Malaysian phrases – Here you will find the most common phrases in Malaysian with translation. | Free & useful
Malaysian phrases are short expressions or idioms often used in speech to be polite, express gratitude, greet or say goodbye or simply to have a pleasant conversation.
They are an important part of Malaysian culture and can be useful in different situations, both in private and business life.
Malaysian phrases you should know
OUR TIP: If you want to learn these phrases interactively, we recommend the free language course demo from 17-Minute-Language, where you can learn Malaysian phrases and dialogues today.
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Greet someone in Malaysian
If you want to greet someone in Malaysian, it’s actually quite easy:
| English | Malaysian (Malay) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| Welcome to the site. | Selamat datang ke laman ini. | [səˈlamat ˈdataŋ kə ˈlaman ˈini] |
| Welcome to the site | Selamat datang ke laman ini | [səˈlamat ˈdataŋ kə ˈlaman ˈini] |
| Good day to you! | Selamat sejahtera kepada anda! | [səˈlamat səˈd͡ʒaht̚rə kəˈpadə ˈandə] |
| Good morning to you! | Selamat pagi kepada anda! | [səˈlamat ˈpaɡi kəˈpadə ˈandə] |
| Good evening! | Selamat petang! | [səˈlamat pəˈtaŋ] |
| Good to see you. | Gembira dapat berjumpa dengan anda. | [ɡəmˈbirə ˈdapat bərˈd͡ʒumpa dəˈŋan ˈandə] |
| I’m glad to see you. | Saya gembira dapat berjumpa dengan anda. | [ˈsajə ɡəmˈbirə ˈdapat bərˈd͡ʒumpa dəˈŋan ˈandə] |
If you are greeted in Malaysian, the best way to respond is as follows:
| English | Malaysian (Malay) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| Have a nice day too! | Semoga hari anda juga menyenangkan! | [səˈmoɡə ˈhari ˈandə ˈd͡ʒuɡə mənjəˈnaŋkan] |
| Thanks, it’s nice to see you too. | Terima kasih, seronok jumpa anda juga. | [təˈrimə ˈkasih səˈronoʔ ˈd͡ʒumpa ˈandə ˈd͡ʒuɡə] |
How is my dialogue partner?
As in any other country, it is polite to start by asking where the person you are talking to is located. Here’s how you do it:
| English | Malaysian (Malay) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| How are you doing? | Apa khabar? | [ˈapə ˈkabar] |
| Are you doing well? | Adakah anda sihat? | [aˈdakəʔ ˈandə ˈsihat] |
If you are asked how you feel, you can answer with the following phrases:
| English | Malaysian (Malay) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| Thank you for asking, I am fine. | Terima kasih kerana bertanya, saya sihat. | [təˈrimə ˈkasih kəˈranə bərˈtaŋja ˈsajə ˈsihat] |
| Thank you, I am fine. | Terima kasih, saya sihat. | [təˈrimə ˈkasih ˈsajə ˈsihat] |
| Thank you, I am not doing so well. | Terima kasih, saya kurang sihat. | [təˈrimə ˈkasih ˈsajə ˈkurɑŋ ˈsihat] |
| Thanks, I’m fine. How are you doing? | Terima kasih, saya sihat. Apa khabar anda? | [təˈrimə ˈkasih ˈsajə ˈsihat ˈapə ˈkabar ˈandə] |
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How do I say goodbye to someone in Malaysian?
Saying goodbye to a friend or stranger in Malaysian is not that difficult. Just use the following phrases:
| English | Malaysian (Malay) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| Goodbye! | Selamat tinggal! | [səˈlamat tiŋˈɡal] |
| Take care of yourself! | Jaga diri baik-baik! | [ˈd͡ʒaɡə ˈdirʲi ˈbaɪʔ ˈbaɪʔ] |
| Goodbye | Selamat jalan | [səˈlamat ˈd͡ʒalan] |
| See you tomorrow | Jumpa lagi esok | [ˈd͡ʒumpa ˈlaɡi ˈesok] |
| See you soon | Jumpa lagi nanti | [ˈd͡ʒumpa ˈlaɡi ˈnanti] |
| See you later | Jumpa lagi | [ˈd͡ʒumpa ˈlaɡi] |
| Good night | Selamat malam | [səˈlamat ˈmalam] |
| Sleep well | Tidur lena | [ˈtidur ˈlenə] |
| Talk to you later. | Kita berbual lagi nanti. | [ˈkitə bərˈbual ˈlaɡi ˈnanti] |
| Nice to have met you! | Gembira dapat berkenalan dengan anda! | [ɡəmˈbirə ˈdapat bərkəˈnalan dəˈŋan ˈandə] |
How do I introduce myself in Malaysian?
