Many Indonesians have trouble hearing the difference between the words “kitchen” and “chicken” and we think, well, what’s so hard about that? Until you try to learn their language….

Words that sound alike but mean very different things:

Doa – pray
Dosa – sin

Boleh – yes you may
Buleh – white skinned person

Kelapa – coconut
Kapala – head

Istirahad – break
Istri – wife

Undang – invite
Udang – shrimp

Bolos – play truant
Balas – reward

Alat – tool
Alamat – address

Tinggal – live at
Tanggal – date (day/month/year)
Tunggal – the only one

Bintang – star
Binatang – animal

Menengok – visit a relative or sick person
Merokok – to smoke

Janji – promise
Jangan – don’t

Cincin – jewelry/ring
Cincang – chop into pieces (it’s what we call ground beef)