How many words are in this list?

This page gives 100 Indonesian words on “Society and politics”. The full topic holds 178 in the KoKo app: 71 at the easy level, 62 at the medium level and 45 at the hard level.

Which words should I start with?

With level 1: these are the easiest words of the topic. Move on to level 2 once they come to you without thinking, then to level 3.

How can I remember this Indonesian vocabulary?

By seeing each word again at longer and longer intervals, just before you forget it: that is spaced repetition. The KoKo app does it for you and tells you each day which words to review.

Can I print this list or save it as a PDF?

Yes. The “Print the list” button at the top of the page opens your device’s print dialog: choose to save as PDF to keep the 100 words and their translation, with nothing else around them.

Indonesian vocabulary: politics and society

Government, elections, rights, debates: the Indonesian words for talking about society and politics.

Here are 100 Indonesian words on “Society and politics”, translated into English and sorted from easiest to hardest.

Level 1: easy 40 words

Indonesian	English
angkatan bersenjata	army
serangan	attack
pertempuran	battle
perbatasan	border
kampanye	campaign
calon	candidate
gereja	church
pelayanan publik	civil service
masyarakat sipil	civil society
dewan	council
negeri	countryAn inhabited territory, in the geographical sense
kekalahan	defeat
demokrasi	democracy
Uni Eropa	European Union
kebebasan berpendapat	freedom of speech
pemerintah	government
hak asasi manusia	human rights
program kampanye	manifesto
wali kota	mayor
wajib militer	military service
kementerian	ministry
kotamadya	municipality
oposisi	opposition
parlemen	parliament
perdamaian	peace
politik	politics
presiden	president
perdana menteri	prime minister
reformasi	reform
agama	religion
republik	republic
perlawanan	resistance
keadilan sosial	social justice
pidato	speech
negara	stateThe political institution that holds sovereign power
masa jabatan	term of office
perjanjian	treaty
suara pemilih	vote
hak pilih	voting right
senjata	weapon

Level 2: medium 35 words

Indonesian	English
aliansi	alliance
kepercayaan	belief
kapitalisme	capitalism
warga negara	citizen
penjajahan	colonisation
daerah pemilihan	constituency
korupsi	corruption
penindasan	crackdown
demonstrasi	demonstration
kediktatoran	dictatorship
pembubaran parlemen	dissolution
kedutaan besar	embassy
pengucilan	exclusion
genosida	genocide
politik lingkungan	green politics
sandera	hostage
imigrasi	immigration
lembaga	institution
sanksi internasional	international sanction
invasi	invasion
kekuasaan yudikatif	judicial power
monarki	monarchy
pendudukan	occupation
perjanjian damai	peace treaty
petisi	petition
doa	prayer
gubernur wilayah	prefect
skandal	scandal
senat	senate
senator	senator
mobilitas sosial	social mobility
prajurit	soldier
kedaulatan	sovereignty
serangan teror	terrorist attack
tingkat partisipasi pemilih	turnout

Level 3: hard 25 words

Indonesian	English
abstain	abstention
aktivisme	activism
kotak suara	ballot box
gencatan senjata	ceasefire
pembangkangan sipil	civil disobedience
komunisme	communism
dekolonisasi	decolonisation
diplomasi	diplomacy
ekstremisme	extremism
kesetaraan gender	gender parity
kekuasaan legislatif	legislative power
kelompok penekan	lobby
multikulturalisme	multiculturalism
mosi tidak percaya	no confidence motion
pelantikan	nomination
bilik suara	polling booth
penentuan nasib sendiri	self determination
berdebat	to debate
menuntut hak	to demand as a right
memerintah	to govern
bergabung dengan partai	to join a party
meratifikasi	to ratify
mereformasi	to reform
hak pilih universal	universal suffrage
pengungsi perang	war refugee

Mini quiz

5 words from this page, picked at random. Find their translation.

Frequently asked questions

How many words are in this list?: This page gives 100 Indonesian words on “Society and politics”. The full topic holds 178 in the KoKo app: 71 at the easy level, 62 at the medium level and 45 at the hard level.
Which words should I start with?: With level 1: these are the easiest words of the topic. Move on to level 2 once they come to you without thinking, then to level 3.
How can I remember this Indonesian vocabulary?: By seeing each word again at longer and longer intervals, just before you forget it: that is spaced repetition. The KoKo app does it for you and tells you each day which words to review.
Can I print this list or save it as a PDF?: Yes. The “Print the list” button at the top of the page opens your device’s print dialog: choose to save as PDF to keep the 100 words and their translation, with nothing else around them.

How KoKo makes words stick

These lists come from KoKo, the app to learn Indonesian vocabulary on iPhone.