How to Say 'Sudah' in Casual Indonesian (Udah)

Your textbook taught you sudah. It means "already" or "have done." Totally correct. Also.. not how most people actually talk.

The word you'll hear on the street is udah.

Same meaning. Way more natural. Used in roughly 90% of everyday speech. If you only learn one casual swap in Indonesian, make it this one.

The Most Important Greeting You'll Learn

Here's the thing. In Indonesian culture, people greet each other like this:

"Udah makan?" (Already eaten?)

The formal version is "Sudah makan?" but almost nobody says that to friends.

And here's the part textbooks skip. "Udah makan?" isn't really about food. It's basically the Indonesian "How are you?" A check-in. A way of saying "Hey, I care about you." You'll hear it from friends, coworkers, your neighbor, the security guard at your apartment.

Don't overthink your answer. Just reply.

Quick Comparison

Formal	Casual	Meaning
Sudah makan?	Udah makan?	Have you eaten?
Sudah selesai	Udah selesai	Already finished
Sudah sampai	Udah sampai	Already arrived
Sudah tahu	Udah tau	Already knew

See the pattern? Just swap sudah for udah. That's it.

Texting? Even Shorter.

In chat, Indonesians chop it down further: udh.

"Udh makan?" Three syllables. Maximum efficiency.

You'll also see "uda" or "dah" floating around. All the same word. All casual. All fine.

The Reply: Belum (or Belom)

Someone asks "Udah makan?" and you haven't eaten yet?

"Belum." (Not yet.)

Or the casual version: "Belom."

This udah + belum pattern is everywhere in Indonesian. It's one of the most common question structures in the language.

Udah selesai? Belom. (Finished yet? Not yet.)

Udah bayar? Belum. (Already paid? Not yet.)

You'll use this dozens of times a day. Not exaggerating.

Recap

• Sudah = formal, textbook, written Indonesian
• Udah = what people actually say
• Udh = what people type
• Belum/Belom = "not yet" (the default answer to any udah question)

So.. udah baca sampai sini? (Already read this far?) 😄

What other textbook words have you noticed Indonesians swapping out in casual speech?