Language tips for traveling in Malaysia

When traveling around Malaysia, if you stick to the most populated large cities of Kuala Lumpur, Penang, and Johor Bahru, you could probably get around speaking only in English (or Mandarin/Cantonese if you only approach Chinese locals) . However, should you wish to venture further afield, or gain the good favor of a local, it is always good to know a few familiar phrases in the national language of Bahasa Malayu (also known as Malay and later referred to as BM in this article).

Usually, when in Malaysia, some shopping is definitely in order. Although bargaining is definitely encouraged (never pay sticker price, always ask the salesperson), I would not advise bargaining for large ticket items or even touristy trinkets in Bahasa Melayu since usually those kind of places have English speaking staff who will whip out a calculator and type in various numbers as the bargaining process ensues.

However, it is useful to know a little BM should you find yourself wanting to get items such as gum or bottled water in small shops or towns where people are less likely to speak English.

A typical exchange may be as follows (BM stands for Bahasa Melayu, E stands for English)

Tourist – pointing at item

BM: Berapa?

E: How much?

Storekeeper

BM: Lima Ringgit

E: Five Ringgit

(Ringgit is the national currency of Malaysia, you may sometimes hear and see it termed as RM which stands for Ringgit Malaysia)

Tourist – After buying item

BM: Terima Kasih

E: Thank you

Of course, the price of an item will not always be 5 RM, so below is how you count in BM

1 Satu

2 Dua

3 Tiga

4 Empat

5 Lima

6 Enam

7 Tujuh

8 Lapan

9 Sembilan

10 Sepuluh

11 Se-belas

12 Dua-belas

For numbers in the teens, just say the -belas (ie: 13 is tiga-belas)

I could give you all the numbers up to 100 but I think the numbers above are sufficient, if in doubt, just look questioningly at the store keeper and give him a pen and paper or calculator.

Incidentally, 0 in BM is Kosong. Kosong also means empty or nothing.

Some other phrases you may also find useful are listed below

Tandas – Toilet

Boleh – Can (as in can do) or Yes/No Problem

Tak Boleh (shortened form of Tidak Boleh) – Cannot do or No

Polis – Police

Kiri – Left

Kanan – Right

Minum – Drinks

When sitting down at a local food store often people will come up to you and say minum, they are NOT telling you there is a minimum amount you have to buy, they are asking you what you want to drink. If you want to order a soft drink, then no translation is needed, just mention the brand such as Coke, Pepsi, etc; however if you wish to be more adventurous and order other beverages please see examples of some common drinks below.

Teh – Tea (Local tea sweetened with condensed milk)

Teh Ais – Tea with Ice

Kopi – Coffee (Local coffee sweetened with condensed milk)

Kopi Ais – Coffee with Ice

Milo – Chocolatey drink common in South East Asia and the Carribean

Milo Ais – Milo with Ice

Teh Cina – Chinese Tea

Another few words which are useful when in a restaurant are the following

Makan – Eat

Lagi – More (Point at something and say “Satu Lagi” which will mean I want one more)

Panas – Hot (Waiters/Waitresses may say this to warn you to get out of the way)

Ayam – Chicken

Ikan – Fish

Kambing – Goat or Mutton

Daging Lembu – Beef

Nasi – Rice

Mee – Noodles

Saya Tidak Makan (Ayam/Ikan/Kambing/Daging Lembu) – I don’t eat (Chicken/Fish/Goat/Beef)

Apa Ini? – What is this?

Of course, there is much more to the Malay language than this article, but it should give you a pretty good start to some common phrases which you are likely to use or hear in Malaysia as a tourist.