Simple greetings and introductions in Malay language
Malay culture
Addressing other people in Malay
Unlike in English, Malays may use multiple ways to express "I" depending on the level of familiarity with the other parties. Both the terms "saya" and "aku" can be used to mean "I"; yet "aku" is more informal and implies more familiarity with the party spoken to. Similarly, both "awak" and "engkau" can be used to mean "You", with "awak" being the more formal term than "engkau"
For the start, beginners just need to learn "saya" as "I" and "awak" as "You".
Common personal nouns in Malay
Malay
| English
| Note
|
|---|---|---|
saya, aku
| I
| |
awak, engkau
| You
| |
dia
| He. She
| |
kita
| We
| Include both the speaker and the party spoken to
|
kami
| We
| Exclude the party spoken to
|
mereka
| They
|
Basic ways to address people in Malay
Greetings in Malay
Most greetings start with "Selamat" which can basically be translated to "Safe"
Examples of common greetings
Malay
| English
| Literal translation
|
|---|---|---|
Selamat pagi
| Good morning
| Safe morning
|
Selamat tengah hari
| Good afternoon
| Safe afternoon
|
Selamat petang
| Good evening
| Safe evening
|
Selamat malam
| Good night
| Safe night
|
Selamat jalan
| Good bye
| Safe journey
|
Selamat tinggal
| Good bye
| Safe stay
|
Selamat datang
| Welcome (to my home)
| Safe come
|
Common greetings and its literal translation
Explanations on greetings
Note that for "Good bye", choosing the greetings to use, either "selamat tinggal" or "selamat jalan", depends on whether the speaker is the first person to make the move. In Malay, "tinggal" means "stay" and "jalan" means "walk". Thus, if the speaker is the first one to leave, he should say "selamat tinggal" which implies that he wishes the other person to have a "safe stay". If he is the one who stays behind, he should use "selamat jalan" , which means he wishes the other party a "safe journey".
Appreciating the subtle differences between these terms help learners to use the terms appropriately.
A little "thank you" goes a long way
Malay culture greatly values politeness. To learn how to say "thank you", or "terima kasih" will surprise and impress the locals, who will then reply to you "sama-sama" which means "you're welcome".
Note:
"terima kasih" : pronounced as "ter-ree-mer kah-say"
