Biasa Aja In the Indonesian Language

Halo semuanya, apa kabar kalian? Tentunya baik-baik saja kan? (Hello everyone, how are you? I bet you're okay, aren't you?)

This time, I'm going to explain the meaning of [biasa aja] in the Indonesian language. We will also be going to watch scenes from Indonesian movies where this phrase is being spoken.

If you want to ask me about a specific topic or have difficulties with something in the Indonesian language, you can just ask me. You can check it out on the About Me page how you can ask me.

So, let's dive in!

Meaning of Biasa Aja

I will break down this phrase into word for word translation. Biasa means ordinary. Aja is short for [saja], and it means [just].

So, biasa aja means,

Something that is ordinary, and not special.

In English, there is an idiom run of the mill, which means ordinary and not special in any way. So, I think [biasa aja] matches with English idiom, run of the mill.

But, there is another meaning from this phrase [biasa aja]. Often times this phrase [biasa aja] collocates with the word [dong], [kali], and becomes,

Biasa aja dong!

Or,

Biasa aja kali!

We will see this phrase is being spoken in the movie scene.

Biasa aja, in this case, means something like,

Can you just chill out?

It is used when you're trying to calm somebody down.

How to Pronounce Biasa Aja

First, I will pronounce [biasa saja]. This is more formal than [biasa aja]. Let's hear it down below.

Next, [biasa aja]. Let's hear it how I pronounce this phrase.

Next, we're going to watch scenes from an Indonesian TV serial called Cek Toko Sebelah.

Biasa Aja In Movie Scenes

First, we will watch this phrase [biasa aja], which has the meaning to calm somebody down. Let's watch it first, then I will explain the situation in the scene.

The conversation in that scene with English translation is as follows.

Yohan: Buset! Ngga salah loe, Ming? (OMG! Isn’t that wrong, is it Ming?) 

Vincent: Ini mah bukan dituang! Ditimba! (You can’t pour this. You need a bucket to fill this.) 

Roy: Ini mah porsi dapur umum, Ming. (This is a portion of a public kitchen, Ming.) 

Aming: Apa yang salah sih sama mangkok ini? Mangkok peninggalan Papih. Banyak kenangan sama Papih dari mangkok ini. Loe ngga bakal ngerti, loe ye! (What is wrong with this bowl? This bowl was from my father. There are a lot of memories of him in this bowl. You will never understand!) 

Roy: Biasa aja kali, Ming! Emang loe doang?! Bokap gue juga udah mati! (Hey, chillout, man! You’re not the only one! My father also had passed away!) 

Vincent: Yatim-yatim kok sombong? (Why are you two so arrogant bragging not having a father?)

In this scene, when suddenly, Aming started crying because all of a sudden, he remembered the memories he had with his father when his father was still alive. He said to Roy that he wouldn't understand how it felt losing someone that he loved.

Roy responded this by saying,

Biasa aja kali, Ming! 

In this case, he was trying to chill Aming out, and kind of like saying to not exaggerating things up because he also knows how it feels losing someone that we love.

     Read also: Males Banget In the Indonesian Language

In the next scene, we will see this phrase [biasa aja], still from the same movie. But, in this scene, the meaning of this phrase is different. In this scene, the meaning of this phrase is something that is ordinary and not special.

Let's watch it.

The conversation in that scene with English translation is as follows.

Ojak: Bang, saya buburnya setengah. Kerupuknya banyakin, cakwenya banyakin, atinya disuwir. (Sir, make the portion of the porridge in half. Add more kerupuk, cakwe, and cut the chicken livers in pieces.) 

Street Vendor: Siap. Siap. (Okay.) 

Yadi: Bang, sama. Pake sambel tapi jangan pedes. Terus kalo bisa, habis makan saya bisa pergi haji. (Mine's just like him. Use chilly but not spicy. Also, if possible, after eating, I can go hajj.) 

Street Vendor: Oh, siap siap. Saya doakan. (Okay. I will pray for you so that you will be able to go hajj.) 

Ramli: Saya biasa aja, Bang. Ngga usah pake ayam, ngga usah pake seledri, ama ngga usah pake nasi. (Mine is just the ordinary one. Do not use chicken, celery, also do not use rice.) 

Street Vendor: Siap siap siap. (Okay, got it.) 

Ojak: Heh, cepetan ya! Laper. (Please, be quick! I’m hungry.)

Ramli, in this scene, asked for an ordinary portion of porridge, and not a special one. So, as we can see in this scene, this phrase [biasa aja] in here means something that is ordinary and not special.

So, how do we know when the meaning is something that is ordinary, and when the meaning is to calm somebody down? We know it from the context. That's why you need to know the context.

Example Sentences

I give you 3 example sentences using this phrase, and you can see from the translation, which one has the meaning just ordinary, and which one has the meaning to calm somebody down.

Example Sentences	English Translation
1. A: Gimana tadi?     B: Biasa aja sih, standar aja.	1. A: How was it?     B: Just ordinary, nothing special.
2. Kalau ngomong, biasa aja dong! Ngga usah marah-marah gitu juga, kali!	2. Can you just please chill out when you speak? You don’t need to go nuts like that!
3. Saya suka yang biasa-biasa aja, tidak terlalu cantik dan tidak jelek.	3. What I like is someone who is just ordinary, not too pretty, and not ugly.

I think this is a wrap. If you still confused and have something to ask me, just write it down in the comment section below, and I'll be happy to answer your questions. If I find another scene in a movie where this phrase is spoken, Insya Allah, I will update this article.

That's all for now. I'll talk to you soon, and bye.