Dutch was the language used by colonizers for centuries in the Indonesian Archipelago, both when it was still colonized or partially colonized by the

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

. This language was the official language in the

Dutch East Indies The Dutch East Indies, also known as the Netherlands East Indies (; ), was a Dutch Empire, Dutch colony with territory mostly comprising the modern state of Indonesia, which Proclamation of Indonesian Independence, declared independence on 17 Au ...

until World War II, as well as in

Dutch New Guinea Dutch New Guinea or Netherlands New Guinea (, ) was the western half of the island of New Guinea that was a part of the Dutch East Indies until 1949, later an overseas territory of the Kingdom of the Netherlands from 1949 to 1962. It contained ...

until the transfer of Western New Guinea to Indonesia in

1963 Events January * January 1 – Bogle–Chandler case: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation scientist Dr. Gilbert Bogle and Mrs. Margaret Chandler are found dead (presumed poisoned), in bushland near the Lane Cove ...

History

VOC Era

The general use of Dutch in Indonesia only started at the end of the colonial period. During the

Dutch East India Company The United East India Company ( ; VOC ), commonly known as the Dutch East India Company, was a chartered company, chartered trading company and one of the first joint-stock companies in the world. Established on 20 March 1602 by the States Ge ...

(VOC) period, Dutch was hardly used, and many regions actually used

Low Malay In addition to its classical and modern literary form, Malay had various regional dialects established after the rise of the Srivijaya empire in Sumatra, Indonesia. Also, Malay spread through interethnic contact and trade across the south Eas ...

as a

lingua franca A lingua franca (; ; for plurals see ), also known as a bridge language, common language, trade language, auxiliary language, link language or language of wider communication (LWC), is a Natural language, language systematically used to make co ...

and language of trade. People who could speak Dutch had more rights. Only natives who could speak Dutch were allowed to wear hats, and native women were only allowed to marry Europeans if they could speak Dutch. Dutch schools were established in Ambon and Batavia. However, not everyone could attend these schools: there were very few of them, and they were usually only accessible to the elite and aristocracy. At school people spoke Dutch, but at home they often spoke Malay or Javanese. In 1641, the Dutch colonial fleet took control of

Malacca Malacca (), officially the Historic State of Malacca (), is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state in Malaysia located in the Peninsular Malaysia#Other features, southern region of the Malay Peninsula, facing the Strait of Malacca ...

after seizing it from the Portuguese, making it an important port in the East Indies trade network. Until 1795, Malacca was occupied by the Dutch East India Company (VOC). As a result, the Dutch language also influenced the Portuguese-based creole language that developed there, known as Kristang, which later also evolved into the

Mardijker Creole Mardijker was a Portuguese-based creole of Jakarta. It was the native tongue of the Mardijker people. The language was introduced with the establishment of the Dutch settlement of Batavia (present-day Jakarta); the Dutch brought in slaves fro ...

in Batavia. The people of Ambon and

Minahasa The Minahasans or Minahassa are an Austronesian people, Austronesian ethnic group native to North Sulawesi province of Indonesia, formerly known as North Celebes. The Minahasa people sometimes refer to themselves as Manado people. Although the M ...

were known for their loyalty to the Dutch colonizers, with most of the men joining the

Royal Netherlands East Indies Army The Royal Netherlands East Indies Army (; KNIL, ; ) was the military force maintained by the Kingdom of the Netherlands in its colony of the Dutch East Indies, in areas that are now part of Indonesia. The KNIL's air arm was the Royal Netherl ...

(KNIL) and also adopting Dutch lifestyles and language. This legacy continued, and by the time of Indonesia's independence, these two ethnic groups were the most fluent—or at least somewhat able to speak Dutch—compared to other indigenous ethnic groups. Many of their communities now form a large Moluccan diaspora in the Netherlands, particularly from the Ambonese and other Maluku peoples.

20th Century

Malay, like Dutch, became increasingly significant in the Dutch East Indies. However, beyond its role as a regional language, Malay was also widely used in British territories such as

Malaya Malaya refers to a number of historical and current political entities related to what is currently Peninsular Malaysia in Southeast Asia: Political entities * British Malaya (1826–1957), a loose collection of the British colony of the Straits ...

Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...

, and

Brunei Brunei, officially Brunei Darussalam, is a country in Southeast Asia, situated on the northern coast of the island of Borneo. Apart from its coastline on the South China Sea, it is completely surrounded by the Malaysian state of Sarawak, with ...

