uses tampan to state that someone is handsome.
Tatoeba #12678883 by HAGNi, translation #3125920 by CM
Dia sangat ganteng
He is very handsome
Pria tersebut memiliki wajah yang menawan
The man has a captivating face
Dia bukan hanya tampan, tetapi juga berbudi pekerti baik
He is not only handsome but also has good manners
Dia ganteng banget
He is incredibly handsome
Kamu cakep sekali
You look really handsome
7 more sentences on Tatoeba

Indah is talking to Rian about a new actor.

Sources

Wiktionary, “handsome” translations and entries tampan, ganteng, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
Word origins: Wiktionary entries ganteng, tampan, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.

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