indonesio
/indoˈnesjo/masculine
The Spanish word for "indonesian" (the language) is indonesio.
indonesio is used to refer to the Indonesian language as a noun. It can also function as an adjective when referring to anything related to Indonesia.
Meaning: language (noun)
Which one should you use?
While indonesio refers to the language or an adjective, the name of the country itself is the feminine noun indonesia.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The word indonesio is a masculine noun or adjective. When referring to the country, use the feminine noun indonesia.
How do you pronounce it?
/indoˈnesjo/
Did you know?
- Because indonesio is a nationality-based adjective, it is not capitalized in Spanish. Unlike the English 'Indonesian', you would write 'estudio indonesio' with a lowercase 'i'.
- The term indonesio can lead to confusion if you are not careful with gender. While the language is always the masculine indonesio, describing a woman from Indonesia requires the feminine form indonesia, which is identical to the name of the country itself.
- While indonesio refers to the official language, a Spanish speaker might use the term malayo to refer to the broader Malay linguistic group to which Indonesian belongs.
Examples in context
- Echo de menos mis clases de indonesio.I miss my Indonesian classes.This sentence shows how to use indonesio when talking about language classes.Tatoeba #13801347 by Seael, translation #13801932 by araneo
- El indonesio es aparentemente muy fácil.Indonesian is apparently very easy.This sentence uses indonesio to refer to the language itself.Tatoeba #11759905 by Seael, translation #13020205 by araneo
- El malayo tiene muchas similitudes con el indonesio.Malay has many similarities with Indonesian.This sentence compares the language indonesio to Malay.Tatoeba #2413969 by marcelostockle, translation #2403657 by morgyn
Example conversation
Alejandro and Elena are talking about their university studies.
- Elena¿Estudias el indonesio en la universidad?Do you study Indonesian at the university?
- AlejandroNo, yo estudio el japonés.No, I study Japanese.
- ElenaEs un idioma muy interesante.It is a very interesting language.
- AlejandroSí, pero prefiero el indonesio.Yes, but I prefer Indonesian.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “indonesian” translations and entries indonesio, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
