Comparison of Indonesian and Standard Malay

Malaysian and Indonesian are two standardised varieties of the Malay language, used in Malaysia and Indonesia, respectively. Both varieties are generally mutually intelligible, yet there are noticeable differences in spelling, grammar, pronunciation and vocabulary, as well as the predominant source of loanwords. The differences can range from those mutually unintelligible with one another, to those having a closer familial resemblance. The regionalised and localised varieties of Malay can become a catalyst for intercultural conflict, especially in higher education.

Perception

To non-native speakers the two varieties may seem identical, but to native speakers the differences are noticeable through both diction and accent. They affect the broadcasting industry with regard to foreign language subtitling, for example, in DVD movies and on cable TV. In order to reach a wider audience, both Indonesian and Malay subtitles are sometimes displayed in a movie, along with other language subtitles. Another example is Malaysian TV providing Malay subtitling on Indonesian sinetrons (TV dramas) aired in Malaysia, and vice versa.

The Malay language in Indonesia and Malaysia also differs in recognition, where in Malaysia it enjoys status as the national language (Malaysian language), while in Indonesia it is considered a regional language in Malay-speaking areas such as the eastern coast of Sumatra and West Kalimantan. The term "Malay language" (Bahasa Melayu) in Indonesia and Malaysia invites different perceptions from its respective people. To Malaysians, the Malay language is generally understood as the national language of Malaysia, with Malaysian language (Bahasa Malaysia) being a precise appellation for the Malay variety used in the country. Between 1986 and 2007, the term Bahasa Melayu was used instead of Bahasa Malaysia, until the latter was reinstated, in order to instill a sense of belonging among Malaysians of all races, rather than just Malays. Therefore, there was no clear distinction between the use of the term Malay (Bahasa Melayu) and the national language of Malaysia (Bahasa Malaysia). In Brunei, where Malay is also an official language, the language is known as Bahasa Melayu and in English as "Malay".

In Indonesia, however, there is a clear distinction between "Malay language" (bahasa Melayu) and "Indonesian" (bahasa Indonesia). Indonesian is the national language which serves as the unifying language of Indonesia; despite being a standardized form of Malay, it is not referred to with the term "Malay" in common parlance. The term "Malay" is usually reserved for the forms of Malay indigenous to the Malay ethnic group (the national standardized language of Malaysia and the non-standard idioms of Malay people, including those used by Malay Indonesians). Thus, "Malay" is considered a regional language (bahasa daerah) in Indonesia, enjoying the same status as e.g. Javanese, Sundanese, Buginese, Balinese, Batak languages and others. Moreover, to some Indonesians, the term "Malay" is more often associated with Malaysia and the Malaysian variety of Malay.

In Malaysia, the terms "Indonesian Malay" and "Malaysian Malay" are sometimes used for Indonesian and Malaysian as spoken in Malaysia. In Indonesia, "Indonesian Malay" usually refers to the vernacular varieties of Malay spoken by the Malay peoples of Indonesia, that is, to Malay as a regional language in Sumatra, though it is rarely used. Bahasa Malaysia and Bahasa Melayu are used interchangeably in reference to Malay in Malaysia.

Orthography

Before the 20th century, Malay was written in a local modified form of the Arabic alphabet known as Jawi. During the 20th century, Malay written with Roman letters, known as Rumi, 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 past history as British and Dutch colonial possessions respectively. In Malaya, the romanisation of Malay, devised by Richard Wilkinson was influenced by English, whereas in the Dutch East Indies, the system devised by C. A. Van Ophuijsen was influenced by Dutch. As a result, in Indonesia, the vowel in the English word 'moon' was formerly represented oe, as in Dutch, although the official spelling of this sound was changed to u in 1947 when the Republican Spelling System was used.

Similarly, until 1972, the initial consonant of the English 'chin' was represented in Malaysia as ch, whereas in Indonesia, it continued to follow Dutch and used tj. Hence the word for 'grandchild' used to be written as chuchu in Malaysia and tjoetjoe in Indonesia, 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. Indonesia abandoned the spelling dj (for the consonant at the beginning of the word 'Jakarta') to conform to the j already in use in Malaysia, while the old Indonesian j for the semivowel at the beginning of the English 'young', was replaced with y as in Malaysia. 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 former vice-president, Boediono or former minister Mohammad Roem. 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.

One notable difference in punctuation between the two languages is the use of different decimal marks; Indonesian, influenced by Dutch, uses the decimal comma, whereas Malay, influenced by English, uses the decimal point.

Pronunciation

Pronunciation also tends to be very different, with East Malaysia, Brunei and East Indonesia pronouncing words in a form called Bahasa Baku, where the words are pronounced as spelled. and enunciation tends to be clipped, staccato and faster than on the Malay Peninsula, which is spoken at a more languorous pace. Many vowels are pronounced (and were formerly spelt) differently in Peninsular Malaysia, Singapore and Sumatra: tujuh is pronounced (and was spelt) tujoh, pilih as pileh, etc., and many final a's tend to be pronounced as schwas; [e] and [o] are also allophones of /i/ and /u/ in closed final syllables in peninsular Malaysian, Singaporean and Sumatran varieties of Malay.

Vocabulary

Vocabulary differences

Indonesian differs from Malaysian in the quantity of loanwords from Javanese, Dutch and other languages. For example, the word for 'post office' in Malaysia is "pejabat pos" (in Indonesia this means 'post officer'), whereas in Indonesia it is "kantor pos", from the Dutch word for office, kantoor. There are also some Portuguese influences: in Indonesia, Christmas is known as "Natal", whereas Malaysia uses "Krismas", derived from English (or in some cases also "Natal", due to Indonesian influence). Pronunciation of certain loanwords in Standard Malay follows English, while in Indonesian it follows Dutch, for example Malay "televisyen" (from English: television) and Indonesian "televisi" (from Dutch: televisie); the "-syen" and "-si" also prevail in some other words. There are also instances where the Malaysian 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.

Some words which are spelt the same in both languages may even carry entirely different meanings in the other language, potentially leading to humorous or embarrassing situations: while baja means "steel" in Indonesian, in Malaysian it means "fertiliser". Also, whereas the Indonesian word butuh means "require" or "need", in Malaysian, it is a vulgar slang term equivalent to "cunt/cock". Conversely, where the word "banci" seems innocuous enough in Malaysia ("census"), in Indonesia it is a derogatory term for "transvestite".

The relatively large share of Islamic (Arabic or Persian) loan words shared by Malaysian 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 Malaysian or in Indonesian, e.g. khidmat, wakil (see below).

Vocabulary comparison

A

English	Standard Malay (Malaysian)	Indonesian
abolition	pemansuhan	1. abolisi, 2. penghapusan
abortion	pengguguran	1. aborsi, 2. pengguguran (of a fetus)
abroad	luar negara	luar negeri
accessibility	1. kebolehcapaian, 2. ketercapaian	1. keterjangkauan, 2. ketercapaian, aksesibilitas
account (bank, bills)	akaun	1. rekening (from Dutch – used in banks and hotels), 2. akun (used for all meanings of account apart from bank account)
accountability	kebertanggungjawapan, akauntabliti	akuntabilitas, pertanggungjawaban
accountant	akauntan	akuntan
accounting	perakaunan	akuntansi
accurate	tepat	1. tepat, 2. akurat (influenced by Dutch accuraat)
administration	pentadbiran	administrasi (From Dutch pronunciation of administratie)
after	1. selepas, 2. setelah	1. setelah (also used in Malay to indicate consecutive actions), 2. sesudah, selepas
afternoon	petang	1. sore, 2. petang
agent	1. ejen, 2. agen	agen
air force	tentera udara	angkatan udara
airport	lapangan terbang ('airfield' in Indonesian; similar to Dutch vliegveld)	bandar udara (loan translation of the English term, commonly abbreviated as bandara), lapangan terbang
Alexandria	Iskandariah	Alexandria, Iskandariyah
Algeria	Algeria	Aljazair (from Arabic: al-Jazā'ir – الجزائر)
Algiers	Algiers	Aljir (from Algerian Arabic: dzayr – دْزَايرْ‎‎)
alliance	perikatan, persekutuan, pakatan	aliansi (influenced by Dutch alliantie), persekutuan
alloy	pancalogam, aloi	logam paduan, logam campuran, aloi
apartment	pangsapuri, rumah pangsa, rumah kondo (only for 'condominium')	apartemen (influenced by Dutch appartement), rumah susun (rusun) (public housing for poor families), kondominium
application (software)	perisian penggunaan, aplikasi	perangkat lunak, aplikasi
architect	arkitek	arsitek (from pronunciation of Dutch architect)
architecture	seni bina	arsitektur (influenced by Dutch architectuur)
archive	arkib	arsip (from Dutch archief)
area	kawasan	daerah, area, kawasan
armed forces	tentera	tentara, angkatan bersenjata
army	tentera darat	angkatan darat
assembly	majlis, perhimpunan (from the root verb 'himpun' meaning 'to gather/assemble')	majelis, himpunan, perhimpunan
assets	aset	harta, aset, aktiva (from Dutch activa)
association	persatuan	asosiasi (from Dutch associatie), persatuan, perkumpulan
assumption	andaian, anggapan	asumsi, anggapan, dugaan
astronaut	angkasawan	astronaut, antariksawan
Athens	Athens	Athena (influenced by Dutch Athene or from native Greek Athina)
athletics (sport)	olahraga ('sport' in Indonesian)	atletik
auction	lelong from Portuguese leilão	lelang also from Portuguese leilão
August	Ogos	Agustus from Dutch augustus
auntie	makcik (also used in Riau Malay dialect in Indonesia), emak saudara, ibu saudara	bibi, tante from Dutch
autobiography	autobiografi	autobiografi, otobiografi is a nonstandard spelling
automatic	automatik (formerly otomatik)	otomatis (derived from Dutch pronunciation of automatisch)
autonomy	autonomi	otonomi (self-governing)
awkward	janggal, kekok (of gesture)	aneh, janggal, canggung, kikuk (of gesture)

