Monday 23 July 2012

Say it in Malay


For the most part you can get away with not knowing Malay (Bahasa Malaysia), but knowing at least a little bit of it can be useful. Learning it is simple because it is written in English, and you will come across many sign boards in Malay making it easy to remember certain words. One of the first words I learnt was 'Dilarang merokok', which means no smoking. Saw this sign everyday in a common area of our condo. Another one you would see quite often is Masuk (Entry) and Keluar (Exit).

The next few words we learnt were mostly while shopping specially while ordering food. I have been looking around for Malay classes for my children and found that most kindergartens offer classes. Also a local friend of mine who is also a teacher has classes at home, will be sending my kids there soon.

Here is a list of frequently used words.

Selamat Pagi - Good Morning
Apa kabar - How are you?
Kabar  baik - I'm fine
Berapa - How much
Awas - Caution
Makan - Eat
Minum - Drink
Air - Water
Buka - Opened
Tutup - Closed
Tandas - Toilet
Perempuan - Female
Lelaki - Male
Pasar Raya - Supermarket
Pasar Malam - Night market
Satu - One
Dua - Two
Thiga - Three
Empat - Four
Lima - Five
Enam - Six
Thuju - Seven
Lapan - Eight
Sembilan - Nine
Sepulu - Ten

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