saya
/ˈsaja/
In Indonesian, 'me' is said as saya.
saya is a pronoun used by a speaker to refer to themselves.
Which one should you use?
While saya is the standard polite form, aku serves as an informal version of 'me' or 'I'.
How does it change in a sentence?
The word saya is versatile and is used for both the subject ('I') and the object ('me') in a sentence.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈsaja/
Did you know?
- The formal saya actually descends from an ancient word meaning 'servant' or 'follower', which was used to show humility when speaking to others.
- While saya is polite, Indonesians often use their own name instead of a pronoun to refer to 'me' when speaking to elders or children.
- In very casual settings, such as with close friends, some people use gue or gw to mean 'me' instead of saya or aku.
Examples in context
- Kamu mau membantu saya?Do you want to help me?This sentence shows how to use saya as an object in a question.Tatoeba #4559283 by dbahasa, translation #2011744 by CK
- Berikan saya uang saya.Give me my money.This sentence demonstrates saya being used as both a subject and an object.Tatoeba #11226928 by Pi31415i, translation #3151511 by CK
- Anda membuat saya bosan!You are boring me!This sentence shows saya as an object in a statement.Tatoeba #3362967 by dbahasa, translation #1216457 by wallebot
- Saya lapar.I am hungry.
- Saya senang bertemu denganmu.I am happy to meet you.
- Aku sayang kamu.I love you.
- Saya ingin memperkenalkan diri.I would like to introduce myself.
- 192 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Maya and Dimas are meeting at a coffee shop.
- MayaHalo, apakah Anda mengenal saya?Hello, do you know me?
- DimasMaaf, saya tidak mengenal Anda.Sorry, I do not know you.
- MayaNama saya Maya.My name is Maya.
- DimasSenang bertemu dengan Anda, Maya.Nice to meet you, Maya.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry saya, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries saya, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
