Get More From Your Trip

with easy-to-find phrases for every travel situation

Malay
PRONUNCIATION • MEETING PEOPLE • GETTING AROUND

Malay
ACCOMMODATION • INTERESTS • SHOPPING • FOOD • HEALTH

Plus
PHRASEBOOK & DICTIONARY
Never get stuck for words with our
quick reference dictionary

Get around with ease with our

useful transport vocabulary

Avoid embarrassing situations

with essential tips on culture &
manners

25+ YEARS
Lonely Planet Phrasebooks 4TH EDITION lonelyplanet.com
Published March 2014 UK £4.99
have been connecting
First Published November 1996 USA $9.99
travellers and locals for over
a quarter of a century

120+ LANGUAGES
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than any other publisher

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 Malay
PHRASEBOOK & DICTIONARY

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 Acknowledgments
Associate Publisher Mina Patria
Associate Product Director Angela Tinson
Product Editor Elizabeth Jones
Series Designer James Hardy
Language Writer Susan Keeney
Cover Image Researcher Naomi Parker

Thanks
Larissa Frost, Carol Jackson, Chris Love, Wayne Murphy,
Branislava Vladisavljevic

Published by Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd

ABN 36 005
Published by607 983 Planet Publications Pty Ltd
Lonely
ABNEdition
4th 36 005– 607 983
March 2014
ISBN
8th 978 1 –
Edition 74179 337
March 2012 6
Text ©978
ISBN Lonely Planet
1 74220 81120144
Cover
Text © Image
Lonely People near the Kelantan River, Kota Bharu, Kelantan,
Planet 2012
Malaysia, Massimo
Cover Image xxx – Borchi
xxx / 4CORNERS ©
Printed in China 0011 99 88 77 66 55 44 33 22 11

Contact lonelyplanet.com/contact

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or
transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise,
except brief extracts for the purpose of review, without the written permission of the publisher.
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Although the authors and Lonely Planet try to make the information
as accurate as possible, we accept no responsibility for any loss, injury
or inconvenience sustained by anyone using this book.

Paper in this book is certified against the Forest Stewardship Council™

standards. FSC™ promotes environmentally responsible, socially
beneficial and economically viable management of the world’s forests.

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 acknowledgments

about the author

Having lived in Malaysia on and off for 16 years, Susan Keeney first
started to learn Malay in the kitchens and back rooms of obscure
places like Kajang and Serdang. She wound up teaching commu-
nication courses (in both Malay and English) at various universities
and colleges in Malaysia. She is now teaching elementary school
students (in English) in California.

from the author

Many thanks to my three children, Johan (without whom this book
would never have been finished on time), Sarah and Sabrina, for
their help, advice and patience while I worked on this project. I
would also like to thank my one and only guru tatabahasa, Awang
Sariyan, who was a wonderful teacher and who certainly shared my
love of grammar; and most of all, my father, Bob Keeney, for all his
love and support.

from the publisher

The Malay phrasebook was edited by first time kite-fighter Meg
Worby, who learned the rules from Senior Editors, Master of
Games Karin Vidstrup Monk and Chief Top Spinner Karina Coates.
Quizmaster Ben Handicott proofed the book and designer Patrick
Marris finished the maze of layout in record time. His layout relay
team mate, champion ’Rubex cuber’ Belinda Campbell, was also
the creator of the beaut illustrations, and they were both encour-
a c k n owl ed gm e n t s

aged from the sidelines by vocal Senior Designer Fabrice Rocher.

Natasha Velleley provided the competition map and Emma Koch
expertly coached the steps of the traditional ‘dance of the diction-
ary’; medals must also go to Karin Vidstrup Monk, Sophie Putman,
Ben Handicott and Karina Coates for their unbeatable expertise
and assistance at the crucial stages. Tam Yewming and Kusnandar
answered every question right. Publishing Manager Jim Jenkin left
his competent fingerprint on the final layout and had the box seat
for all the fun and games.
Special thanks to Sofie Jussof for the creation of the Sustainable
Travel chapter.

