Just like in your country, when placing real estate ads in the paper, Indonesians will abbreviate so that they can save space.

Trying to find a house in a paper that is printed in a language that you don’t speak is hard enough, but it is even harder when things are abbreviated and you can’t look them up in the dictionary.

So here is a list of some common terms that are often found in the newspapers when looking for houses:

kmr – kamar – room

lt – lantai – floor (level)

kt – kamar tidur – bedroom

km – kamar mandi – bathroom

rt – ruang tamu – guest room

dpr – dapur – kitchen

tmn – taman – yard

kbn – kebun – garden

listrik – electricity

garase – garage

dkt – dekat – near

dpn – depan – front

blkng – belakang – back or rear

lebar – wide

hub – hubungi – contact

bs – bisa – can

dgn – dengan – with

byr – bayar – pay

jl – jalan – street

hrg – harga – price

hrg bs nego – harga bisa nego – price is negotiable

lengkap – complete

jt – juta – million

thn – tahun – year

kontrakan – extended rental or lease

rmh- rumah – house

prmhn – perumahan – housing complex or compound

lokasi – location

hp – handphone – cellphone (given as a contact number)

bpk – bapak – sir (title for man usually followed by their name, for contact purposes)