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Selamat Datang! Welcome!

Thinking of learning the Malay language before going to Langkawi? We think you better...(wink!). Our country (Malaysia) is a multi-racial country. The main racial groups are Malays, Chinese and Indians.

Malays make up about 60 percent of the Malaysia's population, and speak Malay Language (Bahasa Melayu), which is our national language . So, learning this language may become handy during your visit to Langkawi.

English is widely spoken, especially in the cities and well-travelled places. Many Malaysians can speak English but local folks may find your accent difficult to understand.

We suggest that you go through the following useful Malay word and phrases. Print and bring it to Langkawi if you think it's best for you.

Learn to Speak Malay Language

Learn Malay Language Fact 1

Bahasa Melayu is the official language of Malaysia and Brunei. Together with Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian form of Malay), the language is spoken by around 200 million people, making it world's 8th most widely spoken language.

The forms of Malay vary slightly in different countries - but is exactly the same in Malaysia and Singapore. The vocabulary of the language is enriched by influence from Sanskrit (ancient Hindi), Arabic and since 19th century, English.

Learn Malay Language Fact 2

This is unique to Malaysian only- lah . Eh.. what's thay suffix "lah" doing at the end of the sentence?

You may find it is quite confusing, at first. These people are speaking English but what the heck is that strange musical note at the end of their sentences?

When you speak to a Malaysian, you may notice the suffix "lah" that often occurs in our conversation. Click here to learn more.

GREETINGS

Welcome

Selamat Datang

Se-la-mat Da-tang

How are you?

Apa khabar?

A-pa kha-bar

Fine

Baik

Ba-ik

Thank you

Terima kasih

Te-ree-ma ka-seh

Good morning

Selamat pagi

Se-la-mat pa-gee

Good afternoon

Selamat tengahari

Se-la-mat te-nga-ha-ree

Good evening

Selamat petang

Se-la-mat pe-tang

What's your name?

Apa nama awak?

A-pa na-ma a-wak

My name is

Nama saya

Na-ma sa-ya

I don't understand

Saya tak faham

Sa-ya tak fa-ham

I want to go back

Saya nak balik

Sa-ya nak ba-lik

Excuse me

Minta maaf

Min-ta ma-af

Direction

Arah

A-rah

I am sorry

Saya minta maaf

Sa-ya min-ta ma-af

You're most welcome

Sama-sama

Sa-ma sa-ma

See you again

Jumpa lagi

Jum-pa la-gi

Bon Voyage

Selamat jalan

Se-la-mat ja-lan

Who can I contact?

Siapa boleh saya hubung?

Si-a-pa bo-leh sa-ya hu-bung

GENERAL

Days

Hari

ha-ree

Night

Malam

ma-lam

Yes

Tidak

ti-dak

Rain

Hujan

hu-jan

Sun

Matahari

ma-ta-ha-ree

Village

Kampung

kam-pung

Friend

Kawan

ka-wan

Female

Perempuan

pe-rem-pu-an

Male

Lelaki

le-la-ki

Please

Tolong

to-long

Good

Elok / Bagus

e-lok / ba-gus

No Good

Tak elok / Tak bagus

tak e-lok / tak ba-gus

When?

Bila?

bi-la

GETTING AROUND

Jalan-jalan

Ja-lan ja-lan

I want to go

Saya nak pergi

Sa-ya nak per-gee

Where is

Di mana

Dee ma-na

Where is the toilet?

Di mana tandas?

Dee ma-na tan-das

Ladies

Tandas perempuan

Tan-das pe-rem-pu-an

Men's

Tandas lelaki

Tan-das le-la-ki

What time does it open/close?

Pukul berapa buka/tutup?

Pu-kul be-ra-pa bu-ka / tu-tup

Which way is the

Mana jalan ke

Ma-na ja-lan ke

Straight

Terus

Te-rus

Right

Kanan

Ka-nan

Left

Kiri

Kee-ree

Town

Bandar

Ban-dar

I'm staying at

Saya tinggal di

Sa-ya ting-gal dee

Can you take me to

Boleh bawa saya ke

Bo-leh ba-wa sa-ya ke

How do I get to

Bagaimana nak pergi ke

Ba-gai-ma-na nak per-gee ke

Are there any buses going to

Adakah bas pergi ke

A-da-kah bas per-gee ke

Where can I buy tickets

Dimana nak beli tiket

Dee-ma-na nak be-lee tee-ket

Is it free seating?

Tempat duduk bebaskah?

Tem-pat du-duk be-bas-kah

How far is

Berapa jauh ke

Be-ra-pa ja-uh ke

Where is the nearest station?

Mana stesen terdekat?

Ma-na ste-sen ter-de-kat

Where do I catch a cab?

Dimana saya boleh ambil teksi?