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 make the most of this phrasebook ...
Anyone can speak another language! It’s all about confidence.
Don’t worry if you can’t remember your school language lessons or
if you’ve never learnt a language before. Even if you learn the very
basics (on the inside covers of this book), your travel experience will
be the better for it. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain
when the locals hear you making an effort.

finding things in this book

For easy navigation, this book is in sections. The Pronunciation and
Grammar chapters are the ones you’ll thumb through time and
again. The Getting Around and Accommodation chapters cover
basic travel situations like catching transport and finding a bed. The
Meeting People chapter gives you conversational phrases and the
m a ke t h e m os t o f t h i s ph ra se b ook …

ability to express opinions – so you can get to know people. Food

has a section all of its own: gourmets and vegetarians are covered
and local dishes feature. The Health and Emergencies chapters
equip you with health and police phrases, just in case. Use the com-
prehensive Index to find everything easily. Otherwise, check the
traveller’s Dictionary for the word you need.

being understood
Throughout this book you’ll see coloured phrases on each page.
They’re phonetic guides to help you pronounce the language. Start
with them to get a feel for how the language sounds. The Pronun-
ciation chapter will explain more, but you can be confident that if
you read the coloured phrase, you’ll be understood. As you become
familiar with the spoken language, move on to using the actual text
in the language which will help you perfect your pronunciation.

communication tips
Body language, ways of doing things, sense of humour – all have a
role to play in every culture. The aside boxes included throughout
this phrasebook give you useful cultural and linguistic information
that will help you communicate with the locals and enrich your
travel experience.

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 CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION ....................................................9
How to Use This Phrasebook ..12 Legend ............................... 13
Abbreviations Used in
This Book......................... 12
PRONUNCIATION ................................................13
Stress ................................. 15 Vowels ............................... 16
Transliteration System ......... 15 Consonants ........................ 17
GRAMMAR ...........................................................19
Word Order ....................... 19 Modals ............................... 30
Articles ............................... 19 Imperatives ......................... 32
Nouns ................................ 20 Questions ........................... 32
Pronouns ............................ 20 Question Words.................. 34
Adjectives ........................... 23 Answers ............................. 35
Adverbs .............................. 25 Negatives ........................... 35
Verbs ................................. 26 Classifiers........................... 36
To Be ................................. 29 Prepositions ........................ 37
To Have ............................. 30 Conjunctions ...................... 38
MEETING PEOPLE .................................................39
You Should Know .............. 39 Occupations ....................... 49
Greetings & Goodbyes ........ 40 Religion .............................. 50
Forms of Address ................ 41 Body Language................... 53
First Encounters................... 42 Feelings ............................. 54
Making Conversation ......... 42 Breaking the Language
Nationalities ....................... 46 Barrier ............................ 55
Cultural Differences ............ 47 Staying in Touch ................. 56
Age .................................... 47 Homestays ......................... 57
GETTING AROUND ..............................................59
Finding Your Way ............... 59 Train .................................. 66
Directions .......................... 60 Taxi.................................... 68
Addresses ........................... 61 Boat ................................... 69
Buying Tickets ..................... 62 Car .................................... 70
Air ..................................... 63 Bicycle ................................ 74
Bus .................................... 65 Local Transport ................... 76

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 6 Contents

ACCOMMODATION .............................................77
Finding Accommodation ..... 77 Requests & Complaints........ 82
Booking Ahead ................... 78 Checking Out ..................... 85
Checking In ........................ 79 Longer Stays ....................... 85
AROUND TOWN ..................................................87
Looking For ........................ 88 Telecommunications ........... 93
At the Bank......................... 89 Sightseeing ......................... 96
At the Post Office ................ 91 Paperwork .......................... 97

GOING OUT ........................................................99

Invitations ......................... 100 Dating & Romance ............ 101
FAMILY ...............................................................105
Questions ........................ 105 Family Members ............... 107
Replies ............................. 106
INTERESTS..........................................................109
Common Interests ............ 109 Politics .............................. 115
Sport ................................ 111 Music ............................... 116
Writing Letters .................. 113 Crafts ............................... 116
Social Issues ..................... 114 Performing & Martial Arts .. 118

