Differences between Malay and Indonesian
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The differences between Malay (Bahasa Melayu or Bahasa Malaysia) and Indonesian (Bahasa Indonesia) are slightly greater than those between British English and American English. They are mutually intelligible, but with differences in spelling, pronunciation and vocabulary.
For non-native speakers of the two languages, Malay and Indonesian may seem almost identical, but for native speakers, the differences can lead to incomprehension when used in formal conversation or written communication. These differences also affect broadcasting business in relation to foreign language subtitling, for example DVD movies or TV cable subscriptions. In order to reach out to a wider audience, sometimes both Indonesian and Malay subtitles are displayed in a movie side by side with other language subtitles.
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[edit] Orthography
Before the 20th century, Malay was written in a modified form of the Arabic alphabet known as Jawi. After the 20th century, Malay written with Roman letters, known as Rumi, has almost completely replaced Jawi in everyday life. The romanisations originally used in Malaya (now part of Malaysia) and the Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia) reflected their positions as British and Dutch possessions respectively.
In Indonesia, the vowel in the English word 'moon' was formerly represented in Indonesian as oe, as in Dutch, and the official spelling of this sound was changed to u in 1947.
Similarly, until 1972, the initial consonant of the English 'chin' was represented in Malay as ch, whereas in Indonesian, it continued to follow Dutch and used tj. Hence the word for 'grandchild' used to be written as chuchu in Malay and tjoetjoe in Indonesian, until a unified spelling system was introduced in 1972 (known in Indonesia as Ejaan Yang Disempurnakan or the 'Perfected Spelling') which removed most differences between the two varieties: Malay ch and Indonesian tj became c: hence cucu.
Indonesian abandoned the spelling dj (for the consonant at the beginning of the word 'Jakarta') to conform to the j already in use in Malay, while the old Indonesian j for the semivowel at the beginning of the English 'young', was replaced with y as in Malay. Likewise, the velar fricative which occurs in many Arabic loanwords, which used to be written 'ch' in Indonesian, became kh in both languages.
However, oe was retained in some proper names, such as the name of the first President, Sukarno (written as Soekarno), and his successor Suharto, (written as Soeharto). The ch and dj letter combinations are still encountered in names such as Achmad and Djojo (pronounced as Akhmad and Joyo respectively), although the post-1972 spelling is now favoured.
Although the representations of speech sounds are now largely identical in the Indonesian and Malay varieties, a number of minor spelling differences remain, usually for historical reasons. For instance, the word for 'money' is written as wang in Malay, but uang in Indonesian, the word for 'try' is written as cuba in Malay, but coba in Indonesian, the word for 'because' is written as kerana in Malay, but karena in Indonesian, while the word for 'cake' is written as kuih in Malay, but kue in Indonesian.
[edit] Pronunciation
Pronunciation also tends to be very different, with East Malaysia, Brunei and Indonesia speaking a dialect called Bahasa Baku,[citation needed] where the words are pronounced as spelt and enunciation tends to be clipped, staccato and faster than the Malay spoken in the Malay Peninsula, which is spoken at a more languorous pace. Many vowels are pronounced (and were formerly spelt) differently in Peninsular Malaysia: tujuh is pronounced (and was spelt) tujoh, pilih as pileh, etc., and many final a's tend to be pronounced as schwas.
[edit] Vocabulary
[edit] Vocabulary differences
Indonesian differs from Malay in having words of Javanese and Dutch origin, although Indonesian is based on Malay in Riau province (Bahasa Melayu Riau). For example, the word for 'post office' in Malay is "pejabat pos" (in Indonesian this means 'post officer'), whereas in Indonesian it is "kantor pos", from the Dutch word for office, kantoor. There are also some Portuguese influences: in Indonesian, Christmas is known as "Natal", whereas Malay uses "Krismas", derived from English. There are also instances where the Malay version derives from English pronunciation while the Indonesian version takes its cue from Latin. The Latin preference of the (older) Indonesian intellectuals in these instances may be ascribed to the influence of their classical-oriented education when Gymnasium schools were established during the Dutch colonial period : compare Malay kualiti, kuantiti, majoriti, minoriti and universiti with Indonesian kualitas, kuantitas, mayoritas, minoritas and universitas.
