GENERAL INFORMATION

Traditional Malay Costume
Photo by Chris Lim

The sole official language of Malaysia is Malay (Bahasa Melayu). English is also taught in schools and widely spoken in the cities although in rural areas a little Malay will come in handy. There is also a colloquial form of English spoken among Malaysians in urban areas, not inappropriately known as Manglish, which takes a bit of getting used to if you intend to join in the conversation on local topics. Malaysians will almost always try to speak 'proper English' when approached by Western travellers.

The Chinese community in Malaysia speaks a wide variety of Chinese dialects including Cantonese, Mandarin, Teo-chew, Hakka, Hainanese, Foochow, Hok-chew and Hokkien. The most commonly spoken Indian language is Tamil; other include Malayalam, Punjabi and Telugu. In East Malaysia several indigenous languages are also spoken, especially Iban and Kadazan.

GRAMMAR

Intro

Malay word order is subject-verb-object like English. There are no plurals, grammatical gender, or verb conjugation for person, number or tense, all of which are expressed with adverbs or tense indicators: saya makan, "I eat" (now), saya sudah makan, "I already eat" = "I ate".

A characteristic of Malay is that it is a so-called agglutinative language, which means that the suffixes are all attached to a base root. So a word can become very long. For example there is a base word hasil which means "result". But it can be extended as far as ketidakberhasilannya, which means his/her failure.

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Pronunciation guide

Malay is very easy to pronounce: it has one of the most phonetic writing systems in the world, with only a small number of simple consonants and relatively few vowel sounds. One peculiarity of the spelling is the lack for a separate sign to denote the schwa. It is written as an 'e', which can sometimes be confusing.

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Vowels

a
like 'a' in "father"
ê
like 'e' in "vowel" (schwa)
e, é
like 'e' in "bed", usually the difference between a schwa and an e is not indicated in writing
i
like 'i' in "thin"
o
like 'ow' in "low", in open positions or like 'o' in "top" in close positions
u
like 'oo' in "hoop", in open positions or like 'o' in “hope” in close positions

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Consonants

b
like 'b' in "bed"
c
like 'ch' in "China"
ch
old spelling of c
d
like 'd' in "dog"
f
like 'ph' in "phone"
g
like 'g' in "go"
h
like 'h' in "help"
j
like 'j' in "jug"; in older romanizations also the vowel i
k
like 'c' in "cat", often silent at the end of a word
kh
like 'ch' in "loch"
l
like 'l' in "love"
m
like 'm' in "mother"
n
like 'n' in "nice"
p
like 'p' in "pig"
q
like 'q' in "quest" (with "u", almost always, only in Arabic borrowings)
r
like 'rh' in "rheumatism"
s
like 'ss' in "hiss"
sy
like 'sh' in "sheep"

t
like 't' in "top"
v
like 'ph' in "phone"
w
like 'w' in "weight"
x
like 'cks' in "kicks"
y
like 'y' in "yes"
z
like 's' in "hiss", like 'z' in "haze", like 'dg' in "edge"

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Common diphthongs

ai
like 'in' in "mind"
au
like 'ow' in "cow"
oi
like 'oy' in "boy"

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Colloquial Malay shortens commonly used words mercilessly.

sudah → dah
already
tidak → tak
no
hendak → nak
to want
aku → ku
I (informal)
kamu → mu
you (informal)

-ku and -mu also act as suffixes: keretaku is short for kereta aku, "my car".

