The National Language is Bahasa Malaysia (Malay) but English is widely spoken, being a compulsory subject in schools and the main Primary 6, Lower Secondary and the local version of `O’ Level examinations.
Other major languages used are Chinese and Tamil. The government has also been encouraging the frontliners of hotels and tourism-related business people to learn other international languages.
The vowels in Malay are as: ‘a’ as in “hard”, ‘e’ as in “other”, ‘i’ as in “ink”, ‘o’ as in “orchid”, and ‘u’ as in “loot”. Consonants ‘c’ is pronounced ‘ch’ as in “chin”, ‘sy’ is pronounced ‘sh’ as in “shy”.
Some useful translations for words and phrases in Bahasa Malaysia (Malay) for you to get started:
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| Numbers | |
| English | Bahasa Malaysia |
| One | Satu |
| Two | Dua |
| Three | Tiga |
| Four | Empat |
| Five | Lima |
| Six | Enam |
| Seven | Tujuh |
| Eight | Lapan |
| Nine | Sembilan |
| Ten | Sepuluh |
| Food | |
| English | Bahasa Malaysia |
| Food | Makanan |
| Eat | Makan |
| Rice | Nasi |
| Noodles | Mee |
| Not too spicy | Jangan pedas |
| Chicken | Ayam |
| Water | Air |
| Drinking water | Air minuman |
| Time | |
| English | Bahasa Malaysia |
| Good morning | Selamat pagi |
| Good afternoon | Selamat Tengahari |
| Good evening | Selamat petang |
| Good night | Selamat malam |
| Days of the Week | |
| English | Bahasa Malaysia |
| Sunday | Ahad |
| Monday | Isnin |
| Tuesday | Selasa |
| Wednesday | Rabu |
| Thursday | Khamis |
| Friday | Jumaat |
| Saturday | Sabtu |
| Geography | |
| English | Bahasa Malaysia |
| Hill | Bukit |
| Lake | Tasik |
| Mountain | Gunung |
| River | Sungai |
| Village | Kampung |
| Valley | Lembah |
| Waterfall | Air Terjun |
| Beach | Pantai |
| Island | Pulau |
| Sea | Laut |
| Common Phrases | |
| English | Bahasa Malaysia |
| Hello | Hello |
| Goodbye | Selamat jalan |
| Please | Tolong |
| Thank you | Terima kasih |
| I am sorry | Saya minta maaf |
| What is your name? | Siapa nama awak? |
| My name is… | Nama saya |
| How are you? | Apa khabar? |
| Fine | Baik |
| Male | Lelaki |
| Female | Perempuan |
| Friend | Kawan |
| I don’t understand | Saya tidak faham |
| Toilet | Tandas |
| Where are the toilets? | Di mana tandas/tempat mandi? |
| How much? | Berapa? |
| Traffic | |
| English | Bahasa Malaysia |
| Turn left | Belok kiri |
| Turn right | Belok kanan |
| Straight ahead | Berjalan terus |
| Intersection | Simpang |
| Bus | Bas |
| Car | Kereta/Motokar |
| Taxi | Teksi |
| Entry | Masuk |
| Exit | Keluar |
| Open | Buka |
| Road | Jalan |
| Lane | Lorong |
| Highway | Lebuhraya |
| North | Utara |
| South | Selatan |
| East | Timur |
| West | Barat |
| Caution | Awas |
| Stop | Berhenti |
| Give way | Beri laluan |
| Ahead | Di hadapan |
| No overtaking | Dilarang memotong |
| Speed limit | Had laju |
| Keep right | Ikut kanan |
| Keep left | Ikut kiri |
| One-way street | Jalan sehala |
| Slow down | Kurangkan laju |
| Detour | Lencongan |
| Sharp bends | Liku tajam |
| Keep left unless overtaking | Ikut kiri kecuali memotong |