WELCOME TO MALAYSIA ( Language )

Assalamualaikum

Malaysia Language

The official language of Malaysia is Malaysian, a standardised form of the Malay language. The terminology as per government policy is Bahasa Malaysia (literally "Malaysian language") but legislation continues to refer to the official language as Bahasa Melayu (literally "Malay language"). Historically English was the de facto administrative language, with Malay becoming predominant after the 1969 race riots. Under the National Language Act 1967, "The script of the national language shall be the Rumi [Latin] script: provided that this shall not prohibit the use of the Malay script, more commonly known as the Jawi script, of the national language."

English remains an active second language, with its use allowed for some official purposes under the National Language act 1967, and serves as the medium of instruction for maths and sciences in all public schools. Malaysian English, also known as Malaysian Standard English, is a form of English derived from British English. Malaysian English is widely used in business, along with Manglish, which is a colloquial form of English with heavy Malay, Chinese, and Tamil influences. The government discourages the use of non-standard Malay and has instituted fines for public signs that mix Malay and English.

Many other languages are used in Malaysia, which contains speakers of 137 living languages. Peninsular Malaysia contains speakers of 41 of these languages. The native tribes of East Malaysia have their own languages which are related to, but easily distinguishable from, Malay. Iban is the main tribal language in Sarawak while Dusunic languages are spoken by the natives in Sabah. Chinese Malaysians predominately speak Chinese dialects from the southern provinces of China. The more common dialects in the country are Cantonese, Mandarin, Hokkien, Hakka, Hainanese, and Fuzhou. Tamil is used predominantly by Tamils, who form a majority of Malaysian Indians. 

Other south Asian languages are also widely spoken in Malaysia, as well as Thai. A small number of Malaysians have Caucasian ancestry and speak creole languages, such as the Portuguese based Malaccan Creoles, and the Spanish based Chavacano language.

Here are some basic phrases that might be useful during your trip to Malaysia:

English Phrases	Malay Phrases
English Greetings	Malay Greetings:
Hi!	Hi!
Good morning!	Selamat Pagi
Good evening!	Selamat Petang
Welcome! (to greet someone)	Selamat Datang
How are you?	Apa Khabar?
I'm fine, thanks!	Khabar Baik, Terima Kasih
And you?	Bagaimana Dengan Anda?
Good/ So-So.	Khabar Baik Juga
Thank you (very much)!	Terima Kasih Berbanyak-Banyak
You're welcome! (for "thank you")	Sama-sama
Hey! Friend!	Hi, Kawan!
I missed you so much!	Saya Amat Merindui Anda
What's new?	Khabar Terbaru?
Nothing much	Sama Sahaja
Good night!	Selamat Malam
See you later!	Jumpa Lagi
Good bye!	Selamat Jalan
Asking for Help and Directions
I'm lost	Saya Tersesat
Can I help you?	Bolehkah Saya Membantu Anda?
Can you help me?	Bolehkah Anda Membantu Saya?
Where is the (bathroom/ pharmacy)?	Di manakah (bilik mandi/ farmasi)?
Go straight! then turn left/ right!	Jalan Lurus/ Kemudian Pusing Kiri/ Kanan
I'm looking for john.	Saya Sedang Mencari John.
One moment please!	Sila Tunggu Sebentar.
Hold on please! (phone)	Sila Tunggu Sebentar.
How much is this?	Apakah Harga Barang Ini?
Excuse me ...! (to ask for something)	Encik? (for male) Cik? (for female) + request
Excuse me! ( to pass by)	Maafkan Saya…
Come with me!	Jom ikut saya

