Ini and Itu: "This" and "That" Are More Useful Than You Think

Hook: The Power of Pointing

Imagine you are standing in a bustling Indonesian street market. You don’t know the word for the exotic red fruit in front of you. You don’t know the word for the woven basket it’s sitting in. You don’t even know how to conjugate a verb or form a complex sentence.

But you point at the fruit and say, “Ini apa?”

Congratulations. You just asked, “What is this?” in flawless Indonesian. The vendor replies, you learn a new word, and you’ve successfully communicated.

In the previous unit, we unlocked the six essential question words (apa, siapa, di mana, etc.). Now, we are giving you the companion tools: Ini (This) and Itu (That).

These are not just simple vocabulary words. In Indonesian, ini and itu act as structural anchors. Because Indonesian doesn’t use the verb “to be” (am, is, are) to link nouns and adjectives, pointing words often step in to do the heavy lifting. They allow you to instantly build full, functional sentences out of thin air.

If you know how to point, and you know these two words, you can survive almost any basic interaction. In this lesson, we will explore how they work for objects near and far, how they act as complete sentences on their own, and how they help you navigate choices in the real world.

1. The Core Vocabulary: The Pointer Words

Let’s look at the four variations of the demonstrative pronouns you need to know. Master these and you have mastered pointing in Indonesian.

Notice two important things right away before we begin:

1. No Plural Forms Required: In English, we must constantly adjust our pointing words based on quantity. We use “this” for one object close to us, and “these” for multiple objects close to us. We use “that” for one object far away, and “those” for multiple objects far away. Indonesian completely ignores this distinction. Ini means “this” AND “these”. Itu means “that” AND “those”. You do not have to change the word or the sentence structure based on how many objects there are. “Ini kucing” can mean “This is a cat” or “These are cats” depending entirely on whether you are pointing to one cat or a whole litter.

2. The “Yang” Addition: Adding the tiny word yang (which roughly translates to “which” or “that”) to our pointer words creates a new, heavily used phrase. It allows you to say “this one” or “that one,” which is essential when choosing between options. We will dedicate a whole section to this concept (Section 5).

2. Ini: Here and Now (Close Proximity)

Ini is used for things that are physically close to you, conceptually close to you, or happening right now. It is the direct equivalent of “this” or “these.”

Pure Pointing

The most basic use of ini is simply pointing at an object near you. When you combine ini with the question word apa (what), you have the ultimate vocabulary-building tool. This is the phrase every language learner should memorize first.

Noun + Ini (This [Noun])

When you want to say “This book” or “This coffee,” you must remember the golden rule of Indonesian sentence structure from Unit 3.1: Modifiers come after the noun.

In English, the pointer word comes first: “This coffee.” In Indonesian, the noun comes first, followed by the pointer: “Kopi ini” (Coffee this).

Introductions

Ini is also the standard word used when introducing people. You do not say “He is my friend” when introducing someone standing next to you; you say “This is my friend.” It sounds strangely impersonal in English, but it is the required polite format in Indonesian.

3. Itu: Over There (Distance)

Itu is used for things that are physically distant from you, further away in time, or referring to a topic previously mentioned in conversation. It is the direct equivalent of “that” or “those.”

The rules for using itu are exactly the same as the rules for ini. The grammar does not change; only the perceived distance changes.

Distance and Pointing

If the object is across the room, across the street, or on a distant mountain, use itu.

Noun + Itu (That [Noun])

Just like with ini, if you want to say “That car,” the word order is Noun + Itu (“Car that”).

Referring to Concepts

Itu isn’t just for physical objects in the distance. It is incredibly common in spoken Indonesian to use itu to refer back to a concept, an idea, or a story someone just told you. It acts as a conversational placeholder.

If someone tells you a long, complicated story about why they are late to work, you can respond with:

• Itu masalah. (That is a problem.)
• Itu benar. (That is true.)

4. Ini/Itu as Sentence Starters (Topic-Comment Structure)

In English, we absolutely must have a verb linking the subject to an adjective.

• This is good.
• That is expensive.
• These are broken.

As we learned in Unit 3.1, Indonesian has no equivalent for the verb “to be” (am, is, are). You simply connect the noun directly to the adjective.