B

English	Standard Malay (Malaysian)	Indonesian
backpack	beg sandang (lit. "sling bag")	ransel (from Dutch), tas punggung
backstage (of a theater or studio)	belakang tabir	belakang layar (lit. "back screen/behind the screen"), belakang panggung
bag	beg	tas (from Dutch)
baseband	jalur asas	pita dasar
basin (wash basin/sink)	besen	wastafel (from Dutch, lit. washing table)
basket (ball)	keranjang	bola basket
basket (general)	bakul	keranjang
because	kerana, sebab	karena, sebab
bed	katil	matras influenced by Dutch matras, tempat tidur, ranjang, kasur
Belgium	Belgium	Belgia influenced by Dutch België
Belgrade	Belgrade	Beograd influenced by Serbian Београд
belt (of a seat)	tali keledar	sabuk, ikat pinggang
bicycle	basikal	sepeda (influenced by French velocipede)
bill (legislation)	rang undang-undang	rancangan undang-undang, legislasi
billboard	papan iklan	baliho (supposedly from English ballyhoo (in English it means extravagant publicity or fuss)) papan iklan, papan reklame from Dutch reclame (advertisement)
billion	seribu juta, bilion	miliar (from Dutch miljard), milyar (informal but frequently used)
binary	perduaan	biner (from Dutch binaire)
bishop	biskop, bisyop	uskup
board (company)	lembaga 'agency' in Indonesian	dewan
border	sempadan	perbatasan
bonnet, hood (of a car)	bonet, bumbung, hud	kap from Dutch
boot, trunk (of a car)	but	bagasi
Britain	Britain	Britania (from Latin: Britannia)
Brussels	Brussels	Brussel (influenced by Dutch)
Bucharest	Bucharest	Bukarest
bucket; pail	baldi	ember from Dutch emmer
bus	bas	bus, bis nonstandard, influenced by Dutch pronunciation
bus station	stesen bas	terminal bus ( frequently pronounced as terminal bis as it is derived from Dutch pronunciation of bus )
bus stop	perhentian bas	1. pemberhentian bus, 2. halte bus from Dutch bushalte
business	perniagaan, bisnes	perniagaan (less commonly used), bisnis

C

English	Standard Malay (Malaysian)	Indonesian
Cairo	Kaherah from Arabic Al-Qahirah	Kairo
Cambodia	Kemboja	Kamboja
Cameroon	Cameroon	Kamerun (from Dutch Kameroen)
camp	kem	kamp (reflects Dutch pronunciation)
campaign	kempen	kampanye (from Dutch campagne (a French loanword))
can (to be able)	boleh, dapat	bisa, dapat,
cancer	kanser, barah	kanker from Dutch
capacitor	pemuat, kapasitor	kondensator, kapasitor
capital city	ibu negara	ibu kota
car	kereta (means carriage in Indonesian, commonly used as a shorthand for kereta api, which means train. Malay followed English derivation of car which was a contraction of horseless carriage)	mobil (from Dutch/mid-English automobile)
card	kad	kartu from Dutch kaart
career	kerjaya, karier	karier
Caribbean	Caribbean	Karibia
carrot	lobak merah	wortel (from Dutch), lobak merah
case	kes	kasus, hal
cash	wang tunai	uang tunai, kas
cashier	juruwang	1. kasir, from Dutch kassier 2. juru uang (rare)
cavalry	pasukan berkuda	pasukan berkuda, kavaleri
cement	simen	semen
censor	tapisan (means "filter" in Indonesian)	sensor
census	banci (means "transvestite" in Indonesian)	sensus, cacah, banci (virtually never used in Indonesia, listed by KBBI)
centipede	lipan	kelabang, lipan
central	pusat	pusat, sentral, tengah
chaos (theory)	teori kekacauan	teori kekacauan
chilli	cili, lada ('pepper' in Indonesian, also in Malaysian), cabai (used in the northern states of Malaysia)	cabai, lombok (from Javanese: lombok)
China	China, Cina	1. Tionghoa (standard term for Chinese people, from Southern Min Chinese: Tiong-hôa – 中華), 2. Tiongkok (Republik Rakyat Tiongkok and Republik Tiongkok: official name of the People's Republic of China and Republic of China, from Southern Min Chinese: Tiong-kok – 中國), 3. Cina (standard, still in common use but discouraged due to racist connotations. See Shina for further information.), 4. China (nonstandard)
Christmas	Krismas, Natal	Natal from Portuguese
cinema	panggung wayang bergambar (more popularly abbreviated as pawagam), panggung wayang	1. bioskop from Dutch bioscoop, 2. sinema
circuit	litar	sirkuit
city	bandar, bandaraya (big city), kota	kota, bandar (a coastal or port city in Indonesian)
civil	awam (In Indonesian, it means "non-expert"), sivil	sipil
claim	tuntutan (means "sue" in Indonesian)	klaim tagihan
clarification	klarifikasi, penjelasan, penjernihan (to make something, e.g. water, clear in Indonesian)	klarifikasi, penjelasan
clause (legal)	fasal (equivalent term in Indonesian is pasal)	ayat, klausul
club (association)	kelab	klub, perkumpulan infrequent
coach (carriage)	koc	gerbong
coat	kot	jas from Dutch jas
cockroach	lipas	lipas, kecoa (from Southern Min Chinese: ka-choa̍h – 虼蚻)
coin	syiling from English shilling siling from English shilling (rare) mata wang, wang logam, duit from Dutch duit	koin, mata uang, uang logam duit from Dutch duit
college	kolej, maktab	kampus, kolese, kolegium
Cologne	Cologne	Köln, Koeln
Colombia	Colombia	Kolombia
comment	ulasan, komen	ulasan (can also mean review, interpretation or comment), komentar (from Dutch commentaar)
commission	suruhanjaya	komisi (from Dutch commissie)
commissioner	pesuruhjaya	komisaris (from Dutch commissaris), komisioner
committee	jawatankuasa	komite, panitia
commonwealth	komanwel	persemakmuran
Comoros	Comoros	Komoro
company	syarikat	perusahaan, firma, maskapai (from Dutch maatschappij – almost exclusively used to refer to airline companies, i.e. maskapai penerbangan)
compiler	penyusun	penyusun, kompilator
complaint	aduan	aduan, keluhan, komplain
conclusion	kesimpulan; konklusi (rare)	kesimpulan, konklusi (from Dutch conclusie)
condensation	pemeluwapan, pengembunan, pencecairan	kondensasi (from Dutch condensatie), pengembunan
conference	persidangan	konferensi (from Dutch conferentie), sidang
confirmation	pengesahan	konfirmasi, pengesahan of a document, kepastian of a decision
conflict	pertikaian	konflik, pertentangan, pertikaian
Congo	Congo	Kongo
conservation (movement)	pemuliharaan, konservasi (rare)	konservasi, pelestarian (of animals and plants)
constitution of a country	perlembagaan	undang-undang dasar (influenced by Dutch grondwet ("basic law")), konstitusi (from Dutch constitutie)
construction	pembinaan	pembangunan (of building), pembinaan (of moral), konstruksi (from Dutch constructie)
consumption	perbelanjaan	konsumsi (from Dutch consumptie), pemakaian, penggunaan
contamination	pencemaran	pencemaran, kontaminasi
continuous	selanjar	berkesinambungan, berlanjut, kontinu
conversion	penukaran (means "exchange" in Indonesia)	konversi (from Dutch conversie), perubahan
corporation	perbadanan	korporasi (from Dutch corporatie), badan usaha, perusahaan
corruption	rasuah (from Arabic: Rashwah meaning 'bribe'), korupsi (rare)	korupsi (from Dutch corruptie), rasuah (from Arabic: Rashwah meaning 'bribe')(non-standard)
Costa Rica	Costa Rica	Kosta Rika
counter	kaunter	loket from Dutch, konter
country	negara	negara, negeri in Malaysia, negeri usually refers to a state within a federation
court	mahkamah	pengadilan, mahkamah
cracker	keropok	kerupuk
criminal	jenayah	penjahat, kriminal, pidana (ahli pidana is criminal law expert)
Croatia	Croatia	Kroasia
crucial	genting	krusial, penting, genting
Cuba	Cuba	Kuba
cupboard	almari (from Portuguese armário)	lemari also from armário
current (adjective, of time)	semasa	saat ini, kini, terkini, aktual (from Dutch actueel)
current affairs	hal ehwal semasa	aktualitas, peristiwa terkini
curtain	langsir (means train wagon arrangement in Indonesian), tirai	tirai (used for all meanings apart from house curtain), gorden (of a house; from Dutch gordijn)
customs (authority)	kastam	pabean refers to the administrative institution, bea dan cukai (bea-cukai) lit. tariff-and-tax, duty
cute	comel	imut, menggemaskan, lucu
Cyprus	Cyprus	Siprus
Czech Republic	Republik Czech	(Republik) Ceko