, where it functioned as a ''

''. Since the 20th century, the Dutch language gained formal recognition in Indonesia, and many Indonesians with Dutch ancestry continue to use it among family and friends. In 1942, following the

Japanese occupation of the Dutch East Indies The Empire of Japan occupied the Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia) during World War II from March 1942 until after the end of the war in September 1945. In May 1940, Germany German invasion of the Netherlands, occupied the Netherlands, and ma ...

, the use of Dutch was banned, with only native Asian languages—such as Malay and

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

—permitted for official and daily use. After Indonesia's

independence Independence is a condition of a nation, country, or state, in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the status of ...

in 1945, which was formally recognized by the Netherlands in 1949, Dutch remained in use for an extended period, particularly among those with historical ties to the Netherlands. In some regions, Dutch proficiency continued to be regarded as a marker of a good education. Despite strong anti-Dutch sentiments following the police actions ('' agresi militer I dan II'') and the Bersiap period, many Indonesians continued to respect the Dutch language.

Sukarno Sukarno (6 June 1901 – 21 June 1970) was an Indonesian statesman, orator, revolutionary, and nationalist who was the first president of Indonesia, serving from 1945 to 1967. Sukarno was the leader of the Indonesian struggle for independenc ...

, Indonesia’s first president and proclaimer of independence, regularly spoke Dutch and read Dutch books annually. The Dutch language persisted in the region, partly because the Netherlands retained control of its colony,

Netherlands New Guinea Dutch New Guinea or Netherlands New Guinea (, ) was the Western New Guinea, western half of the island of New Guinea that was a part of the Dutch East Indies until 1949, later an overseas administrative territorial entity, overseas territory of ...

(Nugini Belanda), after 1949. Sukarno claimed that the territory rightfully belonged to Indonesia and engaged in prolonged negotiations with the Dutch over its status. Meanwhile, through colonial schools in Netherlands New Guinea, many indigenous Papuans were also introduced to the Dutch language, contributing to its continued presence in the region. In Indonesia, individuals of Dutch orientation, mixed Dutch-Indonesian heritage, or those with past romantic ties to the Dutch were sometimes referred to by the derogatory term ''Londo Ireng''. This term originates from Javanese, where ''Londo'' means Dutch and ''Ireng'' means black. The term is associated with "

Belanda Hitam Belanda Hitam ( Indonesian; "Black Dutchmen") was an Indonesian language term used to refer to Black soldiers recruited by the Dutch colonial empire for service in the Royal Netherlands East Indies Army (KNIL), the colonial army of the Dutch E ...

" (''Black Dutch''), a designation historically used in Indonesia to describe individuals whose parents or grandparents had aligned with the Dutch colonial administration. The phrase carried negative connotations and was often used in a discriminatory or pejorative context.

Post-1949

Following Indonesia's independence, the use of Dutch did not immediately disappear. Dutch remains a source language in Indonesia, and certain documents in Dutch have retained their official status as government records. Historically, Dutch also functioned as a

language of trade A lingua franca (; ; for plurals see ), also known as a bridge language, common language, trade language, auxiliary language, link language or language of wider communication (LWC), is a language systematically used to make communication possib ...

in Indonesia. However, in modern times, English has become far more significant in this domain. Fluency in Dutch today is primarily limited to elderly individuals and a portion of their younger relatives, particularly in major cities in

Java Java is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea (a part of Pacific Ocean) to the north. With a population of 156.9 million people (including Madura) in mid 2024, proje ...

Maluku Maluku may refer to: Places * Maluku Islands, an archipelago that is part of Indonesia ** List of the Maluku Islands * Maluku (province), a province of Indonesia comprising the central and southern parts of the archipelago * North Maluku, a provin ...

, and Papua. Since 1971,

Universitas Indonesia The University of Indonesia (UI; ) is a public university in Depok, West Java and Salemba, Jakarta, Indonesia. It is one of the oldest tertiary-level educational institutions in Indonesia (known as the Dutch East Indies when UI was established), ...

(UI) in Jakarta has been the only university in Indonesia with a Dutch Language Department. Interest in studying Dutch is driven by its historical influence on Indonesian law, as the country's legal system is partially based on

Dutch law The Netherlands uses civil law. The role of case law is small in theory, although, in practice, it is impossible to understand the law in many fields without considering the relevant case law. The Dutch law system is based on the French Civil Co ...

, and many colonial-era texts remain relevant. Additionally, historical, linguistic, philological, and medical sources from earlier periods are often written in Dutch, making proficiency in the language valuable for research. Vocational education institutions offering Dutch language courses can also be found in cities such as

Semarang Semarang (Javanese script, Javanese: , ''Kutha Semarang'') is the capital and largest city of Central Java province in Indonesia. It was a major port during the Netherlands, Dutch Dutch East Indies, colonial era, and is still an important regio ...

