How To Read Malay Addresses: #1 Best Guide

You’ve been informed about Malay numbers in the past few weeks and how to count and read time and date in Malay. This week’s blog will look at the step-by-step guide on how to read Malay addresses. This guide is highly crucial for those offered jobs in Malaysia or who plan to have a long-term stay in Malaysia. What if you’re just genuinely interested to learn Malay? Yep, this blog is perfect for you too!

What To Know About Malay Address?

So, how different do you think Malaysian addresses are? If you compare the location of an H&M boutique in Kuala Lumpur with the one in London? I bet it looks more or less the same. Yes, the addresses here in Malaysia have a similar basic format to any other addresses, regardless of which city or country.

The primary difference in a Malaysian address would be the content of the address – the name of the street, building, and location; all that revolves around Malaysian culture and Bahasa Melayu.

Today, I’ll break down a standard Malaysian address and describe how each component of the address is constructed and what purpose it serves.

Essential Terms In Malay Addresses

Generally, a Malaysian address is constructed and arranged based on this sequence: unit number, building name, street name and number, city, postal code, and state. Usually, these components are divided into address line 1 and line 2. Sounds familiar, right? Below is a sample home address that we’ll use as an example to understand how to read addresses in Malaysia. I’ll break down the Malay addresses according to its structure, and we’ll take a closer look at each component.

(1) Address Line 1

Unit/House number: No. 44

Street name & number: Jalan Desa Melur, 4/1

In Malay home addresses, the first element is usually the house number, such as No. 15 or 43. Following the house number would be the street name and street number. Here’s an example of a street name and number in the Google map:

(2) Address Line 2

Residential area – Taman Bandar Connaught

Typically, after you inform people which street, road, or lane your house is situated in, you’ll inform which residential area you live in for Malay addresses. It’s the name of your residence, housing estate, or neighborhood – whatever you call it. These bolded words are some of the most common residential names in Malaysia:

Jalan Tasik Senangin 9/7, Mahkota Hills, Mantin, Negeri Sembilan

Unit 14-5A, Persiaran CapSquare, Off Jalan Munshi Abdullah, Kuala Lumpur

Jalan Bentara, Taman Ungku Tun Aminah, Johor Bahru, Johor

Jalan MH Utama, Taman Muzaffar Heights, Ayer Keroh, Malacca

Suppose you’re heading to a friend’s place or a company that happens to be situated in a condominium or apartment residence. In that case, you’ll notice the condominium names are also included in the address.

Jalan Galloway, Casa Residency Condominium KL, Bukit Bintang, 50150 Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur

The Straits View Condominium, Jalan Permas Selatan, Bandar Baru Permas, 81750 Masai, Johor

Jalan Lompat Tinggi, Pangsapuri Servis Sri Acappella, Seksyen 13, 40100 Shah Alam, Selangor

Jalan Ayer Itam, Taman Sri Indah Apartment, Kampong Baru, 11400 Ayer Itam, Pulau Pinang, 11000

(3) Postal Code + City/Town

56000 Cheras

This is the format in Malaysian addresses – the postcodes precede the name of your town or city.

Here are a few more examples of this form of format (postcode + city/town):

40000 Shah Alam, Selangor

80350 Johor Bahru, Johor

88450 Kota Kinabalu, Sabah

20508 Kuala Terengganu, Terengganu

34008 Taiping, Perak

Wondering what the postal code is? The postal code and zip code are the same. In Malaysia, the locals are more familiar with the term postal code as the Malay equivalent is poskod. Yup, the Malay translation for postal code sounds precisely like its English version (postal code or postcode).

Many of you, especially those from the United States, might be more familiar with the term zip code. Both essentially mean the same – the code comprises five digits representing a particular location. This numeric data is significant, specifically in mail sorting and parcel delivery.

This is a list of postcodes (the first two digits) representing Malaysia’s state and federal territory.

Federal Territories

States

(4) State

Kuala Lumpur

This piece of information is very crucial too. It is so important that it would not be possible for someone not to include it when writing this address. Though a mail carrier or any delivery man can gain the information from your postal code, you can help a lot by stating the state you live in.

(5) Country

Malaysia

This part right here is self-explanatory. If you’re reading an address in Malaysia, the country name in the address is undoubtedly Malaysia. Due to that, most addresses in Malaysia do not include the name of the nation. Why? Because that information is too self-evident.

Addresses In Malaysia – More Examples

The previous section describes an ordinary address in Malaysia, with a home address as an example. In this part, we’ll see how the addresses of companies in Malaysia look like.

So that you know, these addresses aren’t much different from the previous one. The primary difference is that these companies are situated in towers. Bear in mind that these are multinational companies (MNC) – which explains why they are located in towers instead of factories or shop lots.

Malaysian Addresses On Parcels And Mails

Here’s an example of how one’s address is displayed on top of a parcel or mail. As you can see, it follows the arrangement I stated earlier. In addition, one’s personal information, like name and phone number, is also included in the consignment note.

How To Ask For Directions In Malay

Interested In Finding Out More About Bahasa Malaysia?

If you need an app to learn this particular language, the Ling app might be what you’re looking for. Learn all the different phrases, familiar words, vocabulary, grammar, and sentence structures using Ling. Ling app is full of other languages, too – you can use this app to acquire English, Chinese, French, and much more. Don’t be surprised to see that later, you can speak, write and completely understand other languages! It’s one of the best gamification apps made just for you. Seize this opportunity and get Ling app installed on your smartphones today! You can download it on your Play Store or App Store and easily learn Malay.