D

English	Malaysian	Indonesian
dandruff	kelemumur	ketombe
December	Disember	Desember (influenced by Dutch december)
decimal	perpuluhan (means tithe in Indonesian)	desimal (from Dutch decimale), persepuluhan (rare)
decree	dekri	surat keputusan, dekrit (from Dutch decreet)
degree (of temperature)	darjah	derajat
delicious, tasty	lazat, sedap, enak	lezat, enak, sedap
democratic	demokratik	demokratis (from Dutch demokratisch note: "democratic republic" (in country names) translates as republik demokratik, such as in Republik Demokratik Kongo (Democratic Republic of the Congo))
department	jabatan ('occupation' in Indonesian)	departemen, jurusan (for department in university)
departure	pelepasan	keberangkatan, kepergian
depression (psychological)	kemurungan (means "sadness" in Indonesian)	depresi (from Dutch depressie)
deputy	timbalan	wakil, deputi, timbalan (rare)
design	reka bentuk	desain, kerangka bentuk, rancangan
detail	terperinci	detail, detil (nonstandard), perincian, rinci (nonstandard)
dialect	loghat	dialek, logat
detection	pengesana	pelacakan, deteksi
different – difference	beza, berbeza – perbezaan	beda, berbeda – perbedaan
diocese	kawasan uskup, keuskupan	keuskupan
director	pengarah	direktur from Dutch (and French) directeur, sutradara (of a film) from Sanskrit (through Javanese), pengarah (for an event)
discount	diskaun, rebat, potongan harga	diskon, rabat, potongan harga, korting from Dutch, less frequent
discussion	perbincangan, diskusi	pembicaraan, perbincangan, diskusi (from Dutch discussie)
disinfectant	penyahjangkit	disinfektan, sucihama
domestic	dalam negara	dalam negeri, domestik
driver	pemandu means guide in Indonesian	sopir from French chauffeur through Dutch, pengemudi formal
driver's license (U.S.) driving licence (UK)	lesen memandu	surat izin mengemudi (SIM)
drugs (illegal)	dadah (colloquial use in Indonesia means "goodbye")	narkoba (an acronym for NARKotika dan OBat-obatan terlArang (narcotics and illegal drugs)), NAPZA (less frequent – an acronym for NArkotika, Psikotropika dan Zat-zat Adiktif (narcotics, psychotropics, and addictive chemical substances))
Dutch East Indies	Hindia Timur Belanda	Hindia-Belanda
duty (economics)	duti, cukai	bea, cukai

E

English	Malaysian	Indonesian
e-mail	e-mel	surel (standard, shortened of surat elektronik (electronic mail)), email (rarely used in everyday spelling, often used in online spelling (e.g. website-based registration or social account))
Easter	Easter, Paskah strictly used for Jewish Passover	Paskah from Portuguese Pascoa
Ecuador	Ecuador	Ekuador
editor	penyunting	editor, penyunting, redaktur (from French rédacteur through Dutch – refers to editors of mass printed media)
editorial (board)	kakitangan editorial	redaksi (from Dutch redactie),editorial
effectiveness	keberkesanan	keampuhan, keefektifan, efektivitas (from Dutch effectiviteit)
efficiency	kecekapan	efisiensi, kedayagunaan, kemangkusan
Eid ul-Fitr	Hari Raya Aidilfitri, Lebaran	Hari Raya Idulfitri – Idul Fitri nonstandard spelling, but common, Lebaran colloquial – from Javanese
eight	lapan used as colloquial abbreviation in Indonesian	delapan used in Malaysia before the spelling reform
elasticity (economy)	keanjalan	bingkas, elastisitas
electricity	tenaga elektrik lit. electric energy	listrik, kelistrikan, setrum (from Dutch stroom)
embargo (political)	sekatan (means "obstacle" or "room which separated with partition" in Indonesian)	boikot, embargo
emergency	kecemasan (used for anxiety or "too anxious" (condition) in Indonesian)	darurat (from Arabic – also used in Malaysia to express a state of emergency), kegawatan
emperor	maharaja	kaisar (from Dutch keizer), maharaja (from Sanskrit)
empire	empayar	kekaisaran, kemaharajaan, imperium (from Latin)
enamel	enamel	email (from Dutch emaille)
energy	tenaga	energi, tenaga (for "power")
engine	enjin	mesin, motor
England	negeri Inggeris	Inggris
eraser	getah pemadam	penghapus
erosion	hakisan	pengikisan, erosi (from Dutch erosie)
escalator	tangga gerak	tangga berjalan, eskalator
estimation	jangkaan, anggaran	perkiraan, dugaan, estimasi
Ethiopia	Habsyah from Arabic الحبشة al-habsha (Abyssinia)	Etiopia
Europe	Eropah	Eropa, Europa (nonstandard)
evacuation	pemindahan (means "translocation" or "relocation" in Indonesian)	pengungsian, evakuasi (from Dutch evacuatie)
evaluation	penilaian	penilaian, evaluasi (from Dutch evaluatie)
evening	teja	sore petang
excess	lebihan	kelebihan, berlebihan, ekses
excretion	perkumuhan	ekskresi, pembuangan kotoran
execution (death sentence)	hukuman mati	eksekusi (from Dutch executie), (peng)hukuman mati
exhaust (pipe)	ekzos	knalpot (from Dutch, in which it also means "muffler")
exploration	penjelajahan, eksplorasi	eksplorasi, penjelajahan
export	eksport	ekspor
expose	pendedahan	paparan, ekspos, pendedahan (virtually never used in Indonesia, listed by KBBI)
extinct	pupus	padam (of flame or light), punah (of species), pupus (loss of hope)

F

English	Malaysian	Indonesian
faculty	fakulti	fakultas (from Latin: Facultas), fakulteit (obsolete, from Dutch)
facility	kemudahan, fasiliti	kemudahan, fasilitas
faction (politics)	puak	faksi, fraksi from Dutch fractie
factory	kilang ('refinery' in Indonesian)	pabrik from Dutch fabriek
fan (fanatic)	peminat	penggemar, fans informal, from English; Indonesians always use the plural form
federal	persekutuan	federal
federation	persekutuan (related to "alliance" in Indonesian)	federasi from Dutch federatie, serikat, persekutuan
fermentation	fermentasi, peragian	fermentasi, peragian, penapaian
financial	kewangan	keuangan, finansial from Dutch financieel
Finland	Finland	Finlandia
firefighter squad	bomba	pemadam kebakaran (lit. fire extinguisher), branwir (from Dutch brandweer (fire defense))
flash drive	pemacu kilat	penggerak kilat
floor, level (storey)	tingkat may be used in Indonesian to express the number of storeys/levels a building has, e.g. a 5-storey building = gedung bertingkat 5, or to emphasize British floor numbering, e.g. tingkat satu means first floor (UK), second floor (US) in both languages, aras (used to emphasize American floor numbering, e.g. aras dua = tingkat satu	lantai also refers to floor as ground surface in both languages, emphasizes American floor numbering, tingkat emphasizes British floor numbering, e.g. lantai dua = tingkat satu
football	bola sepak	sepakbola
force (physics)	daya	gaya
form (document)	borang	formulir from Dutch formulier, borang (nonstandard)
free (of charge)	percuma means "worthless" in Indonesian	gratis from Dutch, cuma-cuma, cecuma (nonstandard)
fungus	kulat, fungus	fungi
furniture	perabot rumah, perkakas rumah (In Indonesian, perkakas means equipment)	mebel from Dutch meubelen, perabot rumah tangga, furnitur
fusion	pelakuran	fusi, penggabungan, peleburan

