How to learn Malay? What is the best way?

If you are planning to live in another country, one of the first things you should consider learning is their culture. To fully understand their culture, you must also learn their native language. In Malaysia, their national language is Malay or Bahasa. Note, however, that they also speak Tamil and Chinese due to the country’s multi-cultural status.

The best way to learn Malaysia’s languages is to attend tutorial classes and have face-to-face interactive learning. Your course will also provide you review materials, but you may also do extensive research about the language. 

Is Learning Malay Easy?

Many people say that learning Malay is an easy task. The language consists of no plurals, no gender, no verb tenses, and no conjunctions. You can also learn Malay by getting used to people around you speaking their native language, and you will be able to communicate with them with some practice and patience. You also don’t have to worry when you are planning on visiting the neighboring countries like Indonesia, Brunei, and Singapore because they also speak a very same dialect.

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• Learn Japanese
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Chinese is Malaysia’s second spoken language, in which most Chinese here use Mandarin. Some also use Cantonese, Hakka, Hok-chew, Teo-chew, Hainanese, and Hokkien dialects. You may consider learning Mandarin Chinese as an advantage since there are plenty of Chinese around the world that speak their native language. Learning Mandarin will help you stay in Malaysia, especially if you are staying for business purposes.

After learning Malay, you can also factor in learning Tamil. Inmates and traders infused this language from India during the time of British colonial rule. Tamil Malaysia’s third spoken language and the most known Indian language in the country. This language is so rich in culture, art, and history, and you can learn it quickly.

How to Learn Malay for First-Timers

If you are beginning to learn Malay, one technique that you can do is to keep repeating the necessary words or phrases that you just learned. It is also advantageous if you are enrolled in a tutorial class where you can learn Malay the proper way. You may also find and talk with a native speaker. You can study the way they speak and how they use their language. It would be a big help, too, if you do your study and learning through research.

Here are some basic Malay phrases that can help you in learning their language:

Greetings and other essentials

• Terima kasih (te-ree-mah ka-seh) – Thank you

• Ya (yah) / Tidak (tee-dak) – Yes / No

• Selamat jalan (s’la-mat zha-lan) – Goodbye

• Sama-sama (saa-ma saa-ma) – You’re welcome

• Saya Tak Faham (saa-yah tak faa-haam) – I don’t understand

Phrases for Directions

• Di mana tandas (dee ma-na tan-das) – Where is the bathroom?

• Belok kanan / Belok kiri (beh-lock kaa-naan / beh-lock kee-ree) – Turn right / Turn left

• Jalan terus (zha-lan te-roos) – Go straight

• Perlahan sikit (per-laa-haan see-keet) – Slow down

Phrases when in a restaurant or bar

• Kurang manis (koo-raang maa-nees) – Less sweet

• Tanpa gula (tan-pa goo-lah) – No sugar

• Kurang ais (koo-raang aa-is) – Less ice

• Tanpa susu (tan-pa soo-soo) – No milk

• Tambah pedas / Kurang pedas (tam-bah pe-das / koo-raang pe-das) – Extra spicy / Less spicy

• Sedap (se-daap) – Tasty

• Air (ah-yer) – Water

 When in the market

• Berapa (be-raa-paa) – How much?
• Mahal (maa-hal) – Expensive

How to Count in Malay

• Satu (saa-too) – One

•  Dua (doo-aa) – Two

•  Tiga (tee-gaa) – Three

•  Empat (erm-paat) – Four

•  Lima (lee-mah) – Five

•  Ernam (er-nam) – Six

•  Tujuh (too-jooh) – Seven

•  Lapan (laa-pan) – Eight

•  Sembilan (sem-bee-lan) – Nine

•  Sepuluh (se-poo-looh) – Ten

 Friendly phrases

• Dah makan (daa-h maa-kan) – Have you eaten?

•  Cantik (chan-tek) – Beautiful

•  Jom (zhom) – Let’s go

 Other common phrases

• Panas (paa-nas) – Hot

•  Tolong (toh-long) – Please

•  Boleh (bow-leh) – Can

Where Can I Learn Malay?