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POPULAR PHRASES

Common words

Hello.
Hello. (Hello)
Hello. (informal)
Hai. (Hi)
How are you?
Apa khabar? (AH-pAh KAH-bar?)
Fine, thank you.
Baik, terima kasih. (BAYK, TREE-muh KUS-see)
What is your name?
Siapa nama anda? (siah-puh NUM-muh UN-duh?)
My name is ______ .
Nama saya ______ . (NUM-MUH suh-yuh _____ .)
Nice to meet you.
Senang berjumpa dengan Anda. (SNUNG burr-jum-puh UN-duh)
Please.
Silakan. (see-LUH-kunn)
Please. (request)
Tolong. (TOH-long)
Thank you.
Terima kasih.
You're welcome.
Sama-sama. (…)
Yes.
Ya. (YUH)
No.
Tidak. (TEE-duck), Tak (TAHK)
Maybe
Mungkin. (Munk-Kin)
Excuse me. (getting attention, lit. may i ask?)
Boleh tumpang tanya? ( )
Excuse me. (begging pardon)
Maaf. (…)
I'm sorry.
Maaf. (…)
Goodbye
Selamat tinggal. (…), Selamat Jalan
Goodbye (informal)
Bai. (…)
I can't speak Malay [well].
Saya tidak boleh berbahasa Melayu [dengan baik]. (…)
Do you speak English?
Boleh anda cakap bahasa Inggeris? (…)
Is there someone here who speaks English?
Ada orang yang boleh berbahasa Inggeris? (…), Ada sesiapa yang boleh bercakap Inggeris di sini?
Help!
Tolong! (…)
Look out!
Hati-hati! (…)
Good morning.
Selamat pagi. (slum-mut PUH-GUEE)
Good afternoon.
Selamat tengah hari.
Good evening.
Selamat petang. (…)
Good night.
Selamat malam. (…)
Good night (to sleep)
Selamat tidur. (…)
I don't understand.
Saya tidak faham. (…)
Where is the toilet?
Tandas di mana? (TAHN-das DEE muh-nuh?)

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Problems

Leave me alone.
Jangan ganggu saya. (...)
Don't touch me!
Jangan pegang saya! (...)
I'll call the police.
Saya akan panggil polis. (...)
Police!
Polis! (...)
Stop! Thief!
Berhenti! Pencuri! (...)
I need your help.
Saya perlukan bantuan anda. (...)
It's an emergency.
Ini kecemasan. (...)
I'm lost.
Saya tersesat. (...)
I lost my bag.
Saya kehilangan beg saya. (...)
I lost my wallet.
Saya kehilangan dompet saya. (...)
I'm sick.
Saya sakit. (...)
I've been injured.
Saya terluka. (...)
I need to see a doctor.
Saya perlu jumpa doktor. (...)
Can I use your phone?
Boleh saya gunakan telefon anda? (...)

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Numbers

0
Sifar / kosong (COSS-song)
1
satu (...)
2
dua (...)
3
tiga (...)
4
empat (...)
5
lima (...)
6
enam (...)
7
tujuh (...)
8
lapan (...)
9
sembilan (...)
10
sepuluh (...)
11
sebelas (...)
12
duabelas (...)
13
tigabelas (...)
14
empatbelas
20
duapuluh (...)
21
duapuluh satu (...)
22
duapuluh dua (...)
23
duapuluh tiga (...)
30
tiga puluh (...)
40
empat puluh (...)
50
lima puluh (...)
100
seratus (...)
200
dua ratus (...)
300
tiga ratus (...)
1000
seribu (...)
1100
seribu seratus (...)
1152
seribu seratus lima puluh dua (...)
1200
seribu duaratus (...)
1500
seribu limaratus (...)
2000
dua ribu (...)
2100
dua ribu seratus (...)
10,000
sepuluh ribu (...)
20,000
duapuluh ribu (...)
100,000
seratus ribu (...)
150,000
seratus limapuluh ribu (...)
156,125
seratus limapuluh enam ribu seratus duapuluh lima (...)
250,000
duaratus limapuluh ribu / Suku juta (quarter of a million) (...)
500,000
limaratus ribu / setengah juta (half a million) (...)
1,000,000
satu juta (...)
1,150,000
satu juta seratus limapuluh ribu (...)
1,250,000
satu suku juta (...)
1,500,000
satu setengah juta (...)
1,750,000
satu juta tujuh ratus limapuluh ribu (...)
1,000,000,000
satu milion
1,000,000,000,000
satu trilium
number _____ (train, bus, etc.)
(keretapi, bas) nombor _____ (...)
half
setengah (...)
quarter
suku (...)
three quarter
tiga suku (...)
less
kurang (...)
more
lebih (...)
roughly (more or less)
lebih kurang

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Time

• General
• Clock time
• Duration
• Days
• Months
• Writing time
• Date

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General

now
sekarang (...)
later
nanti (...)
before
sebelum (...)
after
selepas (...)
morning
pagi (0.00 – 10.30) (...)
afternoon
tengahari (10.30 – 15.00) (...)
evening
petang (15.00 – 19.00) (...)
night
malam (19.00 – 0.00) (...)

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Clock time

one o'clock AM
pukul satu pagi (...)
two o'clock AM
pukul dua pagi (...)
noon
tengahari (...)
one o'clock PM
pukul satu petang (...)
two o'clock PM
pukul dua petang (...)
midnight
tengah malam (...)