G

English	Malaysian	Indonesian
gangster	samseng	geng, preman from Dutch vrijman (lit. free-man), gangster from English
garage	garaj	garasi influenced by Dutch pronunciation
garrison	garrison	garnisun from Dutch garnizoen
gear	gear	roda gigi influenced by Dutch tandwiel, lit. "tooth wheel"
gearbox	kotak gear	persneling from Dutch versnelling, girboks, transmisi
general (military)	jeneral	jenderal from Dutch generaal
ginger	halia	jahe jahi halia
Global Positioning System	Sistem Kedudukan Sejagat	Sistem Pemosisian Global
goal keeper	penjaga gol/penjaga gawang	kiper, penjaga gawang
golf club (stick)	kayu golf	stik golf, pemukul golf, tongkat golf
government	kerajaan derived from raja (king) – used in Malaysia and Brunei – in Indonesian means "kingdom"	pemerintah derived from perintah (order/instruction) – also used in Singapore, which, like Indonesia, is a republic
governor	gabenor, Yang di-Pertua Negeri (in Malaysian states)	gubernur from Dutch gouverneur
gradation	pemeringkatan	gradasi, pemberian tingkat (pemeringkatan)
graduate	siswazah, sarjana	lulusan, sarjana
grandfather	datuk	kakek
Greece	Greece of recent use, Yunani	Yunani from Arabic Yūnān يُونَان
gross financial	kasar	bruto from Dutch, kasar
group	sekumpulan, kumpulan	kelompok, grup from Dutch pronunciation of groep, (per)kumpulan, (per)himpunan
guarantee	jaminan	jaminan, garansi from Dutch pronunciation of garantie

H

English	Malaysian	Indonesian
half past one	pukul satu setengah (one thirty)	pukul setengah dua (thirty to two)
hammer	tukul	palu, martil from Portugue martelo
Handball	bola baling	bola tangan
head office	ibu pejabat "ibu" also means "mother" or "ma'am" in both languages	kantor pusat ("kantor" – from Dutch kantoor (office)), markas
headscarf, hijab	tudung	kerudung, jilbab though these words have different meanings
healthy	sihat	sehat
herb	herba	jamu often understood as traditional potion made from rhizomes, also means "guest" ("tamu") and "treat the guest" ("menjamu"), herbal
hexadecimal	perenambelasan	heksadesimal
hospital	hospital	rumah sakit influenced by Dutch ziekenhuis ("house of the sick") – This term is still used in Brunei, but in Malaysia, "hospital" has replaced the term completely since the 1960s
Hungary	Hungary	Hungaria, Hongaria substandard, influenced by Dutch Hongarije
hybrid (biology)	kacukan hibrid	hibrida

I

English	Malaysian	Indonesian
I	saya, aku, daku	saya, aku, daku
ice	ais	es
Iceland	Iceland	Islandia
image	citra, imej (of reputation), gambar (pictorial image)	citra (of reputation), gambar (pictorial image)
imagination	imaginasi	imajinasi, khayalan
immigration	imigresen	imigrasi from Dutch immigratie
import	import	impor
impotence	mati pucuk, impotensi, lemah syahwat	impotensi from Dutch impotentie, lemah syahwat colloquial
impotent	kemandulan	impotensi, kemandulan
incineration	penunuan	insinerasi
Indian Ocean	Lautan Hindi	Samudra Hindia
inductor	peraruh, induktor (rare)	induktor
information	maklumat	informasi, from Dutch informatie, penerangan rare
injection (noun)	suntikan	suntikan, injeksi
ink	dakwat from Arabic	tinta from Dutch tinte, dawat (archaic)
installment (payment)	ansuran	angsuran, cicilan
instant	segera (means "soon" in Indonesia)	seketika, instan
insurance	insurans	asuransi from Dutch assurantie
intelligence (spying)	risikan (means 'secret investigation' in Indonesia)	intelijen, tilik sandi
international	antarabangsa	internasional, mancanegara from Javanese meaning: foreign land)
internet café	kafe internet, kafe cyber	warnet a portmanteau for "warung internet" (lit. internet shop)
intervention	campur tangan, intervensi	campur tangan, intervensi
introspection	kaji diri, introspeksi (rare)	introspeksi, mawas diri
invasion	penyerangan, penjajahan (means colonialism in Indonesian), invasi	invasi
investment	pelaburan	investasi, penanaman modal
Iraq	Iraq	Irak
Ireland	Ireland	Irlandia
irrigation	pengairan	irigasi, pengairan
Italy	Itali	Italia from Italian

J

English	Malaysian	Indonesian
(fruit) jam	jem	selai
Japan	Jepun from Portuguese Japão	Jepang, Jepun (archaic)
Jordan (country)	Jordan	Yordania from Dutch Jordanië
journalist	wartawan	wartawan, jurnalis
July	Julai	Juli from Dutch juli
June	Jun	Juni from Dutch juni

K–L

English	Malaysian	Indonesian
ketchup	kicap (Indonesian equivalent, kecap, means soy sauce)	saus tomat
lane	lorong (means alley in Indonesian)	lajur
lawyer	peguam	advokat from Dutch advocaat, pengacara (means 'master of ceremonies' in Malay)
Lebanon	Lubnan from Arabic	Lebanon, Libanon influenced by Dutch
legislative	perundangan (In Indonesian, it means legislation), legislatif	legislatif
liability	liabiliti	kewajiban
licence	lesen, izin	izin, ijin from Arabic idhn, lisensi from Dutch licentie
lieutenant	leftenan (influenced by British English pronunciation)	letnan
lift, elevator	lif	lift
liquidity (economy)	kecairan	likuiditas
Lisbon	Lisbon	Lisboa from Portuguese, Lisabon influenced by Dutch Lissabon
list	senarai	daftar, senarai less common
local	tempatan	lokal, setempat
lorry (UK)	Lori	Truk (from American English: 'truck')
Luxembourg	Luxembourg	Luksemburg influenced by Dutch/German Luxemburg

M

English	Malaysian	Indonesian
Macau	Macau	Makau
Macedonia, Republic of	Republik Macedonia	Republik Makedonia
magistrate	majistret	hakim from Arabic حَكِم – used in Malaysian to refer to judges, magistrat less common
Maldives	Maldives	Maladewa
male	lelaki, laki-laki, jantan (for animals, depending on the context, it can mean masculine or used as a derogatory term on men)	laki-laki, pria, lelaki, jantan (on animals, used on men to describe masculinity)
malfunction	kerosakan, malfungsi, pincang tugas	kerusakan, malafungsi
malpractice	penyelewengan (means "misappropriation" in Indonesian)	malapraktik
management	pengurusan	manajemen, pengurusan (rare)
manager	pengurus	manajer, pengurus
manufacturing	pengilangan	manufaktur
March (month)	Mac	Maret influenced by Dutch maart
mass	jisim	massa
mathematics	matematik, ilmu hisab	matematika, ilmu hitung, ilmu hisab only used in Islamic text books
matter	jirim	materi
mattress	tilam	kasur, matras, tilam
mean (verb)	bererti	berarti
mediation	pengantaraan (In Indonesian, it means "broking")	mediasi
medicine	ubat	obat
memory card	kad ingatan/kad memori	kartu memori
mental arithmetic	congak	aritmetika cepat, congak
Mexico	Mexico	Meksiko
mile	batu (means "stone" in Indonesian, from Sanskrit)	mil
military	tentera, ketenteraan, militari	militer (from French militaire through Dutch militair), kemiliteran, ketentaraan
minibus	bas mini	bis mini, minibus
minute	minit	menit
mobile phone, cellphone	telefon bimbit	telepon seluler (ponsel), telepon genggam
Monaco	Monaco	Monako
Monday	Isnin	Senin
money	wang, duit	uang, duit (colloquial)
Morocco	Maghribi from Arabic	Maroko
mortgage	gadai janji	hipotek from Dutch hypotheek, gadai
Moscow	Moscow	Moskwa, Moskow
motorcycle	motosikal	sepeda motor lit. "motorized bicycle" – influenced by Dutch motorfiets, motor (informal)
Mozambique	Mozambique	Mozambik
Mrs.	Puan	Ibu, Nyonya (Ny.)
music	muzik	musik

N

English	Malaysian	Indonesian
naked	bogel, telanjang	telanjang, bugil (colloquial)
natural	semulajadi	alami, natural
navigation	pandu arah, navigasi	navigasi
navy	tentera laut	angkatan laut
negotiation	perundingan	perundingan, negosiasi
network	rangkaian (means circuit in Indonesian)	jaringan, jejaring
New Zealand	New Zealand	Selandia Baru (influenced by Dutch: Zeeland; or from Latin: Zeelandia)
newspaper	surat khabar coined from two Arabic words: ṣūrat – صورة / صورت (form, appearance) and khabar خبر (news)	surat kabar (more formal – lit. news letter), koran (from French courant through Dutch, Krant in modern Dutch, but Koerant in Afrikaans)
Nicosia	Nicosia	Nikosia
nil	nil	nol from Dutch nul
noisy	bising, kecoh in Indonesian means "disturb" or "distract", memekak	berisik, ribut, ramai, bising, bacot (colloquial, slightly offensive)
Norway	Norway	Norwegia
number	nombor	angka, nomor (substandard spelling from Dutch/German nummer)
nurse	jururawat	perawat, suster from Dutch zuster, only for female nurse

