Language is one of the biggest concerns for people who want to travel to foreign countries. Some tourists are afraid that they wouldn’t be able to communicate with the locals, and therefore would have some difficulties in order to travel around the country like visiting tourist spots, renting a vehicle or booking a room.
Bali, one of the islands in Indonesia, is one of the most popular places in the world to spend your holidays. You can find almost everything in this island: beautiful beaches, calming nature, spiritual temples, parades, and of course the friendly locals.
If you are planning your first trip to Bali and still a little bit concerned about the language barrier and want to know, what language do they speak in Bali, relax, we got you covered. Here is everything you need to know about the language in Bali.
Don’t Worry, Most Balinese Speak English
People started visiting Bali in masses in the 1960s, after that more and more people from all around the globe go to this island after how people describe their experiences. Bali became one of the most visited places in Asia in just a few decades.
Because of the boom in tourism, Balinese people have a huge opportunity to boost their economy through tourism. They started to build hotels and hostels for backpackers, and another tourism-related business-like tour guides and vehicle rental.
The Balinese people know exactly that in order to run their tourism-related businesses smoothly, they need to be able to speak the most widely used language in the world. So, if you are concerned about what language do they speak in Bali, you can use English with ease.
If you want a more practical trip in Bali, you can try our tours packages complete with tour guide, car, and driver so you can enjoy your trip more. You can visit our tour product page and pick the package you want from our interesting offers.
The Indonesian Language
A lot of people who are visiting Bali think that Bali is an independent country, but that’s wrong. Bali is one of the provinces of Indonesia. While the locals usually use Balinese language to converse between each other, they also use Indonesian in most situations. So, most Balinese can speak 3 languages: Balinese, Indonesian, and English.
If you are a solo traveler and prefer to enjoy your trip to Bali alone without a tour guide, you need to learn Indonesian, at least the most basic phrases. These are the basic Indonesian phrases that we think you need to learn:
- Excuse me : Permisi
- Airport : Bandara
- Thank you : Terima kasih
- Could you help me? : Bisa bantu saya?
- You’re welcome : Sama-sama
- How much does it cost? : Berapa harganya?
- Help me : Tolong saya
But if you want to blend with local, you can learn Balinese for basic phrases. Here are the basic Balinese phrases that will help you to naturally blend with our peoples :
- Thank you : Suksma (‘sook sama)
- You’re welcome : Mewali (‘mowa lee)
- This : Niki (‘nee kee)
- How much does it cost? : Aji Kuda niki? (‘Ajee kooda nee kee)
We hope this will answer your curiosity if you are asking what language do they speak in Bali. You can go around Bali just with your English, but you can slip some Indonesian or Balinese phrases above to win Balinese people’s hearts.
