Balinese Language And Other Languages In Bali: A Quick Review

For many years, Bali has been a popular holiday destination that attracts all kinds of tourists: adventure seekers, nature lovers, surfers, digital nomads, party animals, yogis, and those who come for wellness and wellbeing. Bali is also often described as a place for healing. The island has many opportunities for self-care: there are Spas in Bali, healthy restaurants, yoga studios, and natural healing centres everywhere. So whatever it is as a foreigner to Bali, one thing might be bugging you!  “what language spoken in Bali Indonesia?”

There are two official languages in Bali: Bahasa Indonesia or Indonesian, which is spoken on every island in Indonesia, and Balinese, spoken by the locals on the Island of the Gods aka Bali. Most Balinese people are bilingual – they can speak Indonesian and Balinese, and lots of them are also trilingual with English as their third language. While locals are known for their friendly nature towards foreigners, conversing with them in Indonesian or Balinese can be a great way to connect with them more.

Hence, there are three main languages spoken in Bali: Indonesian, Balinese, and English.

Bali is rich in culture, including local languages.

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Bahasa Indonesia

Bahasa Indonesia is a relatively easy language to learn. It is written using the alphabet and pronunciation which is purely phonetic (that is, you say it as you read it).

It has some of the simplest grammar of any language too. There is also the advantage that if you learn Indonesian, you can use it all over the vast archipelago rather than just in Bali.

You will have no problems communicating with most Indonesians using this language.

Interestingly, it’s also very similar to Malay and somewhat similar to the Philippines’ main language, Tagalog. So, if you learn Indonesian, you can quickly learn Malay and get some advantage in learning Tagalog too.

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