Contacts & SNS

1. Siapa nama awak?

   Si-a-pa na-ma a-wak?

   What is your name?

   Usage

   Asking someone's name

   Grammar Note

   Literally "who is your name?". Using "siapa" (who) for names is a feature of Malay, same in Indonesian.

2. Saya dari...

   Sa-ya da-ri...

   I am from...

   Usage

   Stating your origin

   Grammar Note

   "Dari" is the preposition for origin/source. Identical usage in Indonesian.

3. Boleh bagi nombor telefon?

   Bo-leh ba-gi nom-bor te-le-fon?

   Can you give your phone number?

   Usage

   Asking for someone's phone number

   Grammar Note

   "Nombor" is the Malay spelling for number. Slightly different from Indonesian "nomor".

4. Jangan lupa hubungi saya

   Ja-ngan lu-pa hu-bun-gi sa-ya

   Don't forget to contact me

   Usage

   Reminding someone to get in touch

   Grammar Note

   "Jangan" is the negative imperative (don't). Combined with "lupa" (forget) = don't forget.

5. Jumpa lagi

   Jum-pa la-gi

   See you again

   Usage

   Saying goodbye with hope of meeting again

   Grammar Note

   "Jumpa lagi" means "see you again". The same expression is used in Indonesian.

6. Apa nama penuh awak?

   A-pa na-ma pe-nuh a-wak?

   What is your full name?

   Usage

   Asking for someone's full name

   Grammar Note

   "Nama" from Sanskrit. Introduce yourself with "Nama saya..." (My name is...). Possessives follow the noun in Malay.

7. Saya dari Jepun

   Sa-ya da-ri Je-pun

   I am from Japan

   Usage

   Introducing where you come from

   Grammar Note

   "Dari" means "from". Swap the country: "dari Korea" (from Korea), "dari Australia" (from Australia).

8. Boleh tukar nombor WhatsApp?

   Bo-leh tu-kar nom-bor WhatsApp?

   Can