The relatively large share of Islamic (Arabic or Persian) loan words shared by Malay and Indonesian often poses no difficulty in comprehension and usage, although some forms may have developed a (slightly) different meaning or have become obsolete either in Malay or in Indonesian, e.g. , khidmat, wakil (see below).
| English | Malay | Indonesian |
|---|---|---|
| account (bank,bills) | akaun | rekening (from Dutch) |
| accountant | akauntan | akuntan |
| advertisement | iklan (also used in Indonesian) | reklame (from Dutch) |
| after | selepas | lepas, setelah (also used in Malay to indicate consecutive actions) |
| afternoon | tengah hari | sore (can also refer to the evening); petang (less frequent) |
| agent | ejen, agen (in science term) | agen |
| airport | lapangan terbang (lit. field/expanse + to fly) |
bandara (from bandar udara, lit. port+air), lapangan terbang (used for air force base) |
| apartment | pangsapuri, rumah pangsa, rumah kondo (only for 'condominium') | apartemen, rumah susun |
| archive | arkib | arsip (from Dutch archief) |
| archdiocese | kawasan kekuasaan ketua biskop | keuskupan agung |
| assets | aset | aktiva, harta (from Dutch activa), aset also used |
| auction | lelong | lelang |
| August | Ogos | Agustus (from Dutch augustus) |
| auntie | makcik (also used in bahasa Melayu Riau, Indonesia) | tante (from Dutch), bibi |
| autobiography | autobiografi (also used in Indonesian) | otobiografi (derived from the Dutch pronuncation of autobiografie, with au pronounced as French [o]) |
| automatic | automatik (formerly otomatik) | otomatis (derived from the Dutch pronuncation of automatisch) |
| autonomy | autonomi | otonomi |
| balcony | serambi, beranda,from Bengali, Portuguese or English verandah; (also used in Indonesia but less common) | serambi, balkon, from Portuguese balcão or Dutch balkon |
| bag | beg | Tas(from Dutch tas lit. bag) |
| basin | besen | wastafel (from Dutch), baskom - from Dutch waskom |
| because | kerana, sebab | karena, sebab |
| Belgium | Belgium | Belgia - from Dutch België |
| bicycle | basikal | sepeda - from French velocipede |
| billion | bilion | miliar, milyar (from Dutch miljard) |
| bishop | biskop, bisyop | uskup |
| bonnet, hood (of car) | bonet, bumbung, hud | kap |
| boot, trunk (of car) | but | koper, kopor (from Dutch koffer) |
| breast | buah dada, payudara, tetek (slang) | payudara, buah dada (slang), susu (slang), tete (slang),toket (popular slang now) |
| Britain | Britain | Inggris, Britania |
| bus | bas | bus (Dutch pronunciation of bus, bis) |
| bus station | stesen bas | terminal bus |
| bus stop | perhentian bas | halte bus (from Dutch bushalte) |
| campaign | kempen | kampanye - (similar to the pronunciation of the Dutch word campagne) |
| can (to be able) | boleh (used in Indonesia in the sense of "to allow") | bisa, dapat |
| cancer | kanser, barah | kanker (from Dutch) |
| car | kereta (means 'train' in Indonesian) | mobil, oto - from Dutch auto |
| card | kad | kartu (from Dutch kaart) |
| carrot | lobak merah | wortel (from Dutch) |
| case | kes | kasus |
| cash | wang tunai | uang tunai, kas |
| cashier | juruwang | kasir, - (from Dutch kassier) pemegang kas |
| census | banci (means "transsexual" or "effeminate" in Indonesian) | sensus |
| centipede | lipan (also infrequently used in Indonesian) | kelabang |
| chilli | cili, lada, cabai (used in the northern states of Malaysia) | cabeused in oral communication, cabai |
| China | China (More widely used now), Negara Cina | China (More widely used now), Republik Rakyat Cina/China, Tionghoa (race) or Tiongkok - rarely used/old spelling (country) *note: 'Cina' is sometimes considered as pejorative* |
| cinema | panggung wayang bergambar (or more popularly when contracted, pawagam), panggung wayang | bioskop (from Dutch bioscoop), sinema (more popular now) |
| civic | sivik, bersifat kewarganegaraan | bersifat kewarganegaraan |
| civil | sivil | sipil |
| city | bandar (means "port" in Indonesian) | kota |
| club (association) | kelab | perkumpulan, majelis, klub, klab |
| coat | kot | jas (from Dutch jas) |