O

English	Malaysian	Indonesian
ocean	lautan	samudra, samudera, lautan rarely used in formal situation
Oceania	Oceania	Oseania
octal	perlapanan	oktal
office	pejabat	kantor (from Dutch kantoor)
officer	pegawai, kaki tangan (a negative connotation usually means accomplice in criminal activity in Indonesian)	pejabat
official (adj.)	rasmi (from Arabo-Persian rasmi رَسمِي)	resmi (also from rasmi)
Olympic	Olimpik	Olimpiade
opposition	pembangkang (means "defiance" in Indonesian)	oposisi
option	pilihan, opsyen (rare)	pilihan, opsi
orange (colour)	jingga, oren	jingga, oranye (from Dutch oranje)
orange (fruit)	oren, limau	jeruk, limau
order (instruction)	order, perintah	perintah
organization	pertubuhan, organisasi	organisasi
oscillation	ayunan	osilasi, ayunan
oven	ketuhar	oven

P

English	Malaysian	Indonesian
Pacific Ocean	Lautan Pasifik, Lautan Teduh	Samudra Pasifik
Palestine	Palestin	Palestina
papaya (fruit)	(buah) betik	(buah) pepaya
Papua New Guinea	Papua New Guinea	Papua Nugini
parallel	selari	paralel
parliament	parlimen	parlemen (from Franco-Dutch parlement)
party (political)	parti	partai (from Dutch partij)
passport	pasport	paspor
patient	pesakit means convict in Indonesian	pasien
patrol	ronda	patroli (for police and military) (from Dutch patrolie), ronda (for civilian)
pavement, sidewalk	jalan pinggir, jalur jalan untuk pejalan kaki, laluan jalan kaki, kaki lima (In Indonesia, it is used in pedagang kaki lima (street vendor)) tepi jalan	trotoar (from Franco-Dutch trottoir)
penis	zakar from Arabic ذَكَر "male"- this word is extremely vulgar in Indonesian, "buah zakar" means testicles, batang lelaki, konek (slang)	penis (formal), zakar from Arabic, less frequent, pelir, alat kelamin laki-laki (euphemism), kemaluan lelaki (euphemism), burung (vulgar), titit (children's slang like "pee-pee"), kontol (slang, extremely vulgar)
percent	peratus	persen, perseratus (less common, usually used when compared per mille)
perfume	haruman, minyak wangi	parfum from Dutch, minyak wangi
periodic	berkala	berkala, periodik
Persia	Parsi	Persia
pharmacy	farmasi	apotek (from Dutch apotheek), farmasi (usually for medicine manufacturers)
photograph	gambar (In Indonesian, it means "picture" or "figure"), foto	foto (lit. photo) potret
physics	fizik (Indonesian equivalent term, fisik, is used for term physical, e.g. aktivitas fisik [physical activity])	fisika
pickpocket noun	penyeluk saku	copet (portmanteau of colong dompet, "wallet thief"), pencopet
pig, swine	babi khinzir from Arabic خِنْزِير (khin-zeer)	babi
pipe	paip	pipa
pirate (maritime)	lanun bajak	bajak laut, perompak (perompak in Malay, means "robber"), lanun (archaic)
platform (train)	platform	peron from Dutch perron
Poland	Poland	Polandia
police	polis (means "insurance policy" (polis asuransi) in Indonesian)	polisi from Dutch politie
pollution	pencemaran	pencemaran, polusi
portion	sebahagian	porsi, sebagian (a portion of...)
post code	poskod	kode pos
potential	keupayaan	potensial, daya berkemampuan
Prague	Prague	Praha (also used in Malay)
prayer (Islam)	solat, sembahyang	salat (standard), shalat, sholat (from Arabic, 'sh' is usually pronounced as 's'), sembahyang
prayer room (Islam)	surau	surau, musala, mushollah (from Arabic, 'sh' is usually pronounced as 's')
precipitation (meteorology)	kerpasan	curah hujan, presipitasi
prediction	ramalan	prediksi, ramalan, prakiraan (not perkiraan estimation)
pregnant	mengandung, hamil (formal, from Arabic حَامِل), berbadan dua lit. "two bodied", bunting for animals	mengandung (formal), hamil (colloquial), berbadan dua (poetic), bunting (informal)
premature	pramatang	prematur, dini
Preparation	Penyediaan	Persiapan
preposition	kata sendi nama	preposisi, kata depan
press	media massa, surat khabar (see above)	pers (from Dutch), media massa
Private Limited Company	Sendirian Berhad abbreviated as Sdn Bhd (suffix), "sendirian" alone means "alone"	Perseroan Terbatas abbreviated as PT (prefix)
privatization	penswastaan	privatisasi, swastanisasi, penswastaan
producer	produsen	produsen, produser (mainly refers to musical producers), penghasil
product	keluaran	produk (from English and Dutch product), hasil, keluaran (more specific term for outcome)
programming (computer)	pengaturcaraan	pemrograman
property (?)	harta punya, milik	properti punya, milik
propulsion	perejangan	propulsi, pendorong, penggerak
prostitute	pelacur, perempuan sundal (vulgar)	pelacur, Wanita Tuna Susila (WTS) (Sanskrit, pronounced 'way-tay-es', i.e. "moral-less women"), Pekerja Seks Komersial (PSK) (formal, pronounced 'pay-es-ka' (commercial sex workers)), perek (slang)
prostitution	pelacuran	prostitusi, pelacuran
province	wilayah (used in Indonesian to mean 'area'), daerah (used in Indonesian to mean 'area')	provinsi (from Dutch provincie)
publication	penerbitan	penerbitan, publikasi, terbitan
pulse	denyut	denyut, pulsa
push, to (door)	tolak (It used as in tolak peluru (shot put) in Indonesian for this contex, 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")

Q–R

English	Malaysian	Indonesian
queue (line)	barisan (means line "formation" in Indonesian)	antre, antri
rabbit	arnab (from Arabic)	kelinci
Random-Access Memory (RAM)	Ingatan Capaian Rawak	Memori Akses Acak
rape	rogol	perkosa
raspberry	rasberi	frambus, frambosen (from Dutch framboos)
ratio	nisbah	rasio, nisbah, perbandingan
reaction (chemical)	tindak balas kimia	reaksi kimia
Read-Only Memory (ROM)	Ingatan Baca Sahaja	Memori Hanya Baca
real estate	hartanah	realestat, properti tanah
receipt	resit, penerimaan	kuitansi, kwitansi (substandard, from Dutch kwitantie), resi, bon from Dutch, struk
recession (economy)	kemelesetan (In Indonesian, it means "mishit")	resesi, kelesuan (ekonomi)
reclamation	tebus guna	reklamasi
recruitment	pergerakan (In Indonesian, it means "movement"), pengambilan (In Indonesian, it means "taking")	perekrutan, rekrutmen
refraction	pembiasan	pembiasan, refraksi
refrigerator	peti sejuk lit. cool box (rarely used in Indonesian)	lemari es, lemari pendingin (lit. cooler closet), kulkas (from Dutch koelkast)
religion	agama, ugama (widely used before the 80s)	agama, kepercayaan
renovation	pengubahsuaian	renovasi
reproduction	pembiakan	reproduksi, pembiakan (also means "breeding")
research	kajian (means research or investigation result in Indonesian)	penelitian, riset
responsibility	tanggungjawab	tanggung jawab, pertanggungjawaban
resistor	perintang	resistor, hambatan, perintang
restaurant	kedai makan lit. "eating shop", restoran	rumah makan lit. "eating house", warung makan lit. "eating café", restoran
retailing	peruncitan	ritel, eceran
ring (mathematics)	gelanggang	ring, gelanggang
rob	rompak (Indonesian for "to commit piracy")	rampok, rampas
Rome	Rom	Roma
room	bilik (usually means "compartment" in Indonesian)	kamar (from Dutch kamer), ruang (Javanese, for storage areas etc.)
roundabout (traffic)	bulatan e.g. Bulatan DBP in Kuala Lumpur pusing keliling (in Brunei)	bundaran e.g. Bundaran HI in Jakarta
routing	penghalaan	penghalaan
royal	diraja	kerajaan (in Malaysia and Brunei means "kingdom" or "government")
rubber	getah may also mean gum or sap or resin in both languages, also figure of speech for "cause of bad deed"	karet
rumour	khabar angin, desas-desus	rumor, desas-desus, kabar angin, kabar burung

