Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Toko buka hingga pukul sembilan malam; datanglah lebih dahulu. - The shop is open until nine p.m.; please come a bit earlier.

hingga: a bit more formal/literary.
sampai: most common in everyday speech.
sampai dengan (often written s.d.): formal, often used for ranges (from X up to and including Y). In this sentence, hingga and sampai are interchangeable: Toko buka hingga/sampai pukul sembilan malam.

Why is pukul used instead of jam?

Both can introduce clock time, but:

pukul is more formal/neutral for telling time.
jam is very common in speech and also means hour(s) as a duration (e.g., dua jam = two hours). So you can also say: … sampai jam sembilan malam. In signs, you might see pkl. 21.00 (abbrev. of pukul).

What does malam add, and what are the other time-of-day words?

It clarifies the part of the day: malam = evening/night. Common divisions (approximate):

pagi (morning): ~04:00–10:00
siang (midday/early afternoon): ~11:00–15:00
sore (late afternoon/early evening): ~15:00–18:00
malam (evening/night): ~18:00–24:00 So sembilan malam is 9 p.m.

Does hingga pukul sembilan malam include exactly 9:00, or does the store close before 9?

It’s normally understood as “open until 9,” i.e., they close at 9 p.m. If they meant beyond 9, they’d say something like sampai lewat pukul sembilan. To stress the exact cutoff, you can add tepat: hingga pukul sembilan tepat.

Why is there no “is” in Toko buka? Shouldn’t it be “The store is open”?

Indonesian typically drops a copula. Adjectives or stative verbs serve as predicates directly:

Toko buka = The store is open.
Toko tutup = The store is closed. You can add itu/ini for specificity: Toko itu buka (That/The store is open).

What’s the difference between buka, membuka, dibuka, and terbuka?

buka: stative/short form meaning “open” (state). Toko buka.
membuka: active verb “to open (something).” Pemilik membuka toko (The owner opens the shop).
dibuka: passive “(is) opened.” Toko dibuka setiap hari (The shop is opened daily).
terbuka: adjective “open” (not closed/accessible). Pintu terbuka.

What does the -lah in datanglah do?

-lah softens or politely emphasizes an imperative/suggestion. Datanglah ≈ “Do come/Please come.” Without -lah (Datang) is more bare/direct. You can combine with tolong for extra politeness: Tolong datang lebih dahulu.

What exactly does lebih dahulu mean? How is it different from terlebih dahulu, lebih dulu, dulu, or lebih awal?

lebih dahulu / lebih dulu: earlier/first (before something else/others). dulu is the colloquial short form.
terlebih dahulu: more formal; “beforehand/first of all.”
lebih awal: earlier in terms of schedule/clock time (arrive earlier than planned). In many contexts they overlap; lebih dahulu focuses on sequence, lebih awal on timing.

In this sentence, does Datanglah lebih dahulu mean earlier than 9, or earlier than other people?

It’s context-dependent. Following a closing time, it naturally suggests “please come earlier (don’t cut it close to 9).” If you mean “before others,” add context: Datanglah lebih dahulu daripada yang lain. If you mean “before 9,” say sebelum pukul sembilan.

Is the semicolon natural here? Could I use a period or a connector instead?

Yes, the semicolon is fine in formal writing to link related clauses. You can also write:

Toko buka hingga pukul sembilan malam. Datanglah lebih dahulu.
Toko buka hingga pukul sembilan malam, jadi datanglah lebih dahulu.
… maka/karena itu, datanglah lebih dahulu.

Can I rephrase it as Toko tutup pukul sembilan malam?

Yes. Toko tutup pukul sembilan malam (The store closes at 9 p.m.) conveys the same practical info. Your original (buka hingga…) emphasizes the open period; tutup pukul… states the closing time directly.

Is the word order in pukul sembilan malam fixed?

The standard order is: time-word (pukul/jam) + number + period-of-day. Alternatives:

With 24-hour time: pukul 21.00.
In casual speech you can drop pukul/jam: sembilan malam. Saying malam pukul sembilan is not idiomatic for clock time.

Do I need something like “the” in Toko to mean “the store”? How do I make it definite?

Indonesian has no articles. Definite/indefinite is inferred. To make it clearly definite:

toko itu (that/the store)
toko ini (this store)
tokonya (the store/its store — context-dependent)

Could I write numbers instead of spelling them, or use abbreviations?

Yes. Common variants:

Toko buka s.d. pkl. 21.00 (formal/signage)
Toko buka sampai jam 9 malam Indonesian often uses a dot for hours–minutes (21.00), though a colon (21:00) is also seen.

What’s the nuance difference between toko, warung, and kedai?

toko: general word for shop/store (often brick-and-mortar retail).
warung: small, modest kiosk or eatery; very common and informal.
kedai: small shop; in Indonesia it appears in set phrases (e.g., kedai kopi). More common in Malaysian usage.

Any quick pronunciation tips for tricky parts like hingga and datanglah?

ng in hingga is a single sound [ng] as in singer.
Vowels are clear and short; syllables are evenly timed.
datanglah has a light final -lah; the t is unaspirated (not a strong puff of air).
pukul has u like in “put,” not “pool.”