Bahasa Malaysia

Bahasa Malaysia, which is essentially Bahasa Melayu (the language of the Malays), is the national language of the country.

Although the Malay language is the national and official language, English is widely understood and spoken in the main towns of Malaysia. This is because Malaysia was a colony of Great Britain until its independence in 1957.

Malaysia is made up of many races and ethnic groups with the Malays, Chinese, Indians, Ibans and Kadazans comprising the major races. Being multi-racial and multi-ethnic, it is therefore also multi-lingual, and there are many languages and scores of dialects found in the country.

The Malays themselves in some of the states, also speak various dialects, with Kelantan, Kedah, Negeri Sembilan, Penang and Terengganu dialects being quite distinctly pronounced.

There are also differences in the Chinese language spoken in the country. Besides Mandarin (formal language) you will hear various dialects spoken like Hokkien, Hakka and Cantonese.

And although the Malaysian Indians speak Tamils mostly, you can find or hear Telugu, Malayalam, Punjabi and Hindi also spoken.

Below are some of the useful and simple Bahasa Malaysia words and phrases to get by, while in Malaysia or Pahang.

ENGLISH To BAHASA MALAYSIA

One - Satu
Two - Dua
Three - Tiga
Four - Empat
Five - Lima
Six - Enam
Seven - Tujuh
Eight - Lapan
Nine - Sembilan
Ten - Sepuluh

Thank you - Terima kasih
Please - Tolong
Excuse me - Maafkan saya

Yes - Ya
No - Tidak
Maybe - Mungkin

I (me) - Saya
We - Kami
You - Awak / kamu / anda
They / them - Mereka
He / she - Dia

How much? - Berapa?
What is this? - Apakah ini?
What time is it? - Pukul berapa sekarang?
Where is...? - Di manakah... ?

Good morning - Selamat pagi
Good afternoon - Selamat tengahari
Good evening - Selamat petang
Goodnight - Selamat malam
Goodbye - Selamat tinggal
Welcome - Selamat datang
See you again - Jumpa lagi

Day - Hari
Week - Minggu
Month - Bulan
Year - Tahun

Today - Hari ini
Yesterday - Semalam
Tomorrow - Esok

Monday - Isnin
Tuesday - Selasa
Wednesday - Rabu
Thursday - Khamis
Friday - Jumaat
Saturday - Sabtu
Sunday - Ahad

Well, you will find in Malaysia and in Pahang a potpourri of cultures and languages, and what is amazing is that all races and ethnic groups respect the beliefs, culture, language and dialect of the others.

Through it all, Bahasa Malaysia, the official language, seamlessly unites them.

And with unity, it is no wonder then that progress and development can be easily achieved.

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