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Duration

_____ minute(s)
_____ minit (...)
_____ hour(s)
_____ jam (...)
_____ day(s)
_____ hari (...)
_____ week(s)
_____ minggu (MEENG-goo)
_____ month(s)
_____ bulan (BOO-lun)
_____ year(s)
_____ tahun (...)
_____ hour(s) and _____ minute(s)
If the minute is in numbers, _____jam _____ minit. If the minute is expressed as a fraction of the hour e.g two and a half hour: dua jam setengah. (NOT dua setengah jam)

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Days

today
hari ini (...)
yesterday
In peninsular Malaysia: semalam (se-mah-lam), kelmarin (kuh-MAR-reen) (in Borneo)
the day before yesterday
kelmarin
tomorrow
esok (ay-SOAK)
the day after tomorrow
lusa (loo-Sa)
this week
minggu ini (MEENG-goo EE-nee)
last week
minggu lepas (MEENG-goo lep-pass)
next week
minggu depan (MEENG-goo DUP-pun)

Sunday
Ahad
Monday
Isnin
Tuesday
Selasa (SLUH-suh)
Wednesday
Rabu (RUH-boo)
Thursday
Khamis (KHUM-mees)
Friday
Jumaat (joom-muh-UTT)
Saturday
Sabtu (SUB-too)

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Months

January
Januari (...)
February
Februari (...)
March
Mac (MAH-ch)
April
April (...)
May
Mei (...)
June
Jun (JOON)
July
Julai (JOOL-ly)
August
Ogos (oh-GOOS)
September
September (...)
October
Oktober (...)
November
November (...)
December
Disember (dee-SEM-burr)

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Writing time

1.00
pukul satu
1.01
pukul satu, satu minit
1.15
pukul satu suku
1.20
pukul satu duapuluh
1.30
pukul satu setengah
1.40
pukul satu empat puluh
1.45
pukul satu empat puluh lima

The hours are written from zero to 12. So 06.00 PM is written as 6.00PM.

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Date

First one should write the day, after that the month and then the year.

August 17th 1945
17 Ogos 1945

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Colours

black
hitam (HEE-tum)
white
putih (POO-tayh)
gray
kelabu (kuh-LAH-boo)
red
merah (MAY-ruh)
blue
biru (BEE-roo)
yellow
kuning (KOO-neeng)
green
hijau (HEE-jow)
orange
oren (oh-rain)
purple
ungu (OONG-oo)
light brown
perang (PAY-rung)
dark brown
cokelat (CHOCK-ah-lat)

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Transportation

• Bus and train
• Directions
• Taxi

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Bus and train

How much is a ticket to _____?
Berapa harga tiket ke _____? (...)
One ticket to _____, please.
Tolong, satu tiket ke _____. (...)
Where does this train/bus go?
Tren/bas ini ke mana? (...)
Where is the train/bus to _____?
Di mana tren/bas ke _____? (...)
Does this train/bus stop in _____?
Tren/bas ini berhenti di _____? (...)
When does the train/bus for _____ leave?
Bila tren/bas ke _____ berangkat? (...)
When will this train/bus arrive in _____?
Bila tren/bas ini sampai di _____? (...)

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Directions

How do I get to _____ ?
Bagaimana saya pergi ke _____ ? (...)
...the train station?
...stesen kereta api?
...the bus station?
...terminal/stesen bas? (...)
...the airport?
...lapangan terbang? (...)
...downtown?
...kota? (...)
...the _____ hotel?
... hotel _____ ? (...)
...the American/Canadian/Australian/British embassy/consulate?
... Kedutaan / Konsulat Amerika / Australia / British / Kanada? (...)
Where are there a lot of...
Di mana ada banyak... (...)
...hotels?
...hotel? (...)
...restaurants?
...restoran? (...)
...bars?
...bar? (...)
...sites to see?
...tempat-tempat menarik? (...)
Can you show me on the map?
Boleh anda tunjukkan di peta? (Bo-LAY un-duh TOON-jook-kan dee PE-TUH?)
street
jalan (...)
Turn left.
Belok kiri. (...)
Turn right.
Belok kanan. (...)
left
kiri (...)
right
kanan (...)
straight ahead
lurus (...)
towards the _____
menuju _____ (...)
past the _____
melepasi _____ (...)
before the _____
sebelum _____ (...)
Watch for the _____.
Perhatikan _____. (...)
intersection
persilangan (...)
north
utara (...)
south
selatan (...)
east
timur (...)
west
barat (...)
north-east
timur laut (...)
north-west
barat laut (...)
south-east
tenggara (tuhng-GAH-rah)
south-west
barat daya (...)