Bandung Bandung is the capital city of the West Java province of Indonesia. Located on the island of Java, the city is the List of Indonesian cities by population, fourth-most populous city and fourth largest city in Indonesia after Jakarta, Surabay ...

Surabaya Surabaya is the capital city of East Java Provinces of Indonesia, province and the List of Indonesian cities by population, second-largest city in Indonesia, after Jakarta. Located on the northeastern corner of Java island, on the Madura Strai ...

, and

Yogyakarta Yogyakarta is the capital city of the Special Region of Yogyakarta in Indonesia, in the south-central part of the island of Java. As the only Indonesian royal city still ruled by Hamengkubuwono, a monarchy, Yogyakarta is regarded as an importan ...

. These institutions often cater to a broader audience, including younger generations who wish to learn Dutch to understand their grandparents' language, study Indonesian history, or pursue tourism-related careers, such as becoming tour guides. Alongside English,

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

, Japanese, and

Mandarin Mandarin or The Mandarin may refer to: Language * Mandarin Chinese, branch of Chinese originally spoken in northern parts of the country ** Standard Chinese or Modern Standard Mandarin, the official language of China ** Taiwanese Mandarin, Stand ...

, Dutch remains a popular language of study in Indonesia. Each year, more than 10,000 Indonesians enroll in Dutch language programs offered by schools and private courses.

Current usage

Kemasan_teh_berbahasa_Belanda_di_Indonesia

, and

Western New Guinea Western New Guinea, also known as Papua, Indonesian New Guinea, and Indonesian Papua, is the western half of the island of New Guinea, formerly Dutch and granted to Indonesia in 1962. Given the island is alternatively named Papua, the region ...

(due to the Netherlands' presence in New Guinea until

), who learned the language in school and still use it with each other, at reunions, or with foreigners. In Papua, the continued presence of Dutch speakers is attributed to the Netherlands' administration of the region until 1963. Those proficient in Dutch typically learned the language in school and still use it in conversations with one another, at reunions, or when interacting with foreigners. Dutch remains an important language in some areas, such as

Depok Depok ( Sundanese: ᮓᮨᮕᮧᮊ᮪) is a landlocked city in West Java province. It is located directly south of Jakarta, it is the third largest urban centre in the Greater Jakarta metropolitan area after Jakarta and Bekasi and it has an area ...

(the old city), Ambon, and

Manado Manado (, ) is the capital City status in Indonesia, city of the Indonesian Provinces of Indonesia, province of North Sulawesi. It is the second largest city in Sulawesi after Makassar, with the 2020 census giving a population of 451,916,Badan ...

. In major cities across Indonesia, Dutch is primarily spoken by

Indo-European The Indo-European languages are a language family native to the northern Indian subcontinent, most of Europe, and the Iranian plateau with additional native branches found in regions such as Sri Lanka, the Maldives, parts of Central Asia (e. ...

communities and, to a lesser extent, by Western-oriented Chinese minorities in cities such as Bandung, Malang, Semarang, Surabaya, and parts of Jakarta, where it is still occasionally used. Since 1971,

(UI) in

has been the only university in Indonesia with a Dutch Language Department. Interest in studying Dutch is driven by its historical influence on Indonesian law, as the country's legal system is partially based on

, and

, Japanese, and

, Dutch remains a popular language of study in Indonesia. Each year, more than 10,000 Indonesians enroll in Dutch language programs offered by schools and private courses.

Population

Papan tanda jalan bahasa Indonesia-Belanda di Kota Malang

The number of speakers was around 500,000 in

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeas ...

. Most of the speakers were elderly people who still had memories of the Dutch language. This number is speculative, and it is difficult to estimate—these speakers were a minority that could be ignored in a population of over 130 million people at that time. However, looking back further, especially at the early years of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

in the

1940s File:1940s decade montage.png, Above title bar: events during World War II (1939–1945): From left to right: Troops in an LCVP landing craft approaching Omaha Beach on Normandy landings, D-Day; Adolf Hitler visits Paris, soon after the Battle of ...

, the number of speakers was not much different. Out of 400,000 people fluent in Dutch, most of them were of mixed descent or of Dutch origin, with another 200,000 possibly having at least some knowledge or being able to speak a little Dutch.

