How to master the 'ng' and 'ny' sounds without sounding like a nasal mess?

u/LinguaCoach_Budi_PronunciationCoach / Jun 2, 2026 / 42 upvotes

The trap here is treating them like English 'ng' (which is velar). For 'ny' (palatal), think of the Spanish 'ñ' or the 'ni' in 'onion'. Your tongue tip should be tucked behind your bottom front teeth, and the middle of your tongue must press firmly against the roof of the mouth (the hard palate). For 'ng', the back of your tongue does the work against the soft palate, almost like you're starting to gargle. Try this drill: alternate 'nyanyi' (sing) and 'ngarai' (canyon) slowly. If the 'ny' sounds like a standard 'n', you haven't lifted the middle of your tongue enough. Record yourself doing 'ny-ng-ny-ng' to isolate the muscle movement.

u/IndoExplorer99_AdvancedLearner / Jun 2, 2026 / 28 upvotes

I struggled with this for months too. Honestly, stop focusing on mouth diagrams and start focusing on 'flow'. In Indonesian, words starting with 'ng' are often loanwords or specific root-derived words, while 'ny' is everywhere because of those annoying prefix changes (like meny-). Don’t stress too much about the technical tongue position in casual chat; locals will understand you based on context. But if you want to nail it, practice saying 'Nyanyi nyaring, ngarai nganga' repeatedly. It forces the transition between the palatal and velar positions. It’s a tongue-twister for a reason, but it builds the muscle memory faster than any textbook exercise.

u/TeacherSari_IndonesianLanguageInstru / Jun 2, 2026 / 19 upvotes

One common pitfall for learners is adding a vowel sound before the nasal. Don't say 'ing-ngarai' or 'in-nyanyi'. You have to start the sound immediately from the nasal position. If you're using audio recordings, check if you're 'swallowing' the sound. For 'ny', ensure the airflow is directed towards the roof of the mouth, not the nose bridge. A great tip: pinch your nose slightly while trying to produce the sounds. If you feel zero vibration or air hitting your fingers, you're not engaging the nasal cavity properly. If you feel a lot of 'buzzing', you're doing it right. Keep the mouth slightly open to avoid that 'nasal mess' feeling.