This makes ini and itu incredibly powerful. They can act as the subject of a complete sentence all by themselves, without needing a verb to hold the sentence together.

This is known as a Topic-Comment structure. You state the topic (Ini - This), and then you immediately provide the comment or description about it.

You can use this pattern to build countless functional sentences on the fly. You are simply pointing at the topic and stating the description. It feels incomplete to an English speaker at first, like you are speaking in caveman syntax, but it is elegant and totally natural in Indonesian.

Here are more examples of complete sentences built out of two words:

• Ini murah. (This is cheap.)
• Itu panas. (That is hot.)
• Ini pedas. (This is spicy.)
• Itu jauh. (That is far.)
• Ini keras. (This is hard/tough.)
• Itu rusak. (That is broken.)

If you ever freeze up while speaking, remember this pattern. Point at the thing, and say an adjective. You have successfully communicated a complete thought.

5. Yang Ini / Yang Itu (Choosing “Which One”)

When you are asked to choose between multiple items, pointing and saying “ini” alone might not be enough, especially if the items are close together. If someone holds up two similar shirts and asks which one you want, you need a way to specify your choice clearly.

This is where the magic word yang comes in. Yang is a multi-purpose connector word (which we will cover in depth much later in the curriculum). For now, you just need to know that it roughly translates to “which” or “that (which is).”

When you combine yang with ini or itu, it translates perfectly to “this one” or “that one.” It turns a pure pointing action into a selection action.

• Yang ini = This one (the one that is here)
• Yang itu = That one (the one that is there)

This combination is absolutely essential for shopping, ordering food from a display window (like at a warung tegal or nasi padang stall), or selecting anything from a group. In these situations, the vendor is almost certainly going to ask you “Yang mana?” (Which one?).

You can also attach adjectives directly to yangini/itu to make your selection even clearer:

• Saya mau yang ini. (I want this one.)
• Saya mau yang besar itu. (I want that big one.)
• Tolong ambil yang itu. (Please take that one.)

6. Practice: Point and Speak

You now have the tools to identify objects, ask questions, structure basic Noun+Pointer phrases, and build complete descriptive sentences using just a pointing word and an adjective.

Let’s test your reflexes. Read the scenario below. Try to form the correct phrase or sentence in Indonesian using ini, itu, yang ini, or yang itu, along with the vocabulary you’ve learned.

Once you have your answer in mind, open the spoiler block to check if you are correct.

1. You are at a cafe holding a freshly brewed cup of coffee. You take a sip and want to tell your friend, “This is delicious (enak).”
2. You point at a strange, tall building in the distance and ask your tour guide, “What is that?”
3. You are introducing your friend, Budi, who is standing right next to you to your mother: “This is Budi.”
4. You are pointing at a specific shirt on a rack far away to tell your friend it is overpriced: “That shirt (kemeja) is expensive (mahal).”
5. A shopkeeper holds up two hats and asks which you want to buy. You point to the one closest to you and definitively state, “This one.”
6. You point to the bright red sambal right in front of your plate on the table and state: “This sambal is spicy (pedas).”
7. The street vendor misinterprets your pointing and grabs the wrong item. You correct them by pointing at the correct item slightly further down the row: “Not that one. That one.”
8. Your friend tells you a story about how traffic is terrible today. You use your new pointer word to refer to that abstract concept: “That is true (benar).”

Conclusion: Tying the Room Together

The humble pointing words, ini and itu, do an immense amount of work in the Indonesian language. They seem like simple vocabulary additions, but they act as structural glue.

They allow you to bridge the gap between what you verbally know how to describe and what you can physically see. By combining them with the six question words from the last unit and a handful of adjectives you pick up along the way, your ability to interact with the world around you and extract information from locals has just multiplied dramatically.

• You can declare identity: Ini Budi.
• You can assign quality: Ini bagus.
• You can specify choice: Yang itu.
• You can demand vocabulary: Ini apa?

But we are still missing one critical piece of vocabulary to complete this foundation. You can ask “What is this?” and you can say “This is good”, but how do you ask “Is there any left?” or “Do you have this?”

We need to learn the single most versatile verb in the entire Indonesian language, a word that replaces three different concepts in English.