kerja bagus
/kərˈd͡ʒa ˈbaɡus/word by word
kerja bagus is the Indonesian way to say well done.
kerja bagus is used to praise someone's performance or a job well completed.
Meaning: exclamation of praise (intj)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is a literal combination of kerja (work) and bagus (good/great).
How do you pronounce it?
/kərˈdʒa ˈbaɡus/
Did you know?
- The word kerja replaced an older native word gawai for the general sense of 'working', though gawai survives today in the word gawai for 'gadget'.
- In many Indonesian social contexts, praising someone too loudly with kerja bagus can sometimes cause them embarrassment rather than pride, due to a cultural preference for modesty.
- If you say kerja bagus with a rising intonation, it can be interpreted as sarcasm, suggesting that the person actually did a poor job.
Examples in context
- Kerja bagus!Well done!This example shows how to use the phrase kerja bagus to offer praise.Tatoeba #4701334 by Bilmanda, translation #464478 by lukaszpp
- Kerja bagus, tim!Well done, team!
Example conversation
Putri and Dimas are discussing a finished project at the office.
- PutriProyek ini selesai tepat waktu.This project was finished on time.
- DimasKerja bagus, Putri!Well done, Putri!
- PutriTerima kasih, Dimas.Thank you, Dimas.
- DimasKita semua bekerja keras.We all worked hard.
Sources
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (kerja, bagus) and can differ in connected speech.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