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Taxi

Taxi!
Teksi! (Tech-see)
Take me to _____, please.
Boleh bawa saya ke _____. (...)
How much does it cost to get to _____?
Berapa harganya ke _____? (...)
Take me there, please.
Tolong hantar saya ke sana. (...)

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Accommodation

Do you have any rooms available?
Ada bilik kosong? (UH-duh bee-lick COS-SONG?)
How much is a room for one person/two people?
Berapa harga bilik untuk satu/dua orang? (...)
Does the room come with...
Adakah ini termasuk... (...)
...bedsheets?
...alas/sarong tilam? (...)
...a bathroom?
...bilik mandi? (...)
...a telephone?
...telefon? (...)
...a TV?
...TV? (tee-vEE)
May I see the room first?
Boleh lihat biliknya dulu? (...)
Do you have anything quieter?
Ada yang lebih sunyi? (...)
...bigger?
... lebih besar? (...)
...cleaner?
...lebih bersih? (...)
...cheaper?
...lebih murah? (...)
OK, I'll take it.
Baik saya mahu. (BAYK, sah-yah MaH-oo)
I will stay for _____ night(s).
Saya akan tinggal untuk _____ malam. (...)
Can you suggest another hotel?
Boleh cadangkan hotel lain? (...)
Do you have a safe?
Anda ada peti besi? (...)
...lockers?
...peti berkunci? (...)
Is breakfast/supper included?
Sudah termasuk sarapan/makan malam? (...)
What time is breakfast/supper?
Pukul berapa sarapan/makan malam ? (...)
Please clean my room.
Tolong bersihkan bilik saya. (...)
Can you wake me at _____?
Boleh tolong bangunkan saya pada pukul _____? (...)
I want to check out.
Saya hendak check out. (...)

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Money

Do you accept American/Australian/Canadian dollars?
Anda menerima dolar Amerika /Australia / Kanada? (...)
Do you accept British pounds?
Anda menerima poundsterling Inggeris? (...)
Do you accept credit cards?
Anda menerima kad kredit? (...)
Can you change money for me?
Boleh tolong tukar wang? (...)
Where can I get money changed?
Di mana saya boleh tukar wang? (...)
Can you change a traveler's check for me?
Boleh tolong tukar traveler's check saya? (...)
Where can I get a traveler's check changed?
Di mana saya boleh tukar traveler's check? (...)
What is the exchange rate?
Apa kadar tukarnya? (...)
Where is an automatic teller machine (ATM)?
Di mana ada ATM? (dee MUN-nuh UH-duh AH-TEY-EM)

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Eating

A table for one person/two people, please.
Tolong, satu meja untuk satu/dua orang. (...)
Can I look at the menu, please?
Bolehkah saya lihat menu? (...)
Is there a house specialty?
Ada makanan istimewa? (...)
Is there a local specialty?
Ada makanan khas di tempat ini? (...)
I'm a vegetarian.
Saya tidak makan daging. (...)
I don't eat pork.
Saya tidak makan babi. (...)
I don't eat beef.
Saya tidak makan sapi. (...)
Can you make it "lite", please? (less oil/butter)
Boleh tolong kurangkan minyak/mentega? (...)
I want _____.
Saya mahu pesan _____. (...)
I want a dish containing _____.
Saya mahu makanan yang mengandungi _____. (...)
chicken
ayam (...)
beef
daging lembu (...)
fish
ikan (...)
ham
ham (...)
sausage
sosis (...)
cheese
keju (...)
eggs
telur (...)
salad
salad (...)
(fresh) vegetables
sayuran (...)
(fresh) fruit
buah-buahan (...)
bread
roti (...)
toast
roti bakar (...)
noodles
mee (MEE)
rice
nasi (...)
May I have a glass of _____?
Saya ingin satu gelas _____. (...)
May I have a cup of _____?
Saya ingin satu cawan_____. (...)
May I have a bottle of _____?
Saya ingin satu botol _____. (...)
coffee
kopi (...)
tea (drink)
teh (...)
juice
jus (...)
soft drink
air bersoda (...) (Use brand name instead eg Coke/Sprite)
water
air (AH-yer)
beer
bir (...)
red/white wine
wain merah/putih (...)
May I have some _____?
Saya ingin _____? (...)
salt
garam (...)
black pepper
lada hitam (LAH-duh HEE-tum)
butter
mentega (muhn-TEY-gah)
Excuse me, waiter? (getting attention of server)
Encik! (male) Cik! (female) (...)
I'm finished.
Saya sudah selesai. (...)
It was delicious.
Tadi sedap rasanya. (...)
Please clear the plates.
Tolong ambil piring. (...)
Please clean the table
Tolong bersihkan meja (...)
The check, please.
Boleh saya dapatkan bilnya sekarang?. (...)