SHOPPING .........................................................119
Looking For ..................... 119 Toiletries........................... 127
Making a Purchase ........... 120 For the Baby .................... 128
Bargaining ...................... 121 Music ............................... 128
Essential Items .................. 122 Stationery & Publications ... 129
Souvenirs ........................ 123 Photography ..................... 130
Clothing ........................... 124 Smoking ........................... 131
Materials .......................... 125 Sizes & Comparisons ........ 132
Colours ............................ 126 Weights & Measures ......... 133
FOOD ................................................................135
Breakfast .......................... 135 Menu Decoder .................. 141
Vegetarian & Special Meals.. 136 Self-Catering .................... 146
Eating Out........................ 138 At the Market .................... 146
Typical Dishes................... 141 Drinks .............................. 152

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 Contents 7

IN THE COUNTRY ..............................................155

Camping .......................... 155 Geographical Terms ......... 163
Hiking .............................. 157 Fauna .............................. 164
At the Beach ..................... 160 Flora & Agriculture ............ 165
Weather ........................... 161
HEALTH..............................................................167
At the Doctor .................... 167 Alternative Treatments ...... 175
Ailments ........................... 170 Parts of the Body ............... 175
Women’s Health ............... 172 At the Chemist .................. 176
Special Health Needs ........ 174 At the Dentist .................... 178
SPECIFIC NEEDS.................................................179
Disabled Travellers ........... 179 Film & TV Crews ............... 183
Gay Travellers .................. 180 Pilgrimage & Religion ........ 184
Travelling with the Family .. 181 Tracing Roots & History ..... 186
On Business ..................... 182
TIME, DATES & FESTIVALS ..................................187
Telling the Time ................ 187 Future .............................. 191
Days ................................ 188 During the Day ................. 192
Months ............................. 189 Seasons............................ 192
Dates .............................. 189 Holidays & Festivals .......... 193
Present ............................ 190 Weddings ......................... 197
Past.................................. 190 Funerals ........................... 198
NUMBERS & AMOUNTS .....................................199
Cardinal Numbers ............ 199 Fractions .......................... 200
Ordinal Numbers ............. 200 Quantity ........................... 201
EMERGENCIES ...................................................203
Dealing with the Police ...... 204 Health .............................. 207
ENGLISH–MALAY DICTIONARY ..........................209

MALAY–ENGLISH DICTIONARY ..........................257

INDEX ................................................................301

SUSTAINABLE TRAVEL ........................................307

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 8

0c-map-pb-may4.indd 8
Map

malay
C amb odi a
South
Standard Bahasa Malaysia
P h i lli p i n es
V i etnam China Malay with dialect variations
T hai l and Sea Sulu
Kota Sea
Kinabulu Palau
PENINSULA BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN SABAH
Ipoh MALAYSIA BRUNEI P A C I F I C
Medan Sulawesi
KUALA M A L A Y S I A Niah O C E A N
LUMPUR Sea
SARAWAK
SINGAPORE
SINGAPORE
Pontianak
I N D O N E S I A Jayapura
Palembang
Banjarmasin
Java Sea Banda
Bandarlampung JAKARTA Ujung
Pandang Sea
Pap u a

Bandung Surabaya
Denpasar
N e w Gu in e a

E as t Arafura
Ti mor
Sea
Timor
0 500 km Sea
0 300 mi
I N D I A N O C E A N
A us t rali a

