Which Malay words should I learn first?

The easiest words of grammar and everyday life: basic verbs, small structural words, polite phrases, numbers, family, food. This page gathers 100 of them.

What comes after these 100 words?

Carry on topic by topic: each list gives 100 words sorted into three levels. The KoKo app gathers +6,000 Malay words and brings each one back at the right moment.

Can I print this list or save it as a PDF?

Yes. The “Print the list” button at the top of the page opens your device’s print dialog: choose to save as PDF to keep the 100 words and their translation, with nothing else around them.

Your first 100 Malay words

New to Malay? Here are 100 easy words to start with: verbs, the small words of grammar and everyday vocabulary, translated into English.

These words come from the 26 grammar and everyday-life topics of KoKo. The app holds 2,397 words at this level.

Grammar 24 words

Malay	English
mengatakan	to say
membaca	to read
ketawa	to laugh
membunuh	to kill
rendah	low
baik	good
mentah	raw
keras	hard
di situ	there
di sini	here
dengan buruk	badly
sedikit	little
ke	toPreposition, movement in the direction of a place
dari	fromProvenance, origin
dan	and
atau	or
di sana	thereAdverbial pronoun of place, replaces a complement
ini	thisDemonstrative determiner, masculine before a consonant
sebahagian	somePartitive article, masculine singular
darinya	of it
masuk	to come in
naik	to get on
mengembalikan	to give back
keluar	to get out

Everyday life 76 words

Malay	English
tidak	no
ya	yes
terima kasih	thank you
hai	hiInformal greeting
satu	one
sepuluh	ten
sedikit	few
enam	six
akhir	end
Mei	May
musim panas	summer
Ogos	August
tulang	boneHard part of the skeleton
leher	neck
belakang	back
hidung	nose
lebam	bruise
rehat	rest
kesihatan	health
virus	virus
kawan	friend
bayi	baby
anak lelaki	son
suami	husbandEveryday use
gila	crazy
kecewa	disappointed
rasa kekok	embarrassment
kegembiraan	joy
kunci	key
katil	bed
dinding	wall
lantai	floor
skru	screw
kayu	wood
paku	nail
gam	glue
stokin	stockings
kerah	collar
bergaya	smart
kulit	leather
bawang putih	garlic
gandum	wheat
air	water
jus	juice
organik	organic
mangkuk	bowl
rasa lapar	hunger
rasa	flavour
beg beli-belah	bag
mahal	expensive
kod PIN	PIN code
kos	cost
jalan	street
stesen keretapi	train station
taman	park
peta bandar	map
bas	bus
bas ekspres	coach
motosikal	motorbike
pelabuhan	harbour
penerbangan	flight
bil hotel	bill
tapak pelancongan	site
pemandu pelancong	guide
celah gunung	mountain pass
timur	east
tasik	lake
paruh	beak
ayam jantan	rooster
sarang	nest
emas	gold
lengkungan	arch
besi	iron
pautan	link
halaman	page
panggilan	call

Mini quiz

5 words from this page, picked at random. Find their translation.

Frequently asked questions

Which Malay words should I learn first?: The easiest words of grammar and everyday life: basic verbs, small structural words, polite phrases, numbers, family, food. This page gathers 100 of them.
What comes after these 100 words?: Carry on topic by topic: each list gives 100 words sorted into three levels. The KoKo app gathers +6,000 Malay words and brings each one back at the right moment.
Can I print this list or save it as a PDF?: Yes. The “Print the list” button at the top of the page opens your device’s print dialog: choose to save as PDF to keep the 100 words and their translation, with nothing else around them.

How KoKo makes words stick

These lists come from KoKo, the app to learn Malay vocabulary on iPhone.