S

English	Malaysian	Indonesian
salty	masin	asin, masin (rare)
Sanskrit	Sanskrit	Sanskerta
sauce	sos	saus
sausage	sosej	sosis (from Dutch saucijs)
scenario	senario	skenario
school (Islamic)	sekolah pondok	madrasah, pesantren, pondok pesantren
science	sains	ilmu (from Arabic 'ilm) (alam), sains (especially for "natural science")
Scotland	Scotland	Skotlandia
secret	rahsia	rahasia
secretary	setiausaha Indonesian lit. "loyal to work"	sekretaris (from Dutch secretaris)
section	seksyen, bahagian	seksi (from Dutch sectie), bagian
sensor	penderia, pengesan, sensor	sensor
server (computing)	pelayan	server, peladen
session	sesyen, sesi	sesi (from Dutch sessie)
sewer	saluran najis "najis" means dirty in both languages, saluran kumbahan	selokan, parit (means 'ditch' in Malay), got, saluran air/pembuangan
sexagesimal	perenampuluhan	seksagesimal
shampoo	syampu (from Anglo-Indian / Hindustani chāmpo, the imperative form of (Hindi) चाँप्ना chāmpnā 'to smear, knead the muscles, massage')	sampo
share (verb)	berkongsi (In Indonesian, it means "creating trading company" or "plotting something bad")	berbagi
shirt	baju (also in Indonesian but more generally refers to clothes)	kaos, kemeja (from Portuguese camisa, implies collared shirt)
shoe	kasut generalized term for any footwear in Indonesian, but usually related to sandals or ancient shoes, sepatu	sepatu (understood but less frequently used in Malaysia, from Portuguese sapato)
shop	kedai (Means eateries stall in Indonesia)	toko, warung, kedai
shopping mall	pusat beli-belah	mal, pusat perbelanjaan
site (internet)	tapak (means foundation (building) or footprint in Indonesia)	situs
Slovakia	Slovakia	Slowakia
snow	salji (from Arabic thalj)	salju (also from thalj)
sodomy	liwat (from Arabic)	sodomi, liwat (only used in Islamic text books)
solar	solar, suria (from Sanskrit 'surya')	surya
solution	penyelesaian, solusi (rare)	solusi, pemecahan, penyelesaian
sour	masam	asam, masam (poetic, usually used in connotative expressions: bermuka masam: sour faced (dissatisfied/unhappy expression))
soya beans	kacang soya	(kacang) kedelai
Spain	Sepanyol	Spanyol
speak/talk	berbicara, bercakap (means 'to chat' in Indonesian), bersembang, berborak	berbicara, ngomong (Javanese ngoko, colloquial)
specialist	perubatan, pakar	spesialis (in case of specialist doctor), pakar in general, it means expert
spoon	sudu	sendok
sport	sukan	olahraga (means "athletics" Malay, from Sanskrit, lit. "to train the body")
spouse	pasangan suami-isteri, kelamin colloquial, in Indonesian means "sex" or "gender"	pasangan (suami-istri), suami-istri (husband-wife)
stability	kestabilan	stabilitas, kestabilan
stadium	stadium	stadion, stadiun from Dutch
staff	kakitangan (phrase "kaki tangan" means subordinate with negative image in Indonesian)	staf, personil from Dutch personeel, pegawai
stamp	setem	perangko
standard	piawai, standard	standar patokan
starfish	tapak Sulaiman	bintang laut
state (within a federation)	negeri	negara bagian
station	stesen	stasiun (formerly spelled "setasiun")
steering wheel	roda stereng	roda setir (from Dutch stuur)
stop (verb)	berhenti	berhenti, henti, setop
strawberry	strawberi	stroberi, arbei from Dutch aardbei
stupid	bodoh, bengap, tolol, bangang, bongok (slang)	bodoh, dungu, tolol, goblok (slang), very demeaning in Malay, geblek (slang), bego (slang)
sublimation (phase transition)	pemejalwapan	sublimasi, penyubliman
Sunday	Ahad	Minggu (from Portuguese Domingo which means Lord's Day), Ahad (only used in Islamic calendar)
sunglasses	cermin mata gelap (In Indonesia, cermin means "mirror")	kacamata hitam (lit. black glasses), kacamata riben (from 'Ray-Ban' brand of sunglasses )
supermarket	pasar raya	supermarket, pasar swalayan (lit. self-service market)
supervision	penyeliaan	pengawasan, penyeliaan, supervisi
survey	tinjauan (means process or result of observation in Indonesian), kaji selidik	survei
suspend (hang)	menggantung (means 'hang' in Indonesian)	menangguhkan (also 'adjourn' in Malay)
Sweden	Sweden	Swedia
Switzerland	Switzerland	Swiss
Syria	Syria	Suriah (from Arabic)

T

English	Malaysian	Indonesian
table (set of facts or figures)	jadual (Indonesian equivalent, jadwal, means "schedule")	tabel
tank	kereta kebal	tank
tap water	air paip (piped water)	air keran (from Dutch Kraan), air ledeng ("ledeng" also means "plumbing", from Dutch "leiding")
tapioca	ubi kayu as in Indonesian, understood as the tuber cassava itself	(tepung) tapioka, tepung singkong
taxi	teksi	taksi
teacher	cikgu, guru	guru
teacher (religious, Islam)	ustaz, ustad (ultimately from Persian اُستَاذ), ustadzah female	ustad, ustadzah
team	pasukan used in Indonesian to refer to squad (military)	tim
telephone	telefon (formerly talipon)	telepon
television	televisyen, TV	televisi (from Dutch televisie) , TV
terms	terma	syarat (from Arabic: syarṭ – شَرْطٌ)
terrorist	pengganas (means "rioter" in Indonesian)	teroris
terrorism	pengganasan	terorisme
testicles	buah zakar, testis, buah keranjut	testis, biji kemaluan, buah zakar (slang, vulgar), kanjut (slang, vulgar)
Thailand	Negara Thai, Siam, Thailand	Thailand, Siam, Muangthai used in old scripts
The Hague	The Hague	Den Haag (from Dutch)
ticket	tiket	tiket, karcis (from Dutch kaartje, usually refers to small-size ticket)
time	masa, waktu	waktu from Arabic الوقت (al-Waqt), masa (can be used for 'in a specific long period of time' in Indonesian)
tire (US)/tyre (UK)	tayar	ban (from Dutch [auto]band)
tofu	tauhu	tahu, tofu
toilet	bilik air, tandas	toilet, kamar kecil, WC (pronounced 'way-say') for watercloset
tornado	puting beliung	puting beliung, angin puyuh, tornado
toothpaste	ubat gigi	pasta gigi, odol
towel	tuala (from Portuguese toalha)	handuk (from Dutch handdoek)
traffic jam	kesesakan lalulintas, jam (slang)	kemacetan, macet
traffic light	lampu isyarat (In Indonesian, isyarat means sign)	lampu lalu-lintas
train	kereta api, tren	kereta (api)
transport, transportation	pengangkutan	transportasi, pengangkutan, perhubungan (in case of Ministry of Transportation)
transsexual	pondan, bapok (slang), transseksual	transseksual, waria (polite) a shortened form of wanita-pria , bencong, banci
tree	pokok in Indonesian means "principal" or "core" or "staple", in Sundanese poko means authentic, e.g. authentic cuisine, pohon	pohon
trillion (1012)	trilion	trilyun, triliun (from Dutch pronunciation; starting with 1012, Indonesian uses the short scale)
truck (US)	Lori (from British English: 'lorry')	Truk
try	cuba	coba
turkey (bird)	ayam belanda	(ayam) kalkun (from Dutch kalkoen)
turn	pusing (means 'to spin' in Indonesian, commonly used to mean dizzy as a short form of kepala pusing), belok	belok, putar

U

English	Malaysian	Indonesian
ugly	hodoh, teruk, buruk	jelek, buruk
Ukraine	Ukraine	Ukraina
uncle	pakcik	paman, oom, om (derived from Dutch, pronounced and sometimes spelt oom)
union	kesatuan (in Indonesian means "unitary")	persatuan, uni, serikat
United Arab Emirates	Emiriah Arab Bersatu	Uni Emirat Arab
United Kingdom	United Kingdom	Britania Raya
United Nations	Pertubuhan Bangsa-Bangsa Bersatu	Perserikatan Bangsa-Bangsa
United States of America (USA) United States (US)	Amerika Syarikat	Amerika Serikat (AS)
university	universiti	universitas
until	sehingga (means 'thus' in Indonesian), sampai	hingga, sampai