Census Statistics

* 1900 Census: 5,000 speakers (0.012%) out of 29 million residents of the Dutch East Indies (75,000 Europeans). * 1920 Census: 60,000 speakers (0.12%) out of 48 million residents of the Dutch East Indies (170,000 Europeans). * 1940 Census: 773,000 speakers (1.1%) out of 70 million residents of the Dutch East Indies (290,000 Europeans).

Relationship with Indonesian and Malay

Dutch language influence

The Dutch language has also had a significant influence and contributed a large number of vocabulary words to Indonesian, Javanese, and other languages in Indonesia. Approximately 10,000 Dutch words have been absorbed into Indonesian, such as: * ''knalpot, bekleding, vermaak, achteruit, absurd, afdruk, belasting, bestek, bom, bretel, debat, degen, doktorandus, drama, elan, fabel, flop, fotomodel, fraude, giro, gratis, handel, harem, hutspot, inklaring, jas, kabinet, kanker, kansel, krat, kop, lading, loket, marmer, masker, matras, mondeling, nota, notaris, oma, onderneming, oom, opa, pan, pater, punt, rekening, rimpel, salaris, seks, sigaret, skelet, tank, tante, testikel, tol, urine, vla, wastafel, wortel''. However, some of these words are no longer in use. For example, ''

hutspot ''Hutspot'' (), ''hochepot'' (French), or hotchpotch (English), is a dish of boiled and mashed potatoes, carrots, and onions with a long history in traditional Dutch cuisine. Hutspot is also found in the Indonesian cuisine due to their coloni ...

'' is no longer common, and ''sigaret'' has largely been replaced by ''rokok''. The latter word essentially originates from the Dutch word ''roken'', which means "to smoke." There are also words that are written differently but are often pronounced the same: * ''adopsi, apel, asprak, bagasi, bandit, baterai, bioskop, debil, demisioner, duane, ekonomi, energi, ereksi, finansiil, frustrasi, garansi, generasi, granat, handuk, higiene, ideologi, imbesil, impoten, inflasi, jenewer, kampiun, kantor, kardiolog, kastrasi, kondom, kran, kristen, kuitansi, langsam, losion, makelar, marsepen, menstruasi, monarki, opas, operasi, overproduksi, panekuk, parlemen, pesimis, polisi, posbus, poskantor, resesi, revolusi, segregasi, sigar, skorsing, spanduk, tabu, taksi, tanpasta, toleran, vegetarir, verplehster, wanprestasi''. After Indonesia's independence, some of these loan words were deliberately changed to suit Indonesian pronunciation. For example, ''universitet'' and ''kwalitet'' were replaced with ''universitas'' and ''kualitas'', which slightly reduced the Dutch character. Other words appear to come from Dutch. For example, here are the Dutch equivalents: * ''abésé (ABC, alfabet), air ledeng (leidingwater), amplop (enveloppe), arbei (aardbei), ateret (achteruit), besenegeng (bezuiniging), buku (boek), dasi (stropdas), dopercis (doperwten), dus (douche), efisen (efficiënt), ember (emmer), fakultas kedokteran (medische faculteit), gaji (gage), gemente (gemeente), hasyis (hasjies), hopagen (hoofdagent), insinyur (ingenieur), interviu ('interview', also from English), kakus (kakhuis, wc), kantor pos (postkantoor), keker (verrekijker), keroket (kroket), klep knalpot (uitlaatklep), komunis (communist), kopor (koffer), koterek (kurketrekker), lengseng (lezing), masase (massage), meisyes (muisjes, hagelslag), netral (neutraal), om (oom), ongkos (onkosten), otobus (autobus), pakansi/vakansi (vakantie), persnelling (versnelling) pipa (pijp), pofercis (poffertjes), puisi (poëzie), rebewes (rijbewijs), reboisasi (herbebossing), sakelek (zakelijk), stasiun (station), teh (thee), wese (wc), zeni (genie)''. However, many of the words mentioned above are also loanwords into Dutch from other languages, such as

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

Influence from Indonesian/Malay

On the other hand, Dutch and

Afrikaans Afrikaans is a West Germanic languages, West Germanic language spoken in South Africa, Namibia and to a lesser extent Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe and also Argentina where there is a group in Sarmiento, Chubut, Sarmiento that speaks the Pat ...

also have words borrowed from Indonesian/Malay. Some of them are related to dishes: * ''nasi, bami, babi pangang, ketjap, atjar, gadogado, kroepoek, emping, saté, mango, sambal, loempia, boemboe, trassi, klapper, sereh, peteh onen laos, lombok, kemiri onen pi(e)sang''. Other vocabulary includes, for example: * ''kaki'' (''voot''), ''

batik Batik is a dyeing technique using wax Resist dyeing, resist. The term is also used to describe patterned textiles created with that technique. Batik is made by drawing or stamping wax on a cloth to prevent colour absorption during the dyein ...

