Greeting in Malaysia
Knowing how to say hello in Malaysia based on the time of day will help you break the ice with locals in a fun way while traveling in Malaysia. Although a simple "hi" or "helo" (local spelling) will work fine, practicing the greetings they use shows that you have an interest in learning a bit about the local culture.Because of the cultural diversity, most of the people in Malaysia with whom you interact will speak and understand English well. Everyone certainly knows what "hello" means. Regardless, basic greetings in Bahasa Malaysia are easy to learn.
Unlike other languages such as Thai and Vietnamese, the Malaysian language is not tonal. The rules of pronunciation are very predictable and straightforward. Making life even easier, Bahasa Malaysia implements the classical Latin alphabet so familiar to English speakers.
Malaysia |
English |
Thai |
Hello | Hello | āļŠāļ§ัāļŠāļี |
Selamat Pagi | Good morning | āļŠāļ§ัāļŠāļีāļāļāļāđāļ้āļē |
Selamat tengah hari | Good afternoon | āļŠāļ§ัāļŠāļีāļāļāļāļāļĨāļēāļāļ§ัāļ |
Selamat petang | Good evening | āļŠāļ§ัāļŠāļีāļāļāļāđāļĒ็āļ |
Apa khabar anda? | How are you ? | āđāļ็āļāļāļĒ่āļēāļāđāļĢāļ้āļēāļ? |
Harap maaf! | Sorry! | āļāļāđāļāļĐ! |
Terima Kasih | Thank You | āļāļāļāļุāļ |
Selamat tinggal | Goodbye | āļĨāļēāļ่āļāļ |