| cockroach | lipas | kecoak (from the Chinese Hokkien dialect ka chua) |
| college | kolej, maktab | kampus, kolese, perkuliahan (kuliah = lecture) |
| Commonwealth of Nations | Negara-Negara Komanwel | Negara-Negara Persemakmuran |
| company | syarikat | perusahaan, firma, maskapai (from Dutch maatschappij) |
| constitution of country | perlembagaan | undang-undang dasar, konstitusi (from Dutch constitutie |
| counter | kaunter | loket (from Dutch loket), konter |
| court | mahkamah | pengadilan |
| Croatia | Croatia | Kroasia |
| current (topical) | semasa (also used in Indonesian) | aktual (from Dutch actueel) |
| current affairs | peristiwa semasa (also used in Indonesian) | aktualitas (from Dutch actualiteit) |
| curtain | langsir, tirai | hordeng, gordin or gorden (from Dutch gordijn), tirai |
| customs (department) | kastam | duane (from Dutch douane), bea cukai, pabean |
| Cyprus | Cyprus | Siprus (similar to the Dutch pronunciation) |
| Czech Republic | Republik Czech | Ceko, Republik Ceko, Ceska, Republik Ceska |
| dandruff | kelemumur | ketombe |
| degree (temperature) | darjah | derajat |
| democratic | demokratik | demokratis (similar to the Dutch pronunciation of democratisch) |
| department | jabatan | departemen |
| difference | perbezaan | perbedaan |
| diocese | kawasan uskup | keuskupan |
| director | pengarah | direktur (from Dutch directeur), sutradara (film) |
| directory | buku panduan, direktori | buku petunjuk |
| discount | diskaun, potongan (harga), rebat | korting (from Dutch), diskon (less frequently used), rabat, potongan |
| driver | pemandu | supir (from French, through Dutch: chauffeur), sopir (slang), pengemudi (formal) |
| driving licence | lesen memandu | ribewis (from Dutch rijbewijs) (slang), surat izin mengemudi (SIM) now more widely used |
| December | Disember | Desember (pronounced: désember, as in Dutch) |
| duty (tariff) | duti, cukai - also used in Indonesian | bea |
| Easter | Easter | Paskah (from Portuguese Pascoa) |
| editor | penyunting also used in Indonesian | redaktur (from French-Dutch redacteur) |
| effectiveness | keberkesanan | efektivitas, (from Dutch effectiviteit) kemanjuran |
| eight | lapan (also the Indonesian slang word) | delapan (used in Malaysia before the spelling reform) |
| electricity | tenaga elektrik (literally "electric energy") | listrik |
| emergency | kecemasan | darurat (from Arabic; also used in Malaysia to mean a state of emergency) |
| emperor | maharaja | kaisar (from Dutch keizer), maharaja |
| empire | empayar | kekaisaran |
| engine | enjin | mesin (from Dutch machine, also used to refer to what translates into machine in English) |
| extinct | pupus | langka, punah |
| export | eksport | ekspor |
| factory | kilang - Indonesian word for mill or factory for processing or refining natural products, i.e. kilang minyak ('oil refinery') |
pabrik (from Dutch fabriek) |
| faction (political) | puak, gabungan | fraksi (from Dutch fractie) |
| February | Februari | Februari, Pebruari (slang) |
| federal | persekutuan | federal |
| federation | persekutuan | federasi (from Dutch federatie) |
| fermented rice | tapai | tape, tapai (Sumatera variation) |
| financial | kewangan | keuangan, finansial |
| Finland | Finland | Finlandia |
| floor (as in "the 2nd floor") | tingkat (also used in Indonesian) | lantai (means "floor"- ground surface in Malay) |
| France | Perancis | Prancis or Perancis |
| football | bola, bola sepak | bola, sepak bola, bola sepak |
| free of charge | percuma (in Indonesia means "worthless") | gratis (from Dutch 'free of charge')), cuma-cuma |
| furniture | perabot rumah, perkakas rumah(also used in Indonesian) | mebel (from Dutch meubel) |
| general (military) | jeneral | jenderal |
| golf club (stick) | kayu golf | pemukul golf |
| government | kerajaan (derived from raja or "king") - Indonesian word for "kingdom" | pemerintah used in Singapore to refer to government. In Malaysia and Brunei understood but less frequently used |
| governor | gabenor, yang di-pertua negeri/negara (in Malaysian state) | gubernur from Dutch gouverneur |