V

English	Malaysian	Indonesian
vagina	faraj (from Arabic, in Indonesian means "vulva"), pepek/pepet (slang)	alat kelamin wanita, liang peranakan, vagina, farji, memek (slang, vulgar), pepek (slang, vulgar)
variable (mathematics)	pemboleh ubah	variabel, peubah
Vatican City	Vatican City	(Kota) Vatikan
Venice	Venice	Venesia (influenced by Dutch Venetië)
verb	kata kerja	kata kerja (influenced by Dutch werkwoord, lit. "work word"), verba
verification	pengesahan (means "validation" in Indonesian)	verifikasi
very	sangat, amat, sekali	sangat, amat, sekali, banget (from Javanese ngoko)
vice (deputy)	naib	wakil, naib (less common)
victim	mangsa in Indonesian means "prey"	korban
Vienna	Vienna	Wina (influenced by Dutch Wenen)
violet (colour)	lembayung	violet, ungu, lembayung (rarely used)
virgin	(anak) dara, (anak) gadis, perawan	perawan (formal), gadis, (anak) dara
viscosity	kelikatan	viskositas, kekentalan
visit	lawatan, pelancongan	wisata, kunjungan, pelancongan, lawatan (to foreign country, sick person or dead person)
volleyball	bola tampar	bola voli
volume (math)	isi padu	volume, ruang, isi
voucher	baucer	voucer

W

English	Malaysian	Indonesian
want	mahu	mau, ingin
warden	warden, penjaga penjara	sipir (penjara) (from Dutch cipier)
Warsaw	Warsaw	Warsawa
website	laman web, laman sesawang	situs web, laman web
weekend	hujung minggu	akhir pekan, akhir minggu
well (water hole)	perigi	sumur, perigi (rarely used)
wheelchair	kerusi roda	kursi roda
when	bila, apabila, ketika, bilamana (rarely used)	kapan, bilamana, (question word) bila, ketika
window	tingkap, jendela	jendela (from Portuguese janela), tingkap (less common)
windscreen, windshield	cermin kereta	kaca depan (mobil)
wire	dawai, wayar	kawat (e.g. copper wire), kabel (e.g. electrical wire, cable)

Y–Z

English	Malaysian	Indonesian
you	anda (very formal), awak, kamu, engkau, kau	anda (everyday formal), kamu (familiar only), engkau ('kau) (prose)
zero	sifar	nol from Dutch nul
zipper (fastener)	zip	resleting from Dutch ritssluiting
zone	zon	daerah, zona
zoo	zoo, taman haiwan (kebun binatang was also frequently used in Malaysia before the mid-1960s)	kebun binatang (derived from Dutch dierentuin, lit. "animal garden"), taman margasatwa (more formal form for zoological park)

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	Malaysian meaning	Indonesian meaning
acara	event	event program, agenda court examination
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 specific field
akta (from Latino-Dutch acta)	act (= law)	act (= written legal document)
awak	you (casual)	me / I (Used by speakers from Sumatra mainly Malays, people in Medan, etc.), crew (of transportation)
baja	fertilizer	steel Malay: besi waja
banci	census (Indonesian: sensus)	effeminate, transvestite homosexual (negative connotation)
bandar	city	port
bangun	to develop/ wake up (from sleep)	to build / wake up (from sleep)
bapa	Father (male parent)	specific to 'Father' (God) in religious context (Christianity) our Father which art in Heaven = Bapa kami yang di surga Father in Indonesian is bapak (with an additional 'k' letter')
belanja	to treat, giving something for free	to shop (note: also carries this meaning in Malay, though in a context more akin to "spend").
berbagi	to give	to share (something)
berbual	to chat	to tell a lie
bercinta	in (the essence of) love	to make love, have sexual intercourse
beredar	From the root word "edar" which can means; to oscillate (planets only), to leave, or to distribute	to oscillate, to distribute
berlaku	happen, occur	apply
biji	seed	seed, testicles ("balls", offensive)
bila	when	if, when (older version, almost obsolete)
bina	to build	to develop
bisa	venom	can/be able to (also understood but less frequently used in Malay) (same as "boleh" in Malay), venom
bontot/buntut	buttock	tail ('ekor' as commonly used in Malay, sometimes in Indonesia)
budak	kid Indonesian:anak or bocah	slave
butoh/butuh	male genitals, an offensive reference	need
cadangan	suggestion, opinion, proposal (example: peti cadangan = suggestion box) Indonesian:saran	reserve, spare (example: ban cadangan = spare tire)
comel	cute, pretty	(to call) someone who can not keep a secret (example: mulutnya comel = her mouth can't keep a secret)
daripada	A preposition that carries 5 meanings; from (to explain the origin of something) than (to do comparison) from (to protect from, to avoid from ) from (to state the sender of something) from (to state the differences)	than (comparison) (example: Kamus ini lebih baik daripada yang itu = This dictionary is better than that one)
detik	jiffy	second
doktor	doctor (medical); doctorate (educational title)	doctorate (educational title) In Indonesian, the equivalent for medical doctor is dokter
duduk	to sit, a place to live on (only used informally)	to sit, to occupy
email	electronic mail (recently changed to "emel")	enamel
gampang	bastard from 'anak gampang' lit. easy child.	easy (non-negative meaning)
getah	rubber, plant sap	plant sap
hemat	moral excellence	frugal, pennywise, save money or something e.g. electricity, gas or water usage
ibu negara	capital city	First Lady
ibu pejabat	head office	wife of an official
jabatan	department	position
jawatan	position	department
jemput	to invite, to pick up	to pick up
jeruk	pickles/preserved fruits or vegetables	orange (fruit)
jimat	frugal, pennywise, save money or something e.g. electricity	amulet (the Malay equivalent is azimat)
kacak	handsome	ber-kacak pinggang (stands with hands on your hips) The Malay equivalent is bercekak-pinggang, a phrase to mean that a person is being bossy
kadar	rate	content, level
kakak	elder sister	elder sibling (either elder brother or sister)
kakitangan	employee	subordinate (with negative meaning)
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)	to work (karyawan = workers) result of work Karya seni = work of art to create a piece of art.
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	vehicle, carriage, cart (kereta api = train, kereta kuda = horse carriage/cart, kereta gantung = cable car)
kesal	regret Indonesian:sesal	annoyed
khidmat	service Indonesian: layanan	fully concentrate
koneksi	'konek' = dick (slang/vulgar)	connection Malay: Sambungan
konfeksi	A soft solid made by incorporating a medicinal substance or substances with sugar, sirup, or honey	clothing industry, any fancy or luxurious women's clothes (Dutch: confectie. A non-standard spelling sometimes used is: "konveksi")
kurun	century	a long (time)
lucu	funny	funny, cute (slang)
mangsa	victim	prey (for animal)
mengacau	to disturb, to stir Indonesian: mengaduk	to disturb
olahraga	athletics (sport)	sport
operasi	mathematic operational symbol, tactical operation	mathematic operational symbol, police operation, operation/surgery (as in Dutch)
pajak	to mortgage, pawn	tax
paket	packet	packet, package (normally used for promotion purposes, as in Dutch)
pantas	speedily	appropriate, 'no wonder'
pantat	buttock (Sabahan Malay meaning), vagina/pussy (slang/vulgar)	buttock
pegawai	high-rank officer/officials	officials
pelan	plan (associated with architectural work, site map etc. only)	slow (perlahan in Malay)
penyelenggaraan	maintenance	organizing
pejabat	office	high-rank officer/officials (those who hold office, Malay (pegawai))
pembangkang	opposition	rebel (noun), insurgent
pemerintah	ruler	government
pengacara	master of ceremonies, host Indonesian: pembawa acara	lawyer
pengajian	studies Indonesian: pelajaran	mass recitation of Qur'an, (Islamic) teaching
penganjur	organizer	promoter
percuma	free of charge percuma can also mean free of charge in Indonesian, but its usage has become obsolete, replaced by cuma-cuma/gratis (taken from Dutch: gratis = free)	useless, not needed
perhubungan	1. connection 2. communication	1. connection 2. transportation
petang	afternoon	evening
piawai	standard; correct bahasa piawai = standard language	expert; skillful (on something)
pijat	bugs (software bugs i.e. Year 2000 bug and also commonly referring to the bed bugs)	massage Javanese pijet
pohon	tree, to plea or to beg (from basic word: "mohon")	tree
pokok	tree	essential, basic, main kebutuhan pokok = essential necessities
polis	police	(insurance) policy (as in Dutch)
polisi	policy	police (as in Dutch)
punggung	buttock	back Malay: belakang
pupuk	to nurture	fertilizer (also means 'to nurture' in the metaphorical sense of the word)
pusing	to go around a place, circular in motion, to spin/rotate Indonesian: putar	dizzy, confused, headache
putera	prince (Indonesian: Pangeran	son
rambut	hair (for head only)	hair
rayuan	appeal (neutral)	flattery, seduction (emotional or sexual connotation)
saat	second	jiffy
sarjana	master's degree	bachelor's degree
sederhana	medium, normal	simple, easy
senang	easy	happy, relax
seronok	good, enjoyable	in nonstandard usage: "impolite", "pornography-related" gambar seronok = porn picture
sulit	confidential, difficult	difficult
tambang	fare Indonesian: tarif	mine, rope (as tali tambang)
tandas	toilet	to explain, to finish
wakil	representative	vice (for example, 'vice chancellor' and 'vice president'), representative