How to Introduce Yourself
Do you speak (English/ Malay)?	Adakah anda fasih berbahasa (Inggeris/ Melayu)?
Just a little.	Sedikit sahaja.
What's your name?	Apakah Nama Anda?
My name is ...	Nama Saya…
Mr.../ Mrs.…/ Miss…	Encik/ Puan/ Cik
Nice to meet you!	Gembira Mengenali Anda
You're very kind!	Anda Sangat Baik!
Where are you from?	Anda Dari Mana?
I'm from (the U.S/ Malaysia )	Saya Dari (Amerika Syarikat/ Malaysia)
I'm (American)	Saya Berbangsa Amerika
Where do you live?	Anda Tinggal Di mana?
I live in (the U.S/ Malaysia)	Saya Tinggal Di (Amerika Syarikat/ Malaysia)
Did you like it here?	Apakah Pendapat Anda Mengenai Tempat Ini?
Malaysia is a wonderful country	Malaysia Adalah Sebuah Negara Yang Menarik.
What do you do for a living?	Apakah Pekerjaan Anda?
I work as a (translator/ businessman)	Saya Bekerja Sebagai Seorang (Penterjemah/ Ahli Niaga)
I like Malay	Saya Suka (Bahasa Malaysia/ Bahasa Melayu)
I've been learning Malay for 1 month	Saya Telah Mendalami Bahasa Melayu Selama 1 Bulan
Oh! That's good!	Oh! Baiknya!
How old are you?	Berapakah Umur Anda?
I'm (twenty, thirty...) years old.	Saya Berumur (Dua Puluh, Tiga Puluh…) Tahun.
I have to go	Saya Terpaksa Berangkat/ Pergi
I will be right back!	Saya Akan Balik/Pulang
Wish Someone Something
Good luck!	Semoga Berjaya!
Happy birthday!	Selamat Hari Jadi!
Happy new year!	Selamat Tahun Baru Cina!
Merry Christmas!	Selamat Hari Krismas!
Congratulations!	Tahniah!
Enjoy! (for meals...)	Sila Menjamu Selera!
I'd like to visit Malaysia one day	Saya Berhasrat Melawat Malaysia Suatu Hari Nanti.
Say hi to John for me	Tolong Sampaikan Ucap Selamat Saya Kepada John
Bless you (when sneezing)	Rahimaka Allah! Or Alhamdulillah!
Good night and sweet dreams!	Selamat Malam.
Solving a Misunderstanding
I'm Sorry! (if you don't hear something)	Maafkan Saya? (inquiry tone)
Sorry (for a mistake)	Maafkan Saya.
No Problem!	Tiada Masalah!
Can You Say It Again?	Bolehkah Anda Mengulangi Apa Yang Telah Anda Sebutkan?
Can You Speak Slowly?	Bolehkah Anda Mengurangkan Kelajuan Ucapan Anda?
Write It Down Please!	Sila Catatkan!
I Don't Understand!	Saya Tidak Faham!
I Don't Know!	Saya Tidak Tahu!
I Have No Idea.	Saya Tiada Idea.
What's That Called In Malay?	Apakah Nama Benda Ini?
What Does "gato" Mean In English?	Apakah Maksud “saya” Dalam Bahasa Inggeris?
How Do You Say "Please" In Malay?	Bagaimanakah Anda Menyebut Perkataan “Please” Dalam Bahasa Melayu?
What Is This?	Apa Ini?
My Malay is bad.	Penguasaan Bahasa Melayu Saya Lemah.
I need to practice my Malay	Saya Perlu Memperbaiki Bahasa Melayu Saya.
Don't worry!	Jangan (Bimbang/ Risau)
Malay Expressions and Words
Good/ Bad/ So-So.	(Baik/ Jahat/ Sederhana)
Big/ Small	(Besar/ Kecil)
Today/ Now	(Hari Ini/ Sekarang)
Tomorrow/ Yesterday	(Esok/ Semalam)
Yes/ No	(Ya/ Tidak)
Here you go! (when giving something)	Ini dia!
Do you like it?	Adakah Anda Menyukainya?
I really like it!	Saya Amat Menyukainya!
I'm hungry/ thirsty.	Saya Berasa Lapar/ Dahaga)
In The Morning/ Evening/ At Night.	Pada Sebelah (Pagi/ Petang/ Malam)
This/ That. Here/There	Ini/ Itu . Sini/ Sana
Me/ You. Him/ Her.	Saya/ Anda. Dia.
Really!	Benar!
Look!	Lihat!
Hurry up!	Lekas! / Cepat!
What? Where?	Apa? Di mana?
What time is it?	Pukul Berapa Sekarang?
It's 10 o'clock. 07:30pm.	Pukul Sepuluh (pagi/ malam). Pukul Tujuh Tiga Puluh Minit (malam)
Give me this!	(Berikan/ Serahkan) Benda Ini Kepada Saya. (polite/ impolite)
I love you!	Saya Mencintai Anda!
I feel sick.	Saya Berasa Sakit.
I need a doctor	Saya Perlukan Doktor
One, Two, Three	Satu, Dua, Tiga
Four, Five, Six	Empat, Lima, Enam
Seven, Eight, Nine, Ten	Tujuh, Lapan, Sembilan, Sepuluh