| graduate | siswazah, sarjana | sarjana |
| head office | ibu pejabat (in Indonesia means "female officer" or "mother of an officer") | kantor pusat (from Dutch) |
| headscarf | tudung | kerudung, jilbab - usually a more complete set of clothing |
| healthy | sihat | sehat |
| herb | herba | jamu (in Malay (and another definition in Indonesian), means "to treat, to entertain guests") |
| hospital | hospital | rumah sakit (literally means "sick house", from Dutch ziekenhuis. The word is still used in Brunei to refer to hospital but in Malaysia, the term 'hospital' is more prevalent since the mid-sixties) |
| maternity hospital | hospital bersalin | rumah sakit bersalin |
| I | saya, aku | saya, aku, gue (slang, informal) |
| Hungary | Hungary | Hongaria (influenced by Dutch Hongarije) |
| ice | ais | es |
| ice cream | ais krim | es krim |
| Iceland | Iceland | Islandia |
| illegal drugs | dadah | narkoba -an acronym for NARKotika dan OBat-obatan terlArang (narcotics and illegal drugs), napza -an acronym for NArkotika, Psikotropika dan Zat-zat Adiktif (narcotics, psychotropics, and addictive) |
| image | citra (also used in Indonesian), imej, gambar | gambar, citra |
| immigration | imigresen | imigrasi (from Dutch immigratie) |
| import | import | impor |
| impotence | mati pucuk, impotensi, lemah syahwat | impotensi, lemah syahwat (from Dutch impotentie) |
| installment (payment) | ansuran | angsuran, cicilan |
| insurance | insurans | asuransi (from Dutch assurantie) |
| international | antarabangsa | internasional, antarbangsa |
| internet cafe | kafe internet, kafe cyber | warnet (short for "warung internet", "warung" is from Dutch "waroeng") |
| Ireland | Ireland | Irlandia |
| Italy | Itali | Italia |
| licence | lesen | izin, lisensi (from Dutch licentie) |
| Japan | Jepun | Jepang |
| Jordan | Jordan | Yordania (from Dutch Jordanië) |
| journalist | wartawan | wartawan, jurnalis |
| June | Jun | Juni (from Dutch juni) |
| July | Julai | Juli (from Dutch juli) |
| lane (roads/highway) | lorong | lajur -modified version of jalur (track), (lajur is understood but not frequently used in Malaysia while jalur is used in Malaysia to mean stripe or band. e.g. broadband = jalur-lebar) |
| lawyer | peguam | pengacara (used in Malay to mean 'master of ceremony', advokat (from Dutch advocaat) |
| Lebanon | Lubnan | Lebanon |
| lemon | lemon, limau | jeruk limun ('jeruk' used in Malay to mean 'pickle') |
| liabilities | liabiliti | pasiva, kewajiban (from Latino-Dutch passiva) |
| lift, elevator | lif | lift |
| lime (fruit) | limau | jeruk limau |
| Lisbon | Lisbon | Lisabon (as in Dutch Lissabon), Lisboa (as in Portuguese), Lisbon |
| Lithuania | Lithuania | Lituania |
| magistrate | majistret | hakim (from Arabic حكم, also used in Malay) |
| male | lelaki, laki-laki, jantan (for animals, sometimes used as a derogatory term on men) | pria, laki-laki, cowok (colloquial), jantan (animals) |
| malfunction | rosak, mati, tak berfungsi | rusak, mati, tak berfungsi |
| March | Mac | Maret (from Dutch maart) |
| mattress | tilam | kasur, matras |
| mathematics | ilmu matematik | ilmu pasti, matematika |
| mean verb | bererti | berarti |
| medication | ubat | obat |
| minibus | bas mini | mikrolet, angkot (angkutan kota), minibus (Dutch pronunciation) |
| minute | minit | menit |
| Mrs (married woman) | puan | ibu, nyonya (from Dutch), puan(less frequent now) |
| mobile phone, cellphone | telefon bimbit, telefon tangan | telepon genggam, telepon selular, ponsel, HP |
| Monday | Isnin | Senin |
| money | wang, duit | uang, dana (used in Malay to mean 'funding'), duit (from Dutch duit)(slang) |
| mortgage | gadai janji | hipotek (from Dutch hypotheek) |
| Moscow | Moskow (also used in Indonesian) | Moskwa |
| motorcycle | motosikal | motor, sepeda motor (literally "motor bicycle", as in Dutch motorfiets) |
| music | muzik | musik |
| naked | bogel (means "short" in Jakarta dialect), telanjang | telanjang, bugil (slang) |
| national | kebangsaan (used in Indonesian to mean "nationality"), nasional | nasional |
| natural | semulajadi | alami |