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Bars

Do you serve alcohol?
Anda juga menyajikan alkohol? (...)
A beer/two beers, please.
Tolong, berikan satu/dua bir. (...)
A glass of red/white wine, please.
Tolong, berikan satu gelas wain merah/putih. (...)
A bottle, please.
Tolong, berikan satu botol. (...)
_____ (hard liquor) and _____ (mixer), please.
_____ and _____, please. (...)
whisky
wiski (...)
vodka
vodka (...)
rum
rum (...)
water
air (...)
club soda
club soda (...)
tonic water
tonic water (...)
orange juice
jus oren (...)
Coke (soda)
Coca-cola (...)
Do you have any bar snacks?
Ada makanan ringan? (...)
I would like another one, please
Saya mahu satu lagi. (...)
When is closing time?
Pukul berapa tutup? (...)

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Shopping

Do you have this in my size?
Ada tak saiz saya? (...)
How much is this?
Berapa harganya? (...)
That's too expensive.
Terlalu mahal. (tur-LAH-loo muh-HUL)
Would you take _____?
Adakah anda menerima _____? (...)
expensive
mahal (...)
cheap
murah (...)
I can't afford it.
Saya tidak mampu beli itu. (...)
I don't want it.
tak mahu (informal) / Saya tidak mahu (formal) (...)
You're cheating me.
Kamu tipukan saya? (...)
I'm not interested.
Saya tidak berminat. (..)
OK, I'll take it.
OK, saya mahu. (...)
Can I have a bag?
Ada beg? (...)
Do you ship (overseas)?
Boleh kirim (ke luar negeri)? (...)
I need...
Saya perlu... (...)
...toothpaste.
...ubat gigi. (...)
...a toothbrush.
...berus gigi. (...)
...condoms.
...kondom. (...)
...tampons.
...softeks / pembalut. (...)
...soap.
...sabun. (...)
...shampoo.
...syampu. (...)
...pain reliever. (e.g., aspirin or ibuprofen)
...ubat sakit (aspirin, parasetamol, …) (Note: ibuprofen is not widely available). (...)
...cold medicine.
...ubat selsema. (...)
...stomach medicine.
...ubat sakit perut. (...)
...a razor.
...pencukur / pisau cukur. (...)
...an umbrella.
...payung. (...)
...a postcard.
...poskad. (...)
...postage stamps.
...setem. (...)
...batteries.
...bateri. (...)
...writing paper.
...kertas. (...)
...a pen.
...pen. (...)
...English-language books.
...buku-buku Inggeris. (...)
...English-language magazines.
...majalah Inggeris. (...)
...an English-language newspaper.
...surat khabar Inggeris. (...)
...an English-Malay dictionary.
...kamus Inggeris-Melayu. (...)

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Driving

I want to rent a car.
Saya mahu sewa kereta. (...)
Can I get insurance?
Boleh saya minta insurans? (...)
stop (on a street sign)
berhenti (...)
one way
jalan sehala (...)
no parking
dilarang meletak kereta (...)
gas (petrol) station
stesen minyak (...)
petrol
petrol (...)
diesel
diesel (...)

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Authority

I haven't done anything wrong.
Saya tidak melakukan sebarang kesalahan. (...)
It was a misunderstanding.
Ianya satu salah faham. (...)
Where are you taking me?
Kemana awak hendak bawa saya ? (...)
Am I under arrest?
Adakah saya ditahan ? (...)
I am an American/Australian/British/Canadian citizen.
Saya warganegara Amerika /Australia / Inggeris / Kanada. (...)
I want to talk to the American/Australian/British/Canadian embassy/consulate.
Saya ingin bercakap dengan Kedutaan/Konsulat Amerika / Australia / Inggeris / Kanada. (...)
I want to talk to a lawyer.
Saya ingin bercakap dengan peguambela. (...)
Can I just pay a fine here?
Bolehkah saya membayar denda di sini? (...)

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