How many words are in this list?

This page gives 100 Malay words on “Function words”. The full topic holds 120 in the KoKo app: 48 at the easy level, 42 at the medium level and 30 at the hard level.

Which words should I start with?

With level 1: these are the easiest words of the topic. Move on to level 2 once they come to you without thinking, then to level 3.

How can I remember this Malay vocabulary?

By seeing each word again at longer and longer intervals, just before you forget it: that is spaced repetition. The KoKo app does it for you and tells you each day which words to review.

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.

Malay vocabulary: function words

Pronouns, articles, demonstratives, possessives: the small words of Malay grammar you cannot build a sentence without.

Here are 100 Malay words on “Function words”, translated into English and sorted from easiest to hardest.

Level 1: easy 40 words

Malay	English
sebuah	aIndefinite article, masculine singular
suatu	aIndefinite article, feminine singular
sedikit	a little
semua	allDeterminer or pronoun, masculine plural
apakah	doQuestion marker, no literal equivalent
dia sendiri	herselfReflexive pronoun, feminine singular
dia	himObject pronoun, to him or to her
-nya	hisSingular possessor, belonging to him or her
saya	ISubject pronoun, first person singular
saya	meStressed form, after a preposition or on its own
lebih daripada	more than
-ku	myPossessive determiner, before the noun
tidak	noNegative answer
tidak lagi	no longer
tidak ada apa-apa	nothingPronoun used on its own
darinya	of it
orang	one
sahaja	only
lain	other
sama	same
dia	sheSubject pronoun, feminine singular
sebahagian	somePartitive article, feminine singular
sebahagian	somePartitive article, masculine singular
itu	theDefinite article, feminine singular
itu	theDefinite article, masculine singular
mereka	theirPlural possessor, belonging to them
ada	there isExistence
ini	theseDemonstrative determiner, plural
mereka	theySubject pronoun
ini	thisDemonstrative determiner, masculine before a consonant
ini	thisDemonstrative determiner, feminine singular
kami	weSubject pronoun, first person plural
apa	whatQuestion word, object
apa	whatQuestion word, subject
apa yang	whatBefore a verb
bila	when
iya	yesYes, contradicting a negative statement
awak	youObject pronoun, informal address
awak	youSubject, informal address
anda	youSubject, formal or plural address

Level 2: medium 35 words

Malay	English
banyak	a lot of
seluruh	allDeterminer, feminine singular
semua	allDeterminer, feminine plural
sesiapa sahaja	anyone
sebanyak	as much as
setiap	eachDeterminer, before the noun
satu sama lain	each otherMutual action between two people
cukup	enough of
semua orang	everybodyPeople in general, everyone together
dia sendiri	himselfReflexive pronoun, masculine singular
bagaimana	how
saya sendiri	myself
tidak pernah	never
tidak ada orang	nobodyEveryday use
tak satu pun	nonePronoun, used on its own
tidak ada satu pun	not anyDeterminer, in a negative sentence
tidak apa pun	nothingNegation used with the verb
kami	ourPossessive determiner, belonging to us
sejumlah	several
beberapa	someIndefinite determiner, a small number
sesuatu	somethingIndefinite pronoun, an unspecified thing
itu	thatDemonstrative pronoun, refers to something far away or already mentioned
yang itu	that oneDemonstrative pronoun, masculine singular
mereka	themStressed pronoun after a preposition
itulah	there isPointing out, presenting
ini	thisDemonstrative determiner, masculine before a vowel
yang itu	thoseDemonstrative pronoun, masculine plural
terlalu banyak	too much
apa	whatOn its own or after a preposition
mana	whichInterrogative determiner, before the noun
yang	whose
mengapa	why
mengapa tidak	why not
awak	youStressed form, after a preposition
awak sendiri	yourself

Level 3: hard 25 words

Malay	English
bagaimana sahaja	any which way
apa sahaja	anything
bila-bila masa	anytime
di mana sahaja	anywhere
apa adanya	as it is
tertentu	certain
masing-masing	each onePronoun, masculine singular
masing-masing	each onePronoun, feminine singular
miliknya	his ownPossessive pronoun, used on its own
sampai mana	how far
berapa banyak	how manyFollowed by a noun, to ask about a number
milikku	minePossessive pronoun, used on its own
sebahagian besar	most
baik mahupun	neither nor
tak seorang pun	no oneFormal or legal register
diri sendiri	oneselfEmphatic form, stresses the subject
kami sendiri	ourselves
seperti itu	such
si anu	such a
mereka sendiri	themselvesReflexive pronoun, masculine plural
ini	this oneDemonstrative pronoun, refers to something close
yang itu	thoseDemonstrative pronoun, feminine plural
yang mana	which oneInterrogative pronoun, used on its own
sesiapa pun	whoever
milikmu	yoursPossessive pronoun, used on its own

Mini quiz

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

Frequently asked questions

How many words are in this list?: This page gives 100 Malay words on “Function words”. The full topic holds 120 in the KoKo app: 48 at the easy level, 42 at the medium level and 30 at the hard level.
Which words should I start with?: With level 1: these are the easiest words of the topic. Move on to level 2 once they come to you without thinking, then to level 3.
How can I remember this Malay vocabulary?: By seeing each word again at longer and longer intervals, just before you forget it: that is spaced repetition. The KoKo app does it for you and tells you each day which words to review.
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.