How to Say 'Menulis' in Casual Indonesian (Nulis)

Open any Indonesian textbook. You'll find menulis. It means "to write." Correct, formal, and.. not how people actually talk.

In everyday conversation, Indonesians say nulis.

What Happens to Menulis

The me- prefix drops. The nasal n- stays. That's it.

Menulis → nulis.

The root word is tulis. When men- attaches to it, the t becomes n. In casual speech you just lose the me- part and keep that n. Shorter. Faster. Natural.

Phrases You'll Actually Hear

"Lagi nulis apa?" — What are you writing? Super common. The lagi marks ongoing action. Way more natural than asking with sedang menulis.

"Nulis di mana?" — Where do you write? / Writing where? Could be asking about your workplace, your blog platform, anything.

"Nulis blog" and "nulis email" — casual phrasing for everyday writing tasks. No one says menulis email to a friend. That sounds like you're dictating to a secretary.

The Pattern is Bigger Than Nulis

This me- drop isn't random. It's a whole system. Verbs with the men- prefix follow the same shortcut:

• menunggu → nunggu (to wait)
• menutup → nutup (to close)
• mengantar → ngantar (to deliver/escort)

The nasal sound always survives. It's the me- that gets cut.

Bonus: Membaca → Baca

There's a related verb that often shows up alongside nulis. Membaca (to read) becomes just baca in casual speech. The entire mem- prefix drops.

These two go together naturally. Nulis dan baca. Writing and reading. You'll hear them paired in conversation all the time.

"Kerjaannya nulis sama baca doang." — All they do is write and read.

Try It Out

Next time you talk about writing.. say nulis. Nulis catatan. Nulis pesan. Nulis apa aja. Drop that me- prefix and you'll sound less like a textbook, more like a friend.

So.. lagi nulis apa sekarang? 📝