| newspaper | surat khabar (coined from two Arabic words, ṣūrat - صورة / صورت 'form, appearance' and khabar خبر 'news') | koran, harian, surat kabar (more formal) |
| New Zealand | New Zealand | Selandia Baru |
| noisy | bising, kecoh, memekak | berisik, bising (also means "buzzing"), ribut |
| Norway | Norway | Norwegia (influenced by Dutch Noorwegen) |
| not | tidak, tak (informal), endak (sabah language) | tidak, tak (rarely used - usually for the same usage as non-), enggak (slang), gak (slang - chat word) |
| number | nombor | nomor or nomer (from Dutch nummer) |
| nurse | jururawat | perawat |
| office | pejabat | kantor (from Dutch kantoor) |
| official (adj.) | rasmi | resmi (from Arabo-Persian rasmi رسمي) |
| orange (fruit) | oren, limau | jeruk, limau |
| orange (colour) | jingga, oren | jingga, oranye (from Dutch oranje) |
| order | order, perintah | orde - from Dutch, perintah |
| Palestine | Palestin | Palestina |
| parliament | parlimen | parlemen (from Franco-Dutch parlement) |
| party (political) | parti | partai (from Dutch partij) |
| passport | pasport | paspor (internationalism) |
| pavement, sidewalk | laluan jalan kaki, kaki lima | trotoar(from Franco-Dutch trottoir), kakilima |
| penis | zakar (from Arabic ذكر "male"), batang lelaki, konek (slang) | zakar, kemaluan lelaki, burung (disambiguation), titit (slang), kontol (slang, vulgar) |
| percent | peratus | persen, per seratus |
| pharmacy | farmasi | apotek (from Dutch apotheek), farmasi -usually for medicine manufacturers |
| photograph | gambar, foto | foto, potret (from Dutch, means "portrait" in English) |
| pickpocketnoun | penyeluk saku | copet, pencopet |
| pirate (maritime) | lanun | lanun, bajak laut, perompak (means "robber" in Malay) |
| platform (train) | platform | peron (from Franco-Dutch perron) |
| Poland | Poland | Polandia |
| police | polis | polisi (from Dutch politie) |
| post code | poskod | kode pos |
| prayer (Islam) | solat, sembahyang | salat, shalat, sholat (from Arabic, 'sh' is usually pronounced as 's') |
| prayer room (Islam) | surau | surau, musala, mushollah (from Arabic, 'sh' is usually pronounced as 's') |
| pregnant | mengandung, hamil (formal, from Arabic حامل), berbadan dua | mengandung, hamil (less formal), bunting (informal) |
| press | surat khabar (see above) | pers (from Dutch), surat kabar , media massa |
| Private Limited Company | Sendirian Berhad abbreviated as Sdn Bhd (suffix) |
Perseroan Terbatas abbreviated as PT(prefix) |
| prostitute | pelacur | pelacur, WTS (pronounced 'way-tay-es'; wanita tuna susila "moral-less women", Sanskrit), PSK (formal, pronounced 'pay-es-ka', pekerja seks komersial (commercial sex workers)) |
| province | wilayah(used in Indonesian to mean 'region') , daerah | propinsi, provinsi (from Dutch provincie) |
| push, to (door) | tolak (used less primarily in Indonesian to mean 'subtract', it also means 'to refuse/reject', also common meaning in Malay when used in arithmetics) | dorong (means "to push" in Malay, but often used to mean "to support") |
| raspberry | rasberi | frambus or frambosen (from Portuguese frambuesa or Dutch framboos) |
| receipt | resit, penerimaan | kwitansi (from Dutch kwitantie) |
| refrigerator | peti sejuk(rarely used in Indonesian) | lemari es, lemari pendingin, kulkas (from Dutch koelkast) |
| restaurant | kedai makan, restoran | restoran, rumah makan, kedai makan(rarely used now) |
| rob | rompak (Indonesian for "to commit piracy") | rampok |
| room | bilik (usually used to mean "compartment" in Indonesian), kamar(formal) | kamar from Dutch "kamer" (chamber) |
| roundabout (traffic) | bulatan e.g. Bulatan DBP in Kuala Lumpur pusing keliling (in Brunei) |
bundaran i.e Bundaran HI in Jakarta |
| sauce | sos | saos, saus (ultimately from French sauce) |
| school (Islamic) | pondok | pesantren, pondok pesantren |
| science | sains | sains, ilmu (Malay for knowledge), iptek (an acronym for "Ilmu Pengetahuan dan Teknologi", which literally means "science and technology") |
| Scotland | Scotland | Skotlandia |
| secret | rahsia | rahasia |
| session | sesyen | kursus, pembahasan |