When travelling in Malaysia, sooner or later you will come into contact with local people. Naturally, you’ll want to introduce yourself in Malaysian and know who you’re talking to.
| English | Malaysian (Malay) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| My name is Jonas. | Nama saya Jonas. | [ˈnamə ˈsajə ˈd͡ʒonas] |
| What is your name? | Siapa nama anda? | [ˈsiapə ˈnamə ˈandə] |
| What is your surname? | Apakah nama keluarga anda? | [ˈapakah ˈnamə kəlʊˈarɡə ˈandə] |
| What is your first name? | Apakah nama pertama anda? | [ˈapakah ˈnamə pə(r)ˈtamə ˈandə] |
| What is your surname? | Apakah nama keluarga anda? | [ˈapakah ˈnamə kəlʊˈarɡə ˈandə] |
If you want to tell people where you come from, the following sentences are useful:
| English | Malaysian (Malay) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| Where do you come from? | Anda berasal dari mana? | [ˈandə bəˈrasal ˈdarɪ ˈmanə] |
| I am from London. | Saya berasal dari London. | [ˈsajə bəˈrasal ˈdarɪ ˈlondən] |
| Are you from Birmingham? | Adakah anda dari Birmingham? | [aˈdakəʔ ˈandə ˈdarɪ ˈbɜːmɪŋəm] |
| No, I’m from Madrid. | Tidak, saya dari Madrid. | [ˈtidak ˈsajə ˈdarɪ maˈdrit] |
| Great, I’m from Madrid too. | Bagus, saya juga dari Madrid. | [ˈbaɡus ˈsajə ˈd͡ʒuɡə ˈdarɪ maˈdrit] |
| Where do you live? | Anda tinggal di mana? | [ˈandə ˈtiŋɡal di ˈmanə] |
| I live in Berlin. | Saya tinggal di Berlin. | [ˈsajə ˈtiŋɡal di ˈbɛrlin] |
If you have problems with your Malaysian, it is good to know which languages are still spoken:
| English | Malaysian (Malay) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| Do you speak English? | Adakah anda bertutur dalam Bahasa Inggeris? | [aˈdakəʔ ˈandə bərˈtutur ˈdaləm baˈhasə iŋˈɡeris] |
| Yes, I speak English. | Ya, saya bertutur dalam Bahasa Inggeris. | [ˈja ˈsajə bərˈtutur ˈdaləm baˈhasə iŋˈɡeris] |
| Yes, I speak some English. | Ya, saya boleh bertutur sedikit dalam Bahasa Inggeris. | [ˈja ˈsajə ˈboleh bərˈtutur səˈdikit ˈdaləm baˈhasə iŋˈɡeris] |
| No, I do not speak any English. | Tidak, saya tidak bertutur dalam Bahasa Inggeris. | [ˈtidak ˈsajə ˈtidak bərˈtutur ˈdaləm baˈhasə iŋˈɡeris] |
| I only speak English. | Saya hanya bertutur dalam Bahasa Inggeris. | [ˈsajə ˈhanjə bərˈtutur ˈdaləm baˈhasə iŋˈɡeris] |
| I understand some Malaysian. | Saya faham sedikit Bahasa Malaysia. | [ˈsajə ˈfaham səˈdikit baˈhasə məˈlajsiə] |
Useful sentences with ‘I am…’
The following sentences will help you orientate yourself in Malaysian and express your wishes and concerns:
| English | Malaysian (Malay) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| I am English. | Saya orang Inggeris. | [ˈsajə ˈoraŋ iŋˈɡeris] |
| I am injured. | Saya cedera. | [ˈsajə ˈt͡ʃədərə] |
| I am here. | Saya di sini. | [ˈsajə di ˈsini] |
