Many travelers want to travel to Malaysia to see its breathtaking sites and experience its beautiful culture. Have you heard about beautiful places like Petronas Twin Towers, Gunung Mulu National Park, and Perhentian Islands? Malaysia is a beautiful country with many things to offer to travelers, so learning Malay travel phrases will come in handy.
Also known as Bahasa Melayu, the Malaysian language is the mother tongue of the Malaysian people. This blog will learn about Malay travel phrases that could help you have a meaningful and convenient travel experience in Malaysia.
Malay Phrases For Travelers
Most Malaysian locals can speak in English because Malaysian English is used in about 80% of urban businesses. This is an advantage for travelers who speak English, but if you want to have a meaningful and memorable trip to Malaysia, you might learn the Malay language. Here are some Malay phrases for travel that you must know before going to Malaysia.
Basic Greetings
Greetings are an essential part of every conversation. It is a polite and respectful thing to do when talking to others. There are different words and phrases that you can use to greet someone in the Malay language. Break the ice and start conversations with Malay travel phrases related to basic greetings:
Hello/ Hai – Hello/Hi
This greeting is the most common and easiest greetings you can learn. If you speak English, you will find it easy to learn because it is too similar.
Selamat Pagi – Good Morning
This is used to greet someone in the morning. It’s nice to start the day pleasant with this greeting.
Selamat Tengahari -Good Afternoon
If you want to greet somebody at noon, usually 12:00 pm- 3:00 pm, you can use this phrase.
Selamat Malam – Good Night
For evening greeting, you can say Selamat Petang. This will really be useful when you experience the nightlife in Malaysia.
| Malay | English Translation |
| Selamat Petang | Good Evening |
| Selamat Tinggal | Goodbye |
| Apakhabar? | How are you? |
| Selamat Datang | Welcome |
Useful Phrases
If you would like to connect with Malaysians, you should learn how to talk to them. You can begin with some basic and useful phrases. These Malay travel phrases will be helpful as a traveler in asking directions, shopping, and dining.
Terima Kasih -Thank You
Learning how to say Thank you in the Malaysian language (Bahasa Melayu) is very important in their culture. If you want to read more about saying Thank You in Malay, there is a separate blog for you.
Other Useful Words And Phrases In Malay
| Malay | English Translation |
| Terima kasih banyak banyak | Thank you very much |
| Sama-Sama | You’re Welcome |
| Minta maaf | Sorry |
| Tumpang tanya | Excuse me |
| Sila | Please |
| Ya | Yes |
| Tidak / Tak | No |
| Kamu boleh cakap … ? | Do you speak …? |
| Awak boleh cakap Bahasa Inggeris? | Can you speak English? |
| Boleh awak cakap perlahan sedikit? | Can you speak slowly? |
| Maaf, boleh tolong ulang semula? | I’m sorry, can you please repeat? |
| Saya tidak faham & Saya tak faham | I don’t understand |
| Tolong! Tolong! | Cry for help |
Introducing Yourself
Going around the country, there will be times when you have to introduce yourself. Of course, you can do it in English but using their local language, Malay (Bahasa Melayu), might give them an excellent first impression of you. So here some essentials that you can use when introducing yourself.
Nama saya -My name is
This is the basic way to introduce yourself and get to know someone in the Malay language. Suppose you want to read more about how locals introduce themselves. Then, you can read the blog post entitled 11 Best Tips On How To Introduce Yourself In Malay.
Other Malay Words and Phrases to Introduce Yourself
| Malay | English Translation |
| Umur saya X tahun | I am X years old |
| Saya tinggal di | I live in/at |
| Saya datang dari… | I come from… |
| Saya seorang | I am a + occupationSaya suka (I like/I like to) |
| Siapa nama awak? | What’s your name? |
Shopping
What’s a trip without going to the market and buying some souvenirs that will remind you about your whole trip? So, here is a list of Malay phrases for travelers related to shopping. You can also learn in this part of the blog the numbers and colors you can use to identify your purchase.
Berapa harga? – How much is this?
If you are on a budget, make sure to ask the price first before buying. Just a few tips. Beware of overpricing which is a common occurrence if you are a foreigner and try to haggle for a cheaper price.
Other Malay Words and Phrases Used When Shopping
| Malay | English Translation |
| Berapa harga? | What’s the price? / How much (is the price)? |
| Apa ini? | What is this? |
| Harga | Price |
| Mahal | Expensive |
| Murah | Cheap |
| Mahal sangat | That’s too expensive |
| Boleh kurang? | Can you reduce the price? |
| Boleh murah sedikit? | Can it be cheaper? |
| Saya nak beli kasut | I want to buy shoes. |
| Pusat membeli belah | Shopping Mall |
| Duit, wang | Money |
| Satu | One |
| Dua | Two |
| Tiga | Three |
| Empat | Four |
| Lima | Five |
| Enam | Six |
| Tujuh | Seven |
| Lapan | Eight |
| Sembilan | Nine |
| Sepuluh | Ten |
| Oren | Orange |
| Putih | White |
| Hitam | Black |
| Merah | Red |
| Kelabu | Gray |
| Coklat | Brown |
| Hijau | Green |
| Biru | Blue |
Dining Out
Your whole adventure will not be complete without trying some Malaysian food. There are lots of Malaysian food that is worth trying, from the street down to restaurants. Here are some Malay phrases for travel related to dining out and food.