Dee-ma-na sa-ya bo-leh am-bil tek-si

GOING PLACES

Sea

Laut

la-ut

Beach

Pantai

pan-tai

Coast

Tepi laut

te-pee la-ut

Island

Pulau

pu-lau

Mountain

Gunung

gu-nung

Hills

Bukit

bu-kit

Lakes

Tasik

ta-seek

Town/city

Jungle

Hutan

hu-tan

Bank

Post office

Pejabat pos

pe-ja-bat pos

Launderette

Kedai dobi

ke-dai do-bee

Toilet

Tandas

tan-das

Public phone

Telefon awam

te-le-fon a-wam

Bookshop

Kedai buku

ke-dai bu-ku

Petrol station

Stesen minyak

ste-sen mi-nyak

Supermarket

Pasaraya

pa-sa-ra-ya

Market

Pasar

pa-sar

Night market

Pasar malam

pa-sar ma-lam

Road

Jalan

ja-lan

Street

Lane

Lorong

lo-rong

Dentist

Doktor gigi

dok-tor gee-gee

Pharmacy

Farmasi

far-ma-cee

Police station

Balai polis

ba-lai po-lis

Hospital

hos-pee-tal

Embassy

Kedutaan

ke-du-ta-an

Jetty

Jeti

jay-tee

Airport

Lapangan terbang

la-pa-ngan ter-bang

Bus station

Stesen bas

ste-sen bas

Taxi stand

Stesen teksi

ste-sen tek-see

Money changer

Penukar wang

pe-nu-kar wang

Restaurant

Restoran

res-to-ran

FUN SHOPPINGS

Shopping

Beli-Belah

Be-lee Be-lah

How much?

Berapa harga?

Be-ra-pa har-ga

It's too expensive

Ini sangat mahal

ee-nee sa-ngat ma-hal

Can you reduce the price?

Boleh kurangkan harga?

Bo-leh ku-rang-kan har-ga

Beautiful

Cantik

Can-teek

Reservation

Tempahan

Tem-pa-han

Do you have other colours?

Ada warna lain?

A-da war-na la-in

Any other sizes?

Ada saiz lain?

A-da sa-iz la-in

Do you have a larger one?

Ada yang lebih besar?

A-da yang le-bih be-sar

Small

Kecil

Ke-chil

Medium

Sederhana

Se-der-ha-na

Large

Besar

Be-sar

Any return policy?

Ada polisi pulang balik?

A-da po-lee-see pu-lang ba-lik

Can I change this?

Boleh saya tukar yang ini?

Bo-leh sa-ya tu-kar yang i-ni

TITLES

Gelaran

ge-la-ran

Miss

Cik

chik

Encik

en-chik

Mrs

Puan

pu-an

Sir

Tuan

tu-an

Doctor

Doktor

dok-tor

Police

Polis

po-lees

Uncle

Bapa saudara

ba-pa sau-da-ra

Auntie

Emak saudara

e-mak sau-da-ra

Grandpa

Datuk

da-tuk

Grandma

Nenek

ne-nek

Sister ( older )

Kakak

ka-kak

Brother ( older )

Abang

a-bang

Younger brother or sister

Adik

a-deek

DRINKS

I would like some

Saya nak

Sa-ya nak

I don't want any

Saya tak nak

Sa-ya tak nak

Minuman

mee-nu-man

Black coffee (no sugar)

Kopi kosong

ko-pee ko-song

White Coffee with less sugar

Kopi kurang manis

ko-pee ku-rang ma-nees

Black coffee with sugar

Kopi-O

ko-pee o

Tea with milk and sugar

Teh

Milk tea, less sugar

Teh kurang manis

teh ku-rang ma-nees

Tea (no sugar, no milk)