| I am hungry. | Saya lapar. | [ˈsajə ˈlapar] |
| I am thirsty. | Saya dahaga. | [ˈsajə daˈhaɡə] |
| I am a single person. | Saya bujang. | [ˈsajə ˈbud͡ʒaŋ] |
| I need help! | Saya perlukan bantuan! | [ˈsajə pəˈrlukan banˈtuwan] |
| I am tired. | Saya penat. | [ˈsajə pəˈnat] |
| I am happy. | Saya gembira. | [ˈsajə ɡəmˈbirə] |
| I am sad. | Saya sedih. | [ˈsajə səˈdih] |
| I am in love. | Saya sedang jatuh cinta. | [ˈsajə səˈdaŋ ˈd͡ʒatuh ˈt͡ʃintə] |
| I am ill. | Saya sakit. | [ˈsajə ˈsakit] |
| I am ready. | Saya sudah bersedia. | [ˈsajə ˈsudah bərˈsədia] |
| I am busy. | Saya sibuk. | [ˈsajə ˈsibuk] |
| I am lost. | Saya sesat. | [ˈsajə səˈsat] |
| I am a tourist. | Saya pelancong. | [ˈsajə pəˈlant͡ʃoŋ] |
| I am new here. | Saya orang baru di sini. | [ˈsajə ˈoraŋ ˈbarʷ di ˈsini] |
| I am confident. | Saya yakin. | [ˈsajə ˈjakin] |
| I am proud. | Saya bangga. | [ˈsajə ˈbaŋɡa] |
| I am a teacher. | Saya seorang guru. | [ˈsajə səˈoraŋ ˈɡurʷ] |
| I am late. | Saya lewat. | [ˈsajə ˈlewat] |
| I am 30 years old. | Umur saya tiga puluh tahun. | [ˈumur ˈsajə ˈtiɡa ˈpuluh taˈhun] |
| I am in a hurry. | Saya sedang tergesa-gesa. | [ˈsajə səˈdaŋ tərɡəˈsa ɡəˈsa] |
| I am happy. | Saya gembira. | [ˈsajə ɡəmˈbirə] |
| I am surprised. | Saya terkejut. | [ˈsajə tərˈkəd͡ʒut] |
| I am angry. | Saya marah. | [ˈsajə ˈmarah] |
Apologising in Malaysian
Here’s how to apologise to a Malaysian speaker:
| English | Malaysian (Malay) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| I apologise. | Saya minta maaf. | [ˈsajə ˈmintə ˈmaʔaf] |
| Sorry, that was not the intention. | Maaf, itu bukan niat saya. | [ˈmaʔaf ˈitu ˈbukan ˈniat ˈsajə] |
| Sorry, I did not do it on purpose. | Maaf, saya tidak sengaja. | [ˈmaʔaf ˈsajə ˈtidak səˈŋad͡ʒə] |
| Sorry, that was very clumsy of me. | Maaf, saya sangat cuai. | [ˈmaʔaf ˈsajə ˈsaŋat ˈt͡ʃuai̯] |
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Useful signs and notices in Malaysian
Useful signs and messages in Malaysian that you will often see.
| English | Malaysian (Malay) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| Entrance | Pintu masuk | [ˈpintu ˈmasuk] |
| Toilet | Tandas | [ˈtandas] |
| Exit | Pintu keluar | [ˈpintu kəˈluar] |
| Attention! | Perhatian! | [pə(r)ˈhatian] |
| Police | Polis | [ˈpolis] |
| Emergency services | Perkhidmatan kecemasan | [pə(r)ˈhidmatan kət͡ʃəˈmasan] |
| Fire brigade | Bomba | [ˈbombə] |
| Passage forbidden. | Laluan dilarang. | [ˈlaluan diˈlaraŋ] |
| Caution! | Awas! | [ˈawas] |
| This building is under video surveillance. | Bangunan ini diawasi oleh kamera keselamatan. | [baŋuˈnan ˈini diaˈwasi ˈoleh ˈkamerə kəsəlaˈmatan] |
Numbers to 25 in Malaysian
Counting in Malaysian is not that difficult. Here are the numbers in Malaysian from 1 to 25.
