There are numerous malls in Indonesia. Most malls are located in large cities such as Jakarta, Medan, and Surabaya. In case you are visiting malls in Indonesia, here are terms in Indonesian malls you should know.
Most malls in large cities are equipped with bilingual (Indonesian – English) signage. This list of terms may help you in case there is no English signage inside the mall.
Entrance, Exit, Emergencies, and Public Transports
Terms in Indonesian Malls that relate to parking, entrance, and exit, including emergency exits.
| Indonesian | English Terms/Explanation |
|---|---|
| Pintu masuk | Entrance |
| Pintu keluar | Exit |
| Pintu darurat | Emergency Exit |
| Parkir | Parking lot |
| APAR | Abbreviation of “Alat Pemadam Api Ringan“. It means fire extinguisher. |
| Halte | Bus stop |
| Ojol | Abbreviation of “Ojek online“. Online motorcycle taxi. |
| Titik jemput/pick-up point | Pick-up point for taxis (online/conventional, car/motorcycle). |
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Floors
Any terms in Indonesian malls that will guide visitors to go up or down stairs.
| Indonesian | English |
|---|---|
| Eskalator / Tangga jalan | Escalator |
| Lift | Elevator, Lift |
| Tangga | Stair |
| Tangga darurat | Emergency stair, emergency exit |
Building floor level terms
Most mall floor levels in Indonesia use the UK system, where the floor that is equal to the ground and the street is called “Lantai dasar” (ground floor). Often abbreviated as GF.
Some malls use a modified ground floor numbering system, for example LG – Lower Ground (Floor) or UG – Upper Ground (Floor). Usually it is called that when the 2 floors that are most at street level are slightly higher or slightly lower than the street.
Floors which are lower than ground floor are numbered with any name that represents “basement”, such as prefix “B-“. E.g. B1, which means Basement floor 1. If the lower level is a basement parking lot, it is sometimes numbered with the prefix “P-” indicating “parking levels”.
| Indonesian | English |
|---|---|
| B1, B2, B3, etc. | Basement 1, 2, or any floors that lower than Ground/1st floor |
| Lantai Dasar (GF) | Ground Floor |
| LG/LGF | Lower Ground (Floor) |
| UG/UGF | Upper Ground (Floor) |
| Lantai 1, Lantai 2, etc… | 1st floor, 2nd floor, etc… |
| Atap | Rooftop |
Toilets and Special Rooms
Rooms that provide privacy for each genders.
| Indonesian | English |
|---|---|
| Toilet, WC, Kamar Kecil, Jamban | Toilet, Rest room |
| Kamar pas | Fitting room |
| Laki-laki / pria (toilet, fitting room) | Male, Men, Gents, |
| Perempuan / wanita (toilet, fitting room) | Women, ladies |
| Ruang laktasi / ruang menyusui | Breastfeeding room, nursing room, nursery room |
Religion, Praying, and Worship
Religion is a very important practice in the lives of Indonesian people so that mall managers always provide places of worship. Especially for Muslims which prays 5 times in a day.
Islam has the largest number of followers in Indonesia. Due to the number and their practices, places that facilitate their religious practices have the highest numbers in public spaces. The second-largest is Christianity.
Below are terms related to religion, praying, and worship which may occur in any malls in Indonesia.
| Indonesian | English Terms/explanation |
|---|---|
| Masjid | Mosque |
| Musholla / Mushala / Musala | Muslim praying room. A lite version of Mosque. Only for daily 5-time-prays, not for Friday pray (Solat Jumat) |
| Wudhu | Activity of washing body parts which always practiced by the Muslims before praying. Wudhu always done in a special room which located near a Musholla or inside a Mosque. |
| Gereja | Church |
Stores and Restaurants
Malls always contain various stores and restaurants. Here is terms of stores and restaurants in Indonesian malls.
| Indonesian | English | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| Toko Buku | Bookstore | Often sells non-books products, too, such as sporting tools, musical tools, stationeries, and even electronics. |
| Toko perhiasan | Jewellery, Jewelry, Jewelers | General jewelleries |
| Toko pakaian | Clothes shop | Any clothes |
| Toko emas | Gold shop | Sells any golden jewelries and ingots. |
| Toko batu akik | Gemstone stores | |
| Toko perkakas | Hardware shop, Tools’ shop | |
| Toko perabotan | Furniture store | |
| Restoran | Restaurant | |
| Pujasera | Food Court, Food Center, Canteen, Snacks Center | Abbreviation of “Pusat Jajan Serba Ada“ |
Financials and Payments
Place for payment, payment gateway/method.
| Indonesian | English | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| Kasir | – Cash Register (The machine and the section) – Cashier (the person who operates cash register) | |
| QRIS | National QR code for payment | Abbreviation of “Quick Response Code Indonesia Standard”. The standard pronunciation is “Kris” (similar to the name “Chris” or the traditional sword “Keris“), NOT Q-Ris (Kyu Ris). |
| Kartu kredit | Credit card | |
| ATM | Automatic Teller Machine | The Indonesian term “Anjungan Tunai Mandiri” has a same abbreviation. |
| Kartu Uang Elektronik | Electronic money card, Electronic wallet card | Often called as E-money. |
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