Teh kosong

teh ko-song

Ice lemon tea

Teh-O-ice limau

teh-o-ice lee-mau

milk

susu

su-su

sugar

gula

gu-la

Ginger tea

Teh halia

teh ha-lee-a

Coconut juice

Air kelapa

a-yer ke-la-pa

Sugar cane juice

Air tebu

a-yer te-bu

Mineral water

Air mineral

a-yer mee-ne-ral

Water

Air

a-yer

Hot

Panas

pa-nas

Cold

Sejuk

se-juk

Ice

Ais

a-is

Bottled drinks

Air botol

a-yer bo-tol

Canned drinks

Air tin

a-yer teen

Alcohol

Arak

a-rak

Fruit juice

Jus buah

jus bu-ah

FRUITS

Buah-Buahan

bu-ah bu-ah-an

Mango

Mangga

mang-ga

Jackfruit

Nangka

nang-ka

Apple

Epal

e-pal

Durian

du-ree-yan

Mangosteen

Manggis

mang-gees

Orange

Oren

o-ren

Lime

Limau nipis

lee-mau nee-pees

Lemon

Limau

lee-mau

Guava

Jambu

jam-bu

Local fruits

Buah tempatan

bu-ah tem-pa-tan

LIP-SMACKING FOOD

Food

Makanan

ma-ka-nan

Rice

nasi

na-see

More rice

Tambah nasi

tam-bah nasee

Not too spicy

Kurang pedas

ku-rang pe-das

I'm vegetarian

Saya tak makan daging

sa-ya tak ma-kan da-geeng

Fried noodles

Mee goreng

mee go-reng

Friend rice

Nasi goreng

na-see go-reng

Bread

Roti

ro-tee

Toast

Roti bakar

ro-tee ba-kar

Butter

Mentega

men-te-ga

Jam

Jem

Eggs

Telur

te-lur

Half- boiled egg

Telur separuh masak

te-lur se-pa-ruh ma-sak

Sunny side

Telur mata kerbau

te-lur ma-ta ker-bau

Scramble egg

Telur hancur

te-lur han-chur

Sea food

Makanan laut

ma-ka-nan la-ut

Fish

Ikan

ee-kan

Squid

Sotong

so-tong

Crab

Ketam

ke-tam

Chicken

Ayam

a-yam

Beef

Daging lembu

da-geeng lem-bu

Taste

Rasa

ra-sa

Spicy

Pedas

pe-das

Sweet

Manis

ma-nees

Sour

Masam

ma-sam

Salty

Masin

ma-seen

Fried

Goreng

go-reng

Steam

Rebus

re-bus

Salt

Garam

ga-ram

Pepper

Lada hitam

la-da hee-tam

NUMBERS

Nombor

nom-bor

Satu

sa-tu

Dua

du-a

Tiga

tee-ga

Empat

em-pat

Lima

lee-ma

Enam

e-nam

Tujuh

tu-juh

Lapan

la-pan

Sembilan

sem-bee-lan

Sepuluh

se-pu-luh

Sebelas

se-be-las

Dua belas

du-a be-las

Dua puluh

du-a pu-luh

Dua puluh satu

du-a pu-luh sa-tu

Tiga puluh

tee-ga pu-luh

Tiga puluh satu

tee-ga pu-luh sa-tu

Empat puluh

em-pat pu-luh

Empat puluh satu

em-pat pu-luh sa-tu

100

Seratus

se-ra-tus

150

Seratus lima puluh

se-ra-tus li-ma pu-luh

200

Dua ratus

du-a ra-tus

1000

Satu ribu

sa-tu ree-bu

10s

Puluh

pu-luh

100s

Ratus

ra-tus

Million

Juta

ju-ta

Sunday

Ahad

a-had

Monday

Isnin

Tuesday

Selasa

se-la-sa

Wednesday

Rabu

ra-bu

Thursday

Khamis

kha-mees

Friday

Jumaat

ju-ma-at

Saturday

Sabtu

sab-tu

Time

Masa

ma-sa

Minutes

Minit

mee-neet

Hour

Week(s)

Minggu

meeng-gu

Year (s)

Tahun

ta-hun

Tomorrow

Esok

e-sok

Today

Hari ini

ha-ree ee-nee

What time is it?

Pukul berapa?

pu-kul be-ra-pa

One o'clock

Pukul satu

pu-kul sa-tu

Half past

Setengah

se-te-ngah

Half past one

Satu setengah

sa-tu se-te-ngah

Quarter past

Suku

su-ku

Quarter past one

Satu suku

sa-tu su-ku

COLORS

Warna

war-na

white

putih

pu-teeh

black

hitam

hee-tam

yellow

kuning

ku-neeng

red

merah

me-rah

blue

biru

bee-ru

green

hijau

hee-jau

purple

ungu

u-ngu

pink

merah jambu

me-rah jam-bu

brown

coklat

cok-lat

grey

kelabu

ke-la-bu

dark

tua

tu-a

light

muda

mu-da

light blue

biru muda

bee-ru mu-da

dark blue

biru tua

bee-ru tu-a

The Unique- LAH

When you speak to a Malaysian, you may notice the suffix "lah" that often occurs in our conversation. "lah" is a suffix in Bahasa Melayu that is meant to add emphasis to a word or phrase.

For example, "Just do it" is "Buat sahaja" in our language. But it will be more forceful if you add the suffix "lah".

"Buat sahaja- lah ".

The suffix "lah" is so natural in our tounge that we even adopt it when speaking English. "Just do it" becomes "Just do it- lah "

Only a Malaysian born and bred in this country will know how to use the "lah".

Here is a tip. P> Don't add a "lah" to the end of every sentence - thinking that you are making a good impression of a Malaysian accent. Trust me, you will not get away with that.

The use of "lah" is quite an art for those who were not born into the language.

Here are a few sophisticated variations of its use:

"No fun- lah , you!" (You're really no fun at all!) "You see- lah , like that also you cannot do!" (Can't you even do such a simple thing?)

Stuck- lah ! It has become a part and parcel of our life and will remain that way for a very long time. (wink!)

Here are a few simple variations that you can try to use. I dare you ..heh..heh

Apologise

Sorry- lah

Fed up

Enough- lah

Definite

Of course- lah or sure- lah

Generous

Take some more- lah

Unyielding

Cannot- lah

Reluctant

Don't want- lah!

Suggesting

Try- lah

Agreeable

Okay- lah

Coaxing

Come on- lah

Persuading

Please- lah

Still can't get a hang of it?

Relax- lah! Practise makes perfect.

P/S: Relax- lah or steady- lah is used when someone is getting a little uptight about something. Like you - learning to use the suffix "lah". Just kidding!

These words urges the person ( in this case, you! ) to calm down / cool off.

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