| English | Malaysian (Malay) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Satu | [ˈsatu] |
| 2 | Dua | [ˈdua] |
| 3 | Tiga | [ˈtiɡa] |
| 4 | Empat | [əmˈpat] |
| 5 | Lima | [ˈlimə] |
| 6 | Enam | [əˈnam] |
| 7 | Tujuh | [ˈtud͡ʒuh] |
| 8 | Lapan | [ˈlapan] |
| 9 | Sembilan | [səmˈbilan] |
| 10 | Sepuluh | [səˈpuluh] |
| 11 | Sebelas | [səˈbələs] |
| 12 | Dua belas | [ˈdua bəˈlas] |
| 13 | Tiga belas | [ˈtiɡa bəˈlas] |
| 14 | Empat belas | [əmˈpat bəˈlas] |
| 15 | Lima belas | [ˈlimə bəˈlas] |
| 16 | Enam belas | [əˈnam bəˈlas] |
| 17 | Tujuh belas | [ˈtud͡ʒuh bəˈlas] |
| 18 | Lapan belas | [ˈlapan bəˈlas] |
| 19 | Sembilan belas | [səmˈbilan bəˈlas] |
| 20 | Dua puluh | [ˈdua ˈpuluh] |
| 21 | Dua puluh satu | [ˈdua ˈpuluh ˈsatu] |
| 22 | Dua puluh dua | [ˈdua ˈpuluh ˈdua] |
| 23 | Dua puluh tiga | [ˈdua ˈpuluh ˈtiɡa] |
| 24 | Dua puluh empat | [ˈdua ˈpuluh əmˈpat] |
| 25 | Dua puluh lima | [ˈdua ˈpuluh ˈlimə] |
The colours in Malaysian
The most common colours in Malaysian with phonetic transcription for pronunciation.
| English | Malaysian (Malay) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| Red | Merah | [ˈmerah] |
| Blue | Biru | [ˈbiru] |
| Yellow | Kuning | [ˈkunɪŋ] |
| Green | Hijau | [ˈhid͡ʒau] |
| Black | Hitam | [ˈhitam] |
| White | Putih | [ˈputih] |
| Orange | Oren | [ˈorɛn] |
| Purple | Ungu | [ˈuŋu] |
| Pink | Merah jambu | [ˈmerah ˈd͡ʒambu] |
| Brown | Coklat | [ˈt͡ʃoklat] |
Days of the week, months and seasons in Malaysian
Of course, you will also need the days of the week in Malaysian and the pronunciation of the months and seasons in dialogues and daily communication in Malaysian.
| English | Malaysian (Malay) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| Days of the Week | ||
| Monday | Isnin | [ˈisnin] |
| Tuesday | Selasa | [səˈlasə] |
| Wednesday | Rabu | [ˈrabu] |
| Thursday | Khamis | [ˈxamis] |
| Friday | Jumaat | [d͡ʒuˈmaʔat] |
| Saturday | Sabtu | [ˈsaptu] |
| Sunday | Ahad | [ˈahad] |
| Months | ||
| January | Januari | [ˈd͡ʒanuari] |
| February | Februari | [ˈfebruari] |
| March | Mac | [ˈmat͡ʃ] |
| April | April | [ˈapril] |
| May | Mei | [ˈmei] |
| June | Jun | [ˈd͡ʒun] |
| July | Julai | [ˈd͡ʒulai] |
| August | Ogos | [ˈoɡos] |
| September | September | [sepˈtɛmbər] |
| October | Oktober | [okˈtobər] |
| November | November | [noˈvɛmbər] |
| December | Disember | [diˈsɛmbər] |
| Seasons | ||
| Spring | Musim bunga | [ˈmusim ˈbuŋa] |
| Summer | Musim panas | [ˈmusim ˈpanas] |
| Autumn / Fall | Musim luruh | [ˈmusim ˈluruh] |
| Winter | Musim sejuk | [ˈmusim səˈd͡ʒuk] |
OUR TIP: If you want to learn these Malaysian phrases interactively, we recommend the free language course demo from 17-Minute-Language, where you can learn Malaysian phrases and dialogues.
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Additional links
- The different ways of learning languages
- Learning vocabulary successfully
- Motivated language learning
- It is so easy to train your understanding of a language at the same time
- Learning languages quickly? – Is it possible?
- The different types of learners when learning languages
More information about the Malaysian Course for Children.