| sewer | saluran najis, saluran kumbahan | got, selokan, parit (means 'ditch' in Malay), saluran air/pembuangan |
| shampoo | syampu (from Anglo-Indian / Hindustani chāmpo, the imperative form of (Hindi) चाँपना chāmpnā 'to smear, knead the muscles, massage') | sampo (via Dutch) |
| shirt | baju | kemeja( from Portuguese camisa ) |
| shoe | kasut | sepatu ( understood but less frequently used in Malaysia, from Portuguese sapato ) |
| shop | kedai (less common in Indonesia) | toko |
| Slovakia | Slovakia | Slowakia |
| soya beans | kacang soya | kacang kedelai |
| speak/talk | berbicara, bercakap (means 'to chat' in Indonesian), bersembang, berborak | berbicara, ngomong (slang) |
| Spain | Sepanyol | Spanyol |
| spoon | sudu | sendok |
| sport | sukan | olahraga (means "athletics" in Malay) |
| station | stesen | stasiun (formerly spelled "setasiun") |
| state within country | negeri | negarabagian |
| stop (verb) | berhenti | stop, berhenti |
| strawberry | strawberi | stroberi or arbei - from Dutch aardbei |
| stupid | bodoh, bengap, tolol, bongok (slang) | bodoh, dungu, tolol, goblok (slang), geblek (slang), bego (slang) |
| Sunday | Ahad - rarely used in Indonesia |
Minggu - from Portuguese Domingo (Lord's Day) (means "week" in Malay and Indonesia too) |
| Sweden | Sweden | Swedia |
| Switzerland | Switzerland | Swiss |
| tap water | air paip | air keran, air ledeng ("ledeng" also means "plumbing") (from Dutch leiding) |
| teacher | cikgu, guru | guru (from Sanskrit) |
| teacher (religious, Islam) | ustaz ustad (ultimately from Persian استاد) | ustad (ultimately from Persian) |
| telephone | telefon | telepon, telpon, telfon (internationalism) |
| terrorist | pengganas | teroris (from Franco-Dutch terrorist) |
| testicles | buah zakar, testis, buah keranjut | buah zakar, kanjut (slang, vulgar) |
| traffic jam | kesesakan lalulintas, jam (slang) | macet |
| turn | pusing (means 'dizzy' in Indonesian), belok | belok |
| tapioca | ubi kayu | singkong, ubi kayu, ketela pohon, tapioka |
| taxi | teksi | taksi (internationalism) |
| television | televisyen, TV | televisi (from Dutch televisie), (also TV, pronounced 'tee-vee' or 'te-fe') |
| toilet | bilik air, tandas | kamar kecil, toilet, WC (pronounced 'we-se') for watercloset. |
| Thailand | Negara Thai, Siam, Thailand | Thailand, Siam, Muangthai used in old scripts |
| ticket | tiket | tiket, karcis (from Dutch kaartje) |
| tyre | tayar | ban (from Dutch "[auto]band") |
| train | keretapi, tren | kereta (api/listrik) |
| transsexual | pondan, bapok, transseksual | bencong, banci, waria (polite), transseksual |
| tree | pokok, pohon | pohon |
| ugly | hodoh, buruk | jelek |
| Ukraine | Ukraine | Ukraina |
| uncle | pakcik | oom or om (derived from Dutch, pronounced and sometimes spelt as "oom"), paman, uwak |
| university | universiti | universitas |
| until | sehingga, sampai | hingga, sampai |
| USA | Amerika Syarikat | Amerika Serikat (AS) |
| vagina | faraj (from Arabic, in Indonesian means vulva), pepek/pepet (slang) | vagina, farji, memek (slang, vulgar) |
| very | sangat, amat, sekali | sangat, amat, sekali, banget(slang) |
| vice president | naib presiden | wakil presiden ('wapres') |
| virgin | (anak)dara, (anak) gadis | perawan (formal), gadis, (anak) dara |
| voucher | baucer | vocer |
| website | laman web | situs web |
| weekend | hujung minggu | akhir pekan, akhir minggu |
| when | bila, apabila | kapan, bilamana, bila, ketika |
| window | tingkap (also used in Indonesian but less common), jendela | jendela - from Portuguese janela |
| wire | dawai, wayar | kawat, dawai |
| you | anda (very formal), awak, kamu, kau | Anda (formal - capitalised), kamu, kau, lu/loe (slang), delo |
| zoo | taman haiwan | kebun binatang (derived from Dutch dierentuin (animal garden). Beside "taman haiwan", kebun binatang was also frequently used in Malaysia before the mid-sixties) |
[edit] False friends
Besides vocabulary differences, there are also a number of false friends in both languages. As these words are in quite common use in either or both of the languages, misunderstandings can arise.
