Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Saya menyimpan resep sehat di buku harian.

Because the subject is Saya (I), listeners will naturally interpret buku harian as “my diary” unless there’s a reason to think it belongs to someone else.

If you want to say it explicitly, you can say:

Saya menyimpan resep sehat di buku harian saya.
= I keep healthy recipes in *my diary.*

So:

buku harian = diary (ownership inferred)
buku harian saya = my diary (explicit)

Why is resep not plural in Indonesian when the English meaning is “recipes”? How do plurals work here?

Indonesian usually doesn’t change the noun form to show plural. Whether resep means recipe or recipes depends on context.

In this sentence:

Saya menyimpan resep sehat di buku harian.

This can be understood as:

I keep *healthy recipes in my diary.*
or
I keep *a healthy recipe in my diary.*

If you really want to emphasize the plural, you have options:

Saya menyimpan resep-resep sehat di buku harian.
(reduplication often marks plural)
Saya menyimpan banyak resep sehat di buku harian.
(banyak = many)
Saya menyimpan beberapa resep sehat di buku harian.
(beberapa = several)

But in everyday speech, resep sehat without any plural marker is very normal and can still mean “healthy recipes”.

Does resep mean only “recipe”, or can it also mean “prescription”? How do I know which one is meant?

Resep in Indonesian can mean:

Cooking recipe
Medical prescription (doctor’s prescription)

Which meaning is intended depends on context.

In Saya menyimpan resep sehat di buku harian, most listeners would think of cooking recipes, because:

sehat
- resep commonly refers to healthy food recipes.
Storing medical prescriptions in a diary is less typical.

If you want to be very clear:

resep makanan sehat = healthy food recipes
resep masakan sehat = healthy cooking recipes/dishes
resep dokter = doctor’s prescription
resep obat = medicine prescription

So you’d normally interpret resep sehat here as healthy food recipes.

Why is it resep sehat and not sehat resep? What is the usual word order for adjectives in Indonesian?

In Indonesian, the adjective usually comes after the noun it describes.

Pattern:
Noun + Adjective

Examples:

resep sehat = healthy recipe(s)
buku baru = new book
rumah besar = big house

So:

resep sehat = healthy recipe(s)
sehat resep is incorrect as a normal noun phrase.

If you want a more “descriptive clause” feel, you can also say:

resep yang sehat = recipes that are healthy

But the basic, natural order is still resep sehat (noun + adjective).

What’s the difference between di and pada? Could I say pada buku harian instead of di buku harian?

In this sentence, di is the normal choice:

Saya menyimpan resep sehat di buku harian.
= I keep healthy recipes in (my) diary.

di is the common preposition for:

physical locations: di rumah, di meja
containers or places where something is kept: di lemari, di buku harian

pada is more:

formal
abstract (used with times, people, formal writing, etc.)

Examples of pada:

pada hari Senin = on Monday
pada kesempatan ini = on this occasion
pada beliau = to him/her (formal)

You could say pada buku harian in a very formal written style, but di buku harian is what people naturally say. For everyday Indonesian, di is correct and preferred here.

What nuance does menyimpan have? Is it just “put”, or closer to “keep/store”? How is it different from menaruh or meletakkan?

menyimpan means to keep / to store / to put away (for later).

It often suggests:

you will use it in the future
you are keeping it safe or saving it

In Saya menyimpan resep sehat di buku harian, the idea is:

I keep/store healthy recipes in my diary (so I can read/use them later).

Compare:

menaruh / meletakkan = to put/place something somewhere (neutral placement)
- Saya menaruh buku di meja. = I put the book on the table.
menyimpan = to keep/store/put away, with a sense of saving or keeping:
- Saya menyimpan uang di bank. = I keep money in the bank.
- Saya menyimpan foto lama di album. = I keep old photos in an album.

So here menyimpan is appropriate because recipes are something you keep for future use, not just casually “put” once.

Is Saya necessary? Could I just say Menyimpan resep sehat di buku harian?

You need a subject in a normal Indonesian sentence, so Saya (or some other subject) is necessary here.

Saya menyimpan resep sehat di buku harian. ✅
Menyimpan resep sehat di buku harian. ❌ (incomplete as a normal statement)

The subject can sometimes be dropped if it’s understood from context in answers or very informal speech, but that’s usually after the subject has been clearly established.

For example, in conversation:

A: Kamu melakukan apa dengan resep-resep itu?
What do you do with those recipes?
B: (Saya) menyimpan resep sehat di buku harian.
[I] keep healthy recipes in (my) diary.

Here, dropping Saya in speech is possible because kamu / you and context are clear. But as a standalone sentence for learning, it’s better to keep Saya.

What exactly does buku harian mean? Is it the same as diary, and how is it different from jurnal or diari?

buku harian literally means “daily book”, and in practice it means a diary (a personal book where you write what happens each day).

Rough differences:

buku harian = diary (very natural, common)
diari = diary (borrowed word, understood, used but a bit less common in everyday speech)
jurnal = journal (can be personal, but also academic or professional journal; broader meaning)

In this sentence:

Saya menyimpan resep sehat di buku harian.

buku harian is understood as a personal diary. The English translation “diary” fits very well.

Does sehat here mean the recipes themselves are healthy, or that they are for health? How would I be more specific?

In resep sehat, sehat describes the result/character of the recipe: it’s a recipe for healthy food or a health-promoting dish.

So resep sehat is usually understood as:

healthy recipes (recipes that are good for your health)

If you want to be more explicit that these are food recipes:

resep makanan sehat = healthy food recipes
resep masakan sehat = healthy cooking recipes/dishes

If you wanted something like “recipes for health remedies”, you might specify:

resep minuman kesehatan = recipes for health drinks
resep obat tradisional = traditional medicine recipes

But in normal usage, resep sehat strongly suggests healthy food recipes.

How would I clearly say “I keep a healthy recipe in my diary” (singular) versus “I keep healthy recipes in my diary” (plural)?

Indonesian doesn’t require a change on the noun to show singular/plural, so you use extra words to make it explicit.

Singular: “a healthy recipe”

Saya menyimpan sebuah resep sehat di buku harian saya.
- sebuah = one (general classifier for things)

or simply:

Saya menyimpan satu resep sehat di buku harian saya.
- satu = one

Plural: “healthy recipes”

Saya menyimpan banyak resep sehat di buku harian saya.
= I keep many healthy recipes in my diary.
Saya menyimpan beberapa resep sehat di buku harian saya.
= I keep several healthy recipes in my diary.
Saya menyimpan resep-resep sehat di buku harian saya.
= I keep healthy recipes (plural emphasized by reduplication).

Without those words, resep sehat is number-neutral and can be translated as singular or plural depending on context.

Can I say resep yang sehat instead of resep sehat? Is there any difference in meaning?

Both are grammatically correct:

resep sehat
resep yang sehat

resep sehat is the simpler, more common form for “healthy recipe(s)”.

resep yang sehat literally means “recipes that are healthy”, and can sound a bit:

more emphatic
slightly more formal or careful in tone

Subtle nuance:

resep sehat: just describing the type (healthy recipes)
resep yang sehat: highlighting or contrasting that these recipes (among others) are the ones that are healthy

In most everyday situations, resep sehat is perfectly natural and preferred.