Language tips for traveling in Malaysia – Part 1

Most Malaysians speak at least two languages, mainly Bahasa Melayu and their own mother tongue, predominately many dialects of Chinese and Tamil, a south Indian language. But in this multi-cultural tropical country, it would be no surprise to know that several speak all three and of course English.

Although English is spoken widely and remains the language of commerce, banking and international trade, the national language is, however, Bahasa Melayu. It is essential to know some useful yet simple phrases as you navigate away from ultra-modern cities of Kuala Lumpur, Penang to smaller outskirt towns and exotic paradise along its coastline. Locals are more than helpful and accommodating if you speak to them in Bahasa Melayu, no matter how poorly. Your efforts will be much appreciated.

As a fluent speaker of Bahasa Melayu, I have prepared a short list of common phrases and words which I believe will make your travelling easy.

Could you help me?

Bolehkah awak tolong saya?

I come from…

Saya datang dari…

I’m on holiday.

Saya sedang bercuti.

I have no small change.

Saya tidak ada duit kecil.

I want to make a phone call.

Saya mahu membuat panggilan telefon.

Can I have more…

Boleh tambah lagi…

Please show me the way to…

Tolong tunjukkan saya arah ke…

This food is delicious.

Makanan ini lazat.

How much is it?

Berapakah harganya?

Please give me a receipt.

Tolong beri saya resit.

Where is the toilet?

Di mana tandas?

Good morning

Selamat pagi

Good afternoon

Selamat tengahari

Good evening

Selamat petang

Good night

Selamat malam

Thank you

Terima kasih

Money changer

Pengurup wang

At restaurants, ordering of food is not much of a problem as most menus are illustrated. But just to have a feel of local terms used or maybe to impress a business associate, you can use these words below as a guide.

Eat

Makan

Drink

Minum

Rice

Nasi

Bread

Roti

Vegetables

Sayur

Fish

Ikan

Beef

Daging lembu

Chicken

Ayam

Prawn

Udang

Coffee

Kopi

Tea

Teh

Sugar

Gula

I would advise my foreign friends to carry a pocket sized calculator and use it to indicate amount that they are willing to pay at shopping malls. It saves you from unnecessary miscommunication and price haggling. This is one trick I use when travelling to places where language is a huge barrier.

One

Satu

Two

Dua

Three

Tiga

Four

Empat

Five

Lima

Six

Enam

Seven

Tujuh

Eight

Lapan

Nine

Sembilan

Ten

Sepuluh

One Hundred

Seratus

One Thousand

Seribu

There is so much more to the list but for the meantime, it should be able to see you through your holidays in Malaysia. You can also choose to get a handy phrase guide at your local bookstore or online.