Bahasa Malay / English Dictionary - Bahasa Melayu / Bahasa Inggeris Kamus

 

 

Bahasa Malay / English Dictionary

The national language of Malaysia is Bahasa Malaysia, also known as Malay, Bahasa Melayu, or just Bahasa. The language is quite similar to Indonesian. Most, but certainly not all, Malaysians are fluent in Malay. It is also one of Singapore's official languages.

In the large cities near the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur, Penang, etc.), ethnic Chinese usually make up the majority of the population. Many of these people are fluent in Malay, English, and one or more Chinese dialects (such as Cantonese, Hokkien, Hakka, Teochew, or Mandarin). Some speak only Chinese, and a surprising number only really speak English.

Depending on family background and the school they attended, ethnic Indians will speak either an Indian language (typically Tamil), English, or both. Muslim Indians may not speak Indian languages and often prefer Malay.

Sources used:

http://www.expatypus.com/wiki/malay-language-bahasa-malaysia
Words R Us database of terms in Bahasa Malay
Some translation of Bahasa Malay terms via Google Translate