| Word | Malay meaning | Indonesian meaning |
|---|---|---|
| ahli | a member (of a group) (when the word is used by itself) (from Arabo-Persian "ahli" اهلی 'belonging to a group, people, indigenous or sim.'), expert in a field (from Arabo-Persian "'aqli" عقلی 'belonging to the intellect or mind, intellectual') |
expert in a field |
| akta (from Latino-Dutch acta) | act (= law) | act (= written legal document) |
| awak | you (polite way) | shipper |
| baja | fertilizer | steel Malaysian: besi waja |
| banci | census | effeminate, transvestite homosexual |
| bandar | city | port |
| belanja | to treat, giving something for free | to shop |
| berbual | to chat | to tell a lie |
| bercinta | love | make love, have sexual intercourse |
| beredar | oscillating (planets only), asked to go home | distributed |
| biji | pill, tablet | seed, testicles ("balls", offensive) |
| bisa | venom | can/able (same as "boleh" in Malay), venom |
| bontot/buntut | buttock | tail ('ekor' as commonly used in Malay) |
| budak | kid | slave |
| butoh/butuh | male genitals, an offensive reference | need |
| calon | nominee | nominee, victim |
| comel | cute, pretty | (to call) someone who can not keep a secret (example: mulutnya comel= her mouth can't keep a secret) |
| duduk | a place to live on, and also: to sit | to sit |
| electronic mail (recently changed to "emel") | enamel | |
| gampang | bastard from 'anak gampang' lit. easy child |
easy (non negative meaning) |
| gubuk gila | psychiatric hospital | crazy/insane house |
| jabatan | department | position |
| jawatan | position | department |
| jemput | invite | pick up |
| jeruk | pickles/preserved fruits or vegetables | oranges |
| jimat | pennywise, save money or something e.g. electricity | amulet (the Malaysian equivalent is azimat) |
| kacak | handsome | ber-kacak pinggang (stands with hands on your hips) The Malaysian equivalent is bercekak-pinggang, a phrase to mean that a person is being bossy |
| kakitangan | employee | member of mafia/criminal organisation |
| kapan | or kafan: Muslim burial shroud (kain kafan/kapan) | when (kapan mau pulang?= when do you want to go home?) |
| karya | work of art (karyawan=artists) | work (karyawan= workers) |
| kerajaan | government (historical association, most Malay states were governed by monarchs, from Raja = King, now refers to any kind of government) |
kingdom |
| keranjang | 'bola keranjang' = basketball (no other use than for basketball) | basket |
| kereta | car | train |
| khidmat | service | fully concentrate |
| koneksi | dick (vulgar) | connection |
| konfeksi | confection, sweets | clothing industry, any fancy or luxurious woman's clothings (Dutch: confectie. A non-standard spelling sometimes used is: "konveksi") |
| lucu | funny | cute (sometimes can be used as 'funny' too) |
| operasi | mathematic operational symbol, police operation | operation/surgery (as in Dutch) |
| pajak | to mortgage | tax |
| paket | packet | package (normally used for promotion purposes, as in Dutch) |
| pantas | speedily | 'no wonder' |
| pantat | vagina/pussy (vulgar) | buttock |
| pelan | plan (associated with architectural work, site map etc only) |
slow (perlahan in Malay) |
| pejabat | office | officer/officials (those who hold office, Malay (pegawai) |
| pemerintah | ruler | government |
| pengajian | education | mass recitation of Quran |
| percuma | free of charge | useless, not needed |
| peti sejuk | refrigerator | cold Coffin |
| pijat | bugs (software bugs i.e Year 2000 bug and also commonly referring to the bed bugs) |
massage Javanese pijet |
| polis | police | (insurance) policy (as in Dutch) |
| polisi | policy | police (as in Dutch) |
| punggung | buttock | back |
| pusing | to go around a place, circular in motion, to spin/rotate | dizzy, confused, headache |
| pupuk | to nurture | fertilizer (also means 'to nurture' in the metaphorical sense of the word) |
| rambut | hair (for head only) | hair |
| tambang | fare | mine, rope |
| tandas | toilet | to explain, to finish |
| senang | easy | happy, relax |
| sulit | confidential, difficult | difficult |
| wakil | representative | vice (for example, 'vice chancellor' and 'vice president'), representative |
[edit] Sample
- Indonesian text sample
- [1] Ensiklopedia, atau kadangkala dieja sebagai ensiklopedi, adalah sejumlah buku yang berisi penjelasan mengenai setiap cabang ilmu pengetahuan yang tersusun menurut abjad atau menurut kategori secara singkat dan padat.
