Top 10 English Loanwords In Malay

I had already made a list about the Dutch words used in Indonesian. So, I will do the same list, except this one is all about the English words used in the Malay language or the Malaysian language.

The Malay language and the Indonesian language look the same when written, but they have some differences. They differ in vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation. This list highlights one of the major reasons for those differences.

Malay is an official language of Malaysia, as well as Brunei and Singapore. It is also known as Bahasa Melayu. Like Indonesian, the Malay language also borrows words, though not as many as Indonesian.

In this list, we will talk about Malay words that came from the English language. English is one of the major contributors to the Malay language, along with Arabic, because Malaysia, Brunei, and Singapore were under British rule in 1826. Because of this, English has influenced Bahasa Melayu in both pronunciation and vocabulary.

The Top Ten

  1. Ais (Ice)

    The first item in this list is the word "ais". It came from the English word "ice", so we obviously know it. Based on its spelling, it is pronounced the same way as ice.

    However, in Bahasa Indonesia, the word "es" was used for ice. It came from a Dutch word "ijs" of the same meaning.

  2. Televisyen (Television)

  3. Komuniti (Community)

  4. Doktor (Doctor)

    Both languages have the same meaning. In Indonesian, they used the word "dokter" instead, which came from a Dutch word of the same name.

  5. Oren (Orange)

    Both words have the same meaning. This term is mainly used in Malay and recently in Indonesian. Indonesian uses the term "oranye", which came from a Dutch word "oranje", though Indonesian also uses this word. It is also interchangeable with the word "jeruk".

  6. Sos (Sauce)

    By the spelling, it also shows how to pronounce it. Both languages have the same meaning. In Indonesian, the term "Saus" was used.

  7. Polis (Police)

    Both words have the same meaning. It has a false friend with the same word in Indonesian. False friends are words or expressions that are similar in form but have a different meaning.

    The Malay term means police or police officer, while the Indonesian term means insurance policy. The Indonesian term came from a Dutch word of the same spelling. On the other hand, polisi was used in Indonesian. In Malay, polisi means policy, which came from English.

  8. Sains (Science)

    The spelling of this word is based on the pronunciation of its origin. Both words mean science. Both Malay and Indonesian use that word, even though Indonesian also uses the word "ilmu".

  9. Amerika (America)

  10. Coklat (Chocolate)

    By its form, it means chocolate. It is mainly used in the Malay language and has the same cognate in Indonesian, "cokelat". Take note that the letter "C" in both languages is pronounced as "ch," just like in Italian. However, the Indonesian word "cokelat" came from the Dutch word "chocolade." Both of these words originated from the Spanish word "chocolate," which in turn has its roots in the Nahuatl word "xocolatl."

    11. The Newcomers
  11. ?

    Akaun (Account)

  12. ?

    Lif (Lift, Elevator)

    13. The Contenders

  13. Bas (Bus)

    Both words mean bus, which is the clipping of the word "omnibus". It has a false friend with the Indonesian word for bass and boss/chief (colloquial).

    The Indonesian word came from two different Dutch words: "bas" and "baas". "Bas" means bass, while "baas" means boss or chief. The word "bus" was used instead.

  14. Kaunter (Counter)

  15. Lori (Lorry)

BAdd New Item