, pasar,

kris The kris or is a Javanese culture, Javanese asymmetrical dagger with a distinctive blade-patterning achieved through alternating laminations of iron and nickelous iron (''pamor''). The kris is famous for its distinctive wavy blade, although ma ...

gamelan Gamelan (; ; , ; ) is the traditional musical ensemble, ensemble music of the Javanese people, Javanese, Sundanese people, Sundanese, and Balinese people, Balinese peoples of Indonesia, made up predominantly of percussion instrument, per ...

, baboe, wajang,'' ''piekeren'' (''pikir'', ''denken''), ''pienter'' (''pintar'', ''slim''), '' amok'', '' klamboe'', ''karbouw, rimboe, orang oetan, soesa, senang, bakeleien, banjeren, amper, pakkie-an, gladjakker, branie, goeroe, soebatten, tabee, plopper,

sarong A sarong or a sarung (, ) is a large tube or length of textile, fabric, often wrapped around the waist, worn in Southeast Asia, South Asia, Western Asia, Northern Africa, East Africa, West Africa, and on many Pacific islands. The fabric often ...

, koelie, tang'' ('wanita jahat'), ''toko, patjakker,

tempo doeloe The Dutch East Indies, also known as the Netherlands East Indies (; ), was a Dutch Empire, Dutch colony with territory mostly comprising the modern state of Indonesia, which Proclamation of Indonesian Independence, declared independence on 17 Au ...

, bazar,

oorlam The Oorlam or Orlam people (also known as Orlaam, Oorlammers, Oerlams, or Orlamse Hottentots) are a subtribe of the Nama people, largely assimilated after their migration from the Cape Colony (today, part of South Africa) to Namaqualand and ...

kongsi Kongsi () is a Hokkien transcription of a Chinese term meaning "company", especially businesses which have been incorporated. However, the word has other meanings under different historical contexts. ''Kongsi'' were most commonly known as Chines ...

, goenagoena,

bersiap In Dutch historiography, ''Bersiap'' ("Get ready" or "Be prepared" in Indonesian) refers to the violent and chaotic beginning of the Indonesian National Revolution following the end of World War II in Asia. In Indonesia, the term ''Berdaula ...

, beo, desa, gonje,

guttapercha Gutta-percha is a tree of the genus '' Palaquium'' in the family Sapotaceae, which is primarily used to create a high-quality latex of the same name. The material is rigid, naturally biologically inert, resilient, electrically nonconductive, a ...

, kali, kassian, mandiën, negorij, krontjong, rotan,

sawah Sawah may refer to: * Sawah (song), a 1972 song by Abdel Halim Hafez * Sawah Besar, a district in Jakarta, Indonesia * Sawah Besar railway station, a railway station in Indonesia * Sawah Ring, a village in Johor, Malaysia See also * Sawahlunto

totok Totok is an Indonesian term of Javanese origin, used in Indonesia to refer to recent migrants of Arab, Chinese, or European origins. In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries it was popularised among colonists in Batavia, who initially coine ...

, toean, njai, nonna, liplap, kraton,

klewang The klewang or kelewang is a category of traditional single-edged sword that can be found throughout the Malay Archipelago. Usually it is shorter than a ''pedang'' (sword) but longer than a '' golok'' (machete). There are straight bladed types ...

''. Some words in Afrikaans also come from Malay. * ''baar'' ('inexperienced, beginner'; from ''baru''), ''piesang'' (''banana''), ''baie'' ('very'; from ''banyak'')

Dutch-based creole languages

There are several

Dutch-based creole languages A Dutch creole is a creole language whose main lexifier is the Dutch language, a West Germanic language of the Low Countries. These creoles usually developed from Dutch-based pidgins or through language mixing where Dutch served as a major influ ...

, most of which are currently spoken by migrants to the Netherlands, and are slowly but surely dying out as the first generation of Indo-Dutch people disappears, such as the Petjo and Javindo languages that were originally spoken in Java.

References

Notes

Citations

External links

Elektronisch tijdschrift voor de neerlandistiek
at Neder-L

at Digitale Bibliotheek voor de Nederlandse Letteren (DBNL)
Waar ben je nou Nederlands leren in Indonesië
at Taal Unieversum {{Languages of Indonesia Languages of Indonesia Dutch language in Asia