pagi
/ˈpaɡi/
The English phrase "morning" is pagi in Indonesian.
pagi is a noun referring to the part of the day between dawn and midday. You can specify "this morning" by saying pagi ini, placing the word ini after pagi. For a poetic or flowery way to say "beautiful morning," you can use Pagi yang indah.
Meaning: part of the day between dawn and midday (noun)
Which one should you use?
While pagi refers specifically to the morning, the word siang is used for the period around midday or early afternoon.
How does it change in a sentence?
In colloquial speech, you can reduplicate the word as pagi-pagi to emphasize that something is happening very early in the morning.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈpaɡi/
When do people say it?
When using the formal greeting Selamat pagi, Pak/Bu, adding the titles for a man (Pak) or a woman (Bu) is a respectful way to address people of higher social status or those who are older.
Did you know?
- The greeting Selamat pagi literally translates to 'safe morning'. The word selamat means 'safe' or 'survived' and is used in almost all Indonesian time-based greetings.
- In some regional dialects, a very early morning before dawn is called subuh, which refers specifically to the time of the first Islamic prayer.
- In Indonesia, the transition from pagi to siang is often marked by the sun's position rather than a clock. Once the sun is directly overhead, the morning is officially over.
Examples in context
- Tom datang pagi ini.Tom came by this morning.This sentence shows how to use pagi to refer to this morning.Tatoeba #4762036 by Bilmanda, translation #3832015 by CK
- Selamat pagi, apa kabar?Good morning, how are you?This sentence demonstrates a common greeting using pagi.Tatoeba #10106958 by HAGNi, translation #3249362 by nava
- Sampai jumpa besok pagi.I'll see you in the morning.This sentence uses pagi to express seeing someone in the morning.Tatoeba #13563414 by Pacific, translation #1453224 by Spamster
- 94 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Indah and Budi meet at a cafe early in the day.
- IndahUdara pagi ini sangat segar.The morning air is very fresh today.
- BudiIya, saya suka suasana pagi.Yes, I love the morning atmosphere.
- IndahApakah kamu sudah sarapan?Have you had breakfast?
- BudiBelum, saya baru sampai.Not yet, I just arrived.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “morning” translations and entries pagi, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