- Kata 'ensiklopedia' diambil dari bahasa Yunani; enkyklios paideia (ἐγκύκλιος παιδεία) yang berarti kumpulan instruksi atau pengajaran yang lengkap. Maksudnya, ensiklopedia adalah sebuah sarana pendidikan lengkap yang mencakup semua bidang ilmu pengetahuan. Seringkali ensiklopedia disalahartikan sebagai kamus. Hal ini disebabkan karena ensiklopedia-ensiklopedia awal memang berkembang dari kamus-kamus.
- Malay text sample
- [2] Ensiklopedia, atau kadangkala dieja sebagai ensaiklopedia, merupakan koleksi maklumat atau himpunan fakta mengenai setiap cabang ilmu pengetahuan yang tersusun menurut abjad atau menurut kategori secara singkat dan padat.
- Kata 'ensiklopedia' diambil daripada bahasa Yunani εγκύκλιος παιδεία, egkyklios paideia (a circle of instruction) yang bererti sebuah lingkaran atau pengajaran yang lengkap. Ini bermaksud ensiklopedia itu merupakan sebuah pendidikan sempurna yang merangkumi semua aspek ilmu pengetahuan. Seringkali ensiklopedia disalahertikan sebagai kamus. Mungkin ini kerana ensiklopedia-ensiklopedia awal memang berkembang daripada kamus.
- Translation
- Encyclopaedia, or occasionally spelt as ensiklopedi/ensaiklopedia, is a collection of books containing explanations about all branches of science that are compiled according to the alphabet or according to the category briefly and densely.
- The word 'encyclopaedia' is taken from Greek enkyklios paideia (ἐγκύκλιος παιδεία), which means a circle of instructions or a complete teaching. It means that the encyclopaedia is a complete educational material that includes all science aspects. Often encyclopaedias are confused with dictionaries. One reason is that early encyclopaedias were actually developed from dictionaries.
[edit] Convergence of vocabulary
The Malay language in Malaysia is not pervasively used in all spheres of life compared to Indonesia. Competition from the English language, the emotional attachment of Malaysian Malays to the language and the desire by non-Malays to preserve the use of their mother tongues are probably the reasons for this state of affairs. As a result, the Malay language in Malaysia is not as dynamic as the Indonesian language in the introduction of new words through adaptation from other languages especially English. Many Malays are adverse to the 'Malay-ing' of English words. They rather prefer to find obscure Malay words or words from the Malay archipelago that are equivalent to the English term. For example, the English word 'plaster' or stucco would have been easily Malayised both in terms of pronunciation and common usage. However the word 'lepa' (spread) is used instead. Many new words introduced in Malay are taken from Indonesian due to this preference. For example, the word canggih (complicated) is a Javanese word that is used for translating 'sophisticated' to denote a higher status meaning (as in a sophisticated lady) instead of the Malay equivalent of 'rumit' (complicated). These words are usually adopted some ten years after their popular use in the Indonesian media.
[edit] Trivia
During the May 1998 Revolution, when calls for political reform or reformasi in Indonesia led to the resignation of President Suharto, Malaysian satirists Instant Cafe lampooned a government broadcast in which 'Malaysians are reminded that reformasi is an Indonesian word, which has no equivalent in Bahasa Melayu.'
[edit] References
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This article includes a list of references, related reading or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations. Please improve this article by introducing more precise citations where appropriate. (April 2009) |
[edit] External links
- The Malay Spelling Reform, Asmah Haji Omar, (Journal of the Simplified Spelling Society, 1989-2 pp. 9–13 later designated J11)
- The MALAY LANGUAGE in MALAYSIA and INDONESIA: from lingua franca to national language Asmah Haji Omar article in The Asianists' ASIA
