bagus
/ˈbaɡus/
The Indonesian word for nice is bagus.
bagus is the standard word used to describe objects, appearances or qualities, such as a nice jacket or a nice view. It is used to express that something is attractive, friendly or of high quality.
Meaning: attractive, friendly (adj)
Which one should you use?
While bagus describes things that are aesthetically pleasing or of high quality, you should use baik when referring to a person's character or moral goodness, such as being kind or good. For an exciting or enjoyable experience like an event or activity, the informal word seru is more appropriate. To express that something is cool or awesome in a slang context, use keren.
How does it change in a sentence?
To say that something is very nice, you can place the word sekali after bagus to form bagus sekali.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈbaɡus/
Did you know?
- In casual conversation, Indonesians often repeat the word to say bagus-bagus when describing a group of items. This indicates that every single item in the group is 'nice' or 'good'.
- While bagus describes quality, the word baik is used to answer the question 'How are you?' Saying saya bagus instead of saya baik would sound like you are claiming to be a high-quality object.
- The word bagus is inherited from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *bagus, making it a linguistic relative to words used across a vast region of islands in Southeast Asia and the Pacific.
Examples in context
- Ini kota yang bagus.It's a nice town.This sentence shows how to describe a town using bagus.Tatoeba #5386249 by Bilmanda, translation #4495251 by CK
- Itu jaket yang bagus.That's a nice jacket.This sentence shows how to use bagus to describe a jacket.Tatoeba #13051412 by Bilmanda, translation #3594059 by CK
- Sarung tanganmu bagus ya.Those are nice gloves you have on.This sentence demonstrates using bagus to compliment gloves.Tatoeba #3934372 by Bilmanda, translation #273951 by CK
- Pekerjaan Anda sangat bagus!Your work is very nice!
- Pemandangan gunung tersebut sangat indah.The view of the mountains is very nice.
- Film ini benar-benar keren!This movie is really nice!
- Pesta itu sangat seru.The party was really nice/fun.
- Makanan ini enak sekali!This food is very nice/delicious.
- 5 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Adi and Indah are talking about a new friend.
- AdiApakah kamu suka teman baru kita?Do you like our new friend?
- IndahYa, dia sangat bagus dan ramah.Yes, he is very nice and friendly.
- AdiAku juga berpikir begitu.I think so too.
- IndahSifatnya benar-benar bagus.His personality is really nice.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry bagus, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries bagus, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
