Foreigners' Guide to Common Phrases in Malay

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Welcome to Penang!

The official language used in Penang is Malay, also known in Malay as Bahasa Malaysia . On this page, you can learn some common greetings in Malay which all Malaysians will know. Impress the people you meet by learning the following phrases.

Most of these phrases and sentences include a speaker icon (unless it is the same as in English, i.e. hello). Click the speaker icon to hear how it sounds. You may even click the speaker icon in front of a person to let him hear what you wish to say.

1. Hello (no difference): halo
   
   
2. How are you: Apa khabar?
3. Fine: Khabar baik
4. Thank you: Terima kasih
5. You're welcome: Sama-sama
6. My name is [NAME] Nama saya [NAME]
7. What is your name? Siapa nama kamu?
8. Good morning Selamat Pagi
9. Good afternoon Selamat Tengahari
10. Good evening Selamat Petang
11. Good night Selamat Malam
    Note: Use Selamat Malam to wish people "Good Evening" rather than "Selamat Petang" after nightfall. Selamat malam does not have the same meaning of concluding the night.
12. Goodbye:
    Selamat Tinggal (if you are leaving, say it to the person you are leaving)
    Selamat Jalan (if you are staying, say it to the person who is leaving)
13. Happy Birthday Selamat Hari Jadi
14. How to say [WORD]: Bagaimana nak kata [WORD]
15. What's the meaning of [WORD]? Apakah maksud [WORD]?
16. What is this? Apakah ini?
17. What's the price? Berapa harganya?
18. Too expensive Terlalu mahal
19. Is it cheap? Murah tak?
20. Not cheap. Tak murah.
21. Don't want. Tak mau
22. Is it spicy? Pedas tak?
23. It's not spicy. Tak pedas
24. Next time Lain kalilah
25. Nevermind Tak apa
26. How to go to [PLACE]? Bagaimana nak pergi ke [PLACE]?
27. Where's the [PLACE]? Di manakah [PLACE]?
28. Where's the washroom? Di manakah bilik air?
29. Turn right Belok kanan
30. Turn left Belok kiri
31. Go straight Pergi terus
32. Is it far? Jauh tak?
33. Not far. Tak jauh.
34. Very far. Sangat jauh
35. What's the bus to [PLACE]? Apakah bas ke [PLACE]?
36. Bus 101. Bas 101
37. Zero kosong
38. One Satu
39. Two Dua
40. Three Tiga
41. Four Empat
42. Five Lima
43. Six Enam
44. Seven Tujuh
45. Eight Lapan
46. Nine Sembilan
47. Ten Sepuluh
48. Five Ringgit Lima Ringgit
49. Come again. Datang lagi.

Common Greetings in Malay (3 August 2019)

Page Details

This page was created on 13 July 2025. Hi, my name is Timothy and created it from my research, for my own entertainment, knowledge and to satisfy my curiosity. I am providing the information to you in good faith and hope it is useful. I try to get the details as accurate as possible. I also try to update the page whenever I stumble on new details. So this and all my other pages are perpetual work in progress. If you discover any error, please politely inform me, pointing out where the error lies, and I will correct it as soon as possible. Your helpfulness will keep this page accurate, relevant and helpful to those who need the information.

Taking the bus in Penang