Same words, same meaning, but different spelling

English	Standard Malay	Indonesian
account	akaun	akun
accountability	akauntabliti	akuntabilitas
accountant	akauntan	akuntan
amateur	amatur	amatir
architect	arkitek	arsitek
armed forces	tentera	tentara
auction	lelong	lelang
autonomy	autonomi	otonomi
balcony	balkoni	balkon
bell	loceng	lonceng
because (grammatical conjunction)	kerana	karena
biome	biom	bioma
bridge	jambatan	jembatan
broken, damaged	rosak	rusak
business	bisnes	bisnis
bus	bas	bus
cancer (diseases)	kanser	kanker
case (legal)	kes	kasus
cement	simen	semen
civil	sivil	sipil
community	komuniti	komunitas
concert	konsert	konser
counter	kaunter	konter
December	Disember	Desember
dialect	loghat	logat
different	beza	beda
doctor (medical practitioner)	doktor	dokter
eight	lapan	delapan
Europe	Eropah	Eropa
export	eksport	ekspor
faculty	fakulti	fakultas
finance	kewangan	keuangan
garage	garaj	garasi
dialect	loghat	logat
gonorrhea	gonorea	gonore
immigration	imigresen	imigrasi
mathematics	matematik	matematika
magistrate	majistret	magistrat
meaning	erti	arti
medication	ubat	obat
minute	minit	menit
money	wang	uang
music	muzik	musik
namely, e.g.	iaitu	yaitu
news	khabar	kabar
newspaper	surat khabar	surat kabar
number	nombor	nomor
official (adj.)	rasmi	resmi
official position	jawatan	jabatan
parliament	parlimen	parlemen
party (political)	parti	partai
passport	pasport	paspor
phase	fasa	fase
physics	fizik	fisika
popular	popular	populer
prototype	prototaip	prototipe
sauce	sos	saus
sausage	sosej	sosis
scenario	senario	skenario
scheme	skim	skema
secret	rahsia	rahasia
snow	salji	salju
sputum	kahak	dahak
station	stesen	stasiun
taxi	teksi	taksi
tempo	tempoh	tempo
thin	nipis	tipis
Thursday	Khamis	Kamis
truck, lorry	trak	truk
university	universiti	universitas
want	mahu	mau
zone	zon	zona

Syllabification

Word	Malaysian syllabification	Indonesian syllabification
Starting	Mu la i	Mu lai
Weather	Cua ca	Cu a ca

Influence from English

One of the most important aspect in differences between Malaysian and Indonesian is the degree of influence from English. Apart from being heavily influenced by the Dutch language, Indonesian language also adopted a significant number of English loanwords in its vocabulary, although English did not play significant role on the Indonesian language and in fact most of these vocabulary are of Dutch origin – Dutch and English share a similar Germanic origin, and Dutch has also borrowed from Latin, although to a lesser extent than English. There have been many changes in Indonesian as a result of its historical development. Words have been freely borrowed from English and only partly assimilated, in many cases, to the Indonesian patterns of structure.

By the late 1970s, English words began pouring into the language, leading one commentator, writing in 1977, to refer to the "trend towards Indo-Saxonization", known in Indonesian as pengindosaksonan. Many loanwords from English sometimes fulfill no communicative need, expressing concepts adequately covered by existing words. Among the examples are: akurat instead of tepat (accurate), aliansi in the place of sekutu (alliance), eksis rather than wujud (exist), kandidat as well as calon (candidate), konklusi instead of kesimpulan (conclusion), kontaminasi in the place of pencemaran (contamination), opini rather than pendapat (opinion) and opsi in the place of pilihan (option). Contrary to its Indonesian counterpart, Malay has shown a remarkable resilience, despite formerly being part of British Empire. However, these pengindosaksonan is not directly borrowed from English, but through their (possible) cognates in Dutch pronunciations as Pedoman Umum Pembentukan Istilah is heavily influenced by Dutch pronunciation.

Some in Indonesia view this trend of excessive borrowings as "language dynamism", while some Malaysian linguists called it mass "language pollution", and lack of creativity in creating new terms.

Example

The original text in Indonesian:

Apabila peraturan pakta stabilitas Eropa dihormati sampai ke detailnya, rasio utang publik dibanding produk domestik bruto pada hari krisis akan berada di posisi 10 persentase poin kurang dalam zona euro, katanya.

The same text rendered in Malaysian:

Apabila peraturan pakatan kestabilan Eropah dihormati secara terperinci, nisbah hutang awam berbanding keluaran dalam negara kasar pada zaman krisis akan berada di kedudukan 10 mata peratusan kurang dalam zon euro, kata beliau.

English translation:

If the European stability pact rules had been respected in detail, the ratio of public debt to gross domestic product on the days of crisis would have been at the position 10 percentage points less in the eurozone, he said.

Convergence of vocabulary

The rift of evolution between the two languages is based more on political nuance and the history of their formation than on cultural reasons. As a result, views regarding each other's languages differ amongst Malaysians and Indonesians. In Malaysia, the national language is Malaysian; in Indonesia, it is Indonesian. Malaysians tend to assert that Malaysian and Indonesian are merely different varieties of the same language, while Indonesians tend to treat them as separate – albeit closely related – languages. The result of this attitude is that the Indonesians feel little need to synchronize their language with Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei, whereas the Malaysians are keener to coordinate the evolution of the language with the Indonesians. However, both parties have realized that communication benefits from mutually comprehensible and intelligible languages, which motivated efforts to synchronize the languages' development. The effort to synchronize both languages' evolution to increase their mutual intelligibility has been embarked by imposing standard rules of language. This process is headed by Pusat Bahasa on the Indonesian side and Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka as its Malaysian counterpart. Authorities in both Brunei and Singapore generally abide by the Malaysian standard in disputes.

Sample

The following texts are excerpts from the official translations of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in Indonesian and Malay, along with the original declaration in English.

• Indonesian text sample:

Maka,

Majelis Umum memproklamasikan

PERNYATAAN UMUM TENTANG HAK ASASI MANUSIA sebagai satu standar umum keberhasilan untuk semua bangsa dan negara, dengan tujuan agar setiap orang dan setiap badan dalam masyarakat dengan senantiasa mengingat Pernyataan ini, akan berusaha dengan jalan mengajar dan mendidik untuk menggalakkan penghargaan terhadap hak-hak dan kebebasan-kebebasan tersebut, dan dengan jalan tindakan-tindakan progresif yang bersifat nasional maupun internasional, menjamin pengakuan dan penghormatannya secara universal dan efektif, baik oleh bangsa-bangsa dari negara anggota sendiri maupun oleh bangsa-bangsa dari daerah-daerah yang berada di bawah kekuasaan hukum mereka.

Pasal 1

Semua orang dilahirkan merdeka dan mempunyai martabat dan hak-hak yang sama. Mereka dikaruniai akal dan hati nurani dan hendaknya bergaul sesama lain dalam semangat persaudaraan.

• Malay text sample:

Maka dengan ini,

Perhimpunan Agung mengisytiharkan

PERISYTIHARAN SEJAGAT HAK ASASI MANUSIA ini sebagai suatu ukuran bersama terhadap pencapaian oleh seluruh umat manusia dan kesemua negara dengan tujuan supaya setiap individu dan setiap badan masyarakat, dengan sentiasa mengingati Perisytiharan ini, hendaklah berazam melalui pengajaran dan pendidikan bagi memajukan sanjungan terhadap seluruh hak-hak dan kebebasan ini dan secara langkah-langkah berperingkat-peringkat, di bidang negara dan antarabangsa, bagi menjaminkan pengkitirafan dan pematuhan sejagatnya yang berkesan, kedua-duanya di antara negara-negara anggota masing-masing dan rakyat wilayah-wilayah di bawah bidang kuasa mereka.

Perkara 1.

Semua manusia dilahirkan bebas dan samarata dari segi kemuliaan dan hak-hak. Mereka mempunyai pemikiran dan perasaan hati dan hendaklah bertindak di antara satu sama lain dengan semangat persaudaraan.

• The original English version of the text:

Now, therefore,

the General Assembly proclaims

this UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS as a common standard of achievement for all peoples and all nations, to the end that every individual and every organ of society, keeping this Declaration constantly in mind, shall strive by teaching and education to promote respect for these rights and freedoms and by progressive measures, national and international, to secure their universal and effective recognition and observance, both among the peoples of Member States themselves and among the peoples of territories under their jurisdiction.

Article 1

All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.

External links

• The Malay Spelling Reform, Asmah Haji Omar, (Journal of the Simplified Spelling Society, 1989-2 pp. 9–13 later designated J11)
• Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia. 2008. Pusat Bahasa, Departemen Pendidikan Nasional
• Senarai komprehensif perbezaan ejaan Malaysia dan ejaan Indonesia, Hiroki Nomoto, Nahoko Yamashita, Ayano Osaka (orthographic differences between Standard Malay and Indonesian)