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PG 9

INTRODUCTION 9

INTRODUCTION
The national language of Malaysia is Malay. Malaysians refer to
it as Bahasa Malaysia (Language of Malaysia) or Bahasa Melayu
(Language of the Malays). It’s been the language in government
and schools since the early ’70s, so nearly every Malaysian speaks
it, either as their first or second language.
Don’t be confused by the terminology. ‘Malays’ are those who
are racially considered Malay, usually Muslim, who also speak
the language Malay. Malaysians are, of course, anyone who is a
Malaysian citizen.
Malay is a member of the Western Austronesian language
family and is spoken with slight variations throughout Malaysia
and some parts of southern Thailand, Singapore and Brunei. In
Malaysia, it’s by no means the only language. Multiracial Ma-
laysia is of course multilingual. Chinese Malaysians, who form
approximately one third of the population, belong to many dif-
ferent dialect groups, including Cantonese, Hakka, Hokkien,
Teochew and Hainanese, and many also speak Mandarin. Indian
Malaysians have linguistic backgrounds in Tamil and Malayalee;
other groups speak Punjabi, Gujerati and Bengali. They account
for about 10% of the population.
Wherever you go in Malaysia you will see shop signs in a
rainbow of languages and scripts. Malay uses the Roman alphabet,
but was originally written in jawi, an adaptation of Arabic script
created during the introduction of Islam in the 14th century.
You might notice the halal sign in jawi script, which shows food
is kosher for Muslims. At the crossroads of many trade routes,
Malaysia’s language has a potpourri of influences. In addition to
Arabic (mahkamah, ‘court’), there’s Portuguese (garfu, ‘fork’),
Sanskrit (istana, ‘palace’), Chinese (mee, ‘noodles’), and English,
(elektrik, ‘electric’).
Classical Malay was almost lost during British colonisation.
It was the traders and merchants who kept the language alive
during these times. ‘Bazaar Malay’ became a lingua franca and
was the basis for the Bahasa Melayu we know today.
9

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10 Introduction

Bahasa Melayu also forms the basis for Bahasa Indonesia, but
INTRODUCTION

while Indonesian has been influenced by Dutch, Malaysian has

adopted more English words, making it a dream of a language to
learn for English speakers. English is Malaysia’s second tongue,
and is a compulsory subject in schools from the age of seven.
Words such as ‘clinic’ and ‘antibiotic’ are incorporated into Malay
through a change of spelling (klinik and antibiotik) and educated
Malays often tend to mix languages in their daily conversations.
English is commonly spoken in urban areas and it’s not difficult
to find someone who speaks some, even in rural areas.
While standard Malay is spoken in Kuala Lumpur, other
regions of Malaysia have their own dialects that vary in pronuncia-
tion and accent. Regional accents can be strong, with variations
in vocabulary. In Kelantan, Apa khabar?, ‘How are you?’ becomes
Guano demo?. But never fear, your attempts at standard Malay
will definitely be understood!

BAHASA MALAYSIA OR BAHASA MELAYU?

In this country where racial tensions still bubble under the
surface of every decision, the difference between these
two terms is loaded with meaning.
After the race riots of 1969 the government made
many moves to address economic inequities, includ-
ing a declaration that Malay should become the
national language and the medium of instruction in all
schools. But what to call the language?
Bahasa Malaysia, ‘the language of Malaysia’, was
considered a unifying name, implicitly for Malaysians
of all origins. In 1989 however, the members of the
Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka (The Hall of Language and
Publishing), who are predominantly Malay, decided to
change it back to Bahasa Melayu, ‘the language of the
Malays’. This move was seen by some to be a racially
possessive, ‘our language, not yours’ move. It remains
the official name.

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Introduction 11

Bahasa Melayu is an easy language to learn to speak. The spell-

ing is largely phonetic; tenses are simple to use and you don’t

INTRODUCTION
have to worry about gender in grammar. This makes for fast
progress and plenty of communication. You’ll get a kick out of
learning Malay, and remember that, even a simple terima kasih,
te-ree-muh kah-si(h), ‘thank you’, will please the people you
meet. Selamat belajar, se-lah-maht be-lah-jar, ‘happy learning’
and now jumlah! , joom-lah(h)! – ‘let’s get to it!’

MALAY & INDONESIAN

Bahasa Melayu and Bahasa Indonesia have only a
few differences in vocabulary and pronunciation. The
structure and other aspects of grammar remain the
same in both languages. This means that this book
could stay in your bag for travels further south, and
the same goes for our Indonesian phrasebook – a
great read – in Malaysia. The differences in vocabulary
include some of the most common words:
ENGLISH MALAY INDONESIAN
after selepas sesudah
afternoon petang sore
beef daging lembu daging sapi
brother abang/adik kakak/laki-laki
can (as in ‘I can’) bisa boleh
car boleh kereta
city bandar kota
cold (adj) sejuk dingin
cute (eg, baby) manis/cun lucu
invite menjemput mengundang
Mr Tuan/Encik Bapak
Mrs Puan Ibu
office pejabat kantor
room bilik kamar
shoes kasut sepatu
shop kedai toko
toilet tandas/toilet WC; kamar kecil

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