As mentioned, learning Malay is easy because of its simplicity in form. There are also plenty of tutorial classes offered everywhere. You can also find books that teach you how to read and speak or even references and tutorials on the internet. You have to be careful, though, and look for proper and legal documentation from these platforms.

Can I Live in Malaysia Without Learning Malay?

It will all depend on which area you are going to. There are certain areas in Malaysia where people cannot speak English at all, which would somehow open the opportunity for scammers. So, as a form of your safety precaution when travelling to Malaysia, learning Malay can help. Although most ethnic groups in Malaysia can speak English, you should learn their language as well. It can be a sign of respect for them, and at the same time, you will gain an advantage in adding more knowledge about different cultures.

Do I Need an Interpreter while in Malaysia?

You will need an interpreter if your purpose in Malaysia is for a short visit only. Your tourist guide will be your instant interpreter if you avail of tour packages during your vacation in Malaysia. It would also be essential to learn a few Malay words and phrases to prevent opportunists from taking advantage of you. 

Learning the Malay Alphabet

Bahasa Malaysia is one of the world’s most natural languages to learn. Some ex-pats said that they do not need to learn Malay because a lot of Malaysians speak English. Communicating with the locals is easy, most especially if you know their language. 

Learning some Bahasa Malaysia will help you go around town without worrying about someone making fun of you.

• Practice diligently – Your motivation for learning Malay will dictate the phase of understanding the language. You will find yourself practicing all the time because of your eagerness to speak Malay. Once you learn a few words or phrases, you may ask your Malaysian friends to help you practice it only by just talking to you.
• Read signages – You will find signboards or advertisement billboards when you go around Malaysia. These references will also guide you with some common Malay phrases, try to remember them, and do some research.
• Listen to the media – Try to listen to some local radio stations in Malaysia and listen carefully to how they speak their language. You may also watch a program on the television and try to understand some Malay words fully.
• Look for a language partner – As mentioned above, you may ask a local Malaysian friend to help you learn Malay. You can also practice your Malay by interacting through a pen-pal and sending them through emails and text.
• Embrace the language – Most people who attended tutorial classes, understood how to use Malay with the correct grammar rules. You will eventually use your new language if you are out on Malaysian streets and keep on learning with native speakers.
• Be firm with your goals – Setting your goals is also essential in learning a new language. You have to set your time frame and the extent of how you learn Malay. 
• Look for more resources – You may opt to use dictionaries or download any Malay language tutorial app, which can also give you convenience as you can study and practice anywhere and anytime you want. 
• Enjoy the experience – You should enjoy the whole learning experience as you tackle a new skill with a new culture. Do not feel bad if you make mistakes in Malay grammar, and it is common and understandable because you are a new learner. You can also go to the market and do your shopping while practicing Malay with the locals.

How to Self-Learn Speaking Malay

If learning Malay is one of your requirements in going to Malaysia, the best way is to join a tutorial class. It would also be better if you do your research and create your review materials. One way of doing this is to get a Malay Phrasebook and copy some simple words and phrases on flashcards and try to memorize them. Remember that when using these references, always consider that there are additional languages used in Eastern Malaysia. It would be best for you to try to do more research on it.

Learning Basic Malay Grammar

The Malay language was initially written in “Jawi” writing, but it is easier to learn nowadays because it is now written in the Roman alphabet. Foreigners will have an easy time learning the language because their alphabets are pronounced just like with the English.

The word order in Malay is almost the same as in constructing an English sentence, which makes learning Malay easier, but there are still differences that you should learn.

Malay Nouns

In Malay grammar, general articles such as “a,” “an,” or “the” are not attached to nouns because they do not exist in Malay. Instead, nouns in Malay need classifiers that are specific for that noun. For example:

• Seorang Lelaki – A man

•  Sebuah Kapal – A ship

Classifiers in Malay have their own designated different types of nouns. The article replaced by a classifier for human nouns would not be the same for that of the object noun. A classifier for a big object is also different from that of a smaller object. 

Keep Your Motivation High

You will have your reasons for learning Malay as you go to Malaysia. Learning their language should be one of your top priorities as you will need it in either your business or leisure tour. Learn not just their language, but their rich culture as well.