Boleh awak cadangkan hidangan? – Can you recommend a dish?
Malaysian cuisine reflects the multi-ethnic population of Malaysia. It consists of cooking traditions and practice that is part of their well-preserved culture.
Other Malay phrases related to dining out / food:
| Malay | English Translation |
| Makan | Eat |
| Minum | Drink |
| Menu | a menu |
| Hidangan | a meal |
| Pencuci mulut | Dessert |
| Sedap | Delicious |
| Selamat menjamu selera | Enjoy (the meal) |
| Layan diri | Self service |
| Resit | Receipt |
| Sila duduk | Please have a seat |
| Roti | Bread |
| Mee | Noodles |
| Daging | Meat |
| Nasi | Rice |
| Ayam | Chicken |
| Daging lembu | Beef |
| Ikan | Fish |
| Sayur | Vegetables |
| Air | Water |
| Air minuman | Drinking water |
| Kopi o | Black coffee |
| Kopi susu | Coffee with milk |
| Tanpa gula | No sugar |
| Tanpa susu | No milk |
| Kurang ais | Less ice |
| Extra Spicy | Tambah pedas |
| Less Spicy | Kurang pedas |
| Bayar | to pay |
| Alah | allergic to |
| Vegetarian | to be vegetarian |
| Sila masuk. | Please come in. |
| Sila duduk di sini. | Please sit here. |
| Sila pesan makanan. | Please order food. |
| Sila tunggu sebentar. | Please wait a moment. |
| Saya sangat lapar. | I am very hungry. |
| Saya kenyang. | I am full. |
| Boleh saya bayar dengan kad kredit? | Can I pay with a credit card? |
| Boleh awak cadangkan hidangan? | Can you recommend a dish? |
| Boleh awak bawakan saya menu berbahasa Inggeris? | Can you bring me the English menu? |
| Boleh awak tolong bawakan saya bil? | Can you please bring me the bill? |
| Boleh awak tolong bawakan saya resit? | Can you please bring me the receipt? |
Traveling And Giving Directions
These are the essential Malay travel phrases you need to know when you want to explore the beauty of Malaysia. These phrases will help you the right destination and address that you are looking for. These phrases will also help when you are lost.
Belok kanan / Belok kiri – Turn right / Turn left
If you don’t know the place, do not hesitate to ask for directions. Ensure to learn the basic words like this to navigate your map and find the address you are looking for.
Other Words and Phrases Related To Traveling and Giving Directions
| Malay | English Translation |
| Jalan terus | Go straight |
| Perlahan sikit | Perlahan sikit |
| Di antara | between |
| Di hadapan | in front of |
| Di belakang | behind |
| Utara | North |
| Selatan | South |
| Timur | East |
| Barat | West |
| Zoo | a zoo |
| Pantai | a beach |
| Restoran | a restaurant |
| Muzium | a museum |
| Kedai kopi | a coffee shop |
| Tiket kapal terbang | a plane ticket |
| Menaiki | to board |
| Penerbangan | a flight |
| Kereta api | Train |
| Stesen kereta api | Train station |
| Stesen bas | a bus station |
| Tiket bas | a bus ticket |
| Pemandu | a driver |
| Feri | ferry |
| Harga tiket kereta api adalah 100 dollar. | The train ticket costs 100 dollars. |
| Kereta api ini akan tiba di stesen destinasi pada 2 petang. | This train will arrive at the destination station at 2 pm. |
| Ini adalah jadual kereta api. | The is the train schedule. |
| Saya ada di lapangan terbang sekarang. | I am at the airport now. |
| Saya ada di stesen bas sekarang. | I am at the bus station now. |
| Pemandu bas berhenti di pasar raya. | The bus driver stops at the supermarket. |
| Saya sedang menunggu feri. | I’m waiting for the ferry. |
| Dimanakah tandas? | Where is the bathroom? |
Traveling To Malaysia? Learn Malay Today!
Malay is one of the easiest languages that you can learn. So if you are looking for an app that will help you have an engaging language learning experience, Ling App is the perfect app for you. After learning the Malay travel phrases, you are now ready to learn more about the Malay language through Ling App.
Millions of users can’t lie. There’s a reason why users keep on using Ling App as their language learning partner. Just search it on the web or download it in the App Store/ Play Store. So don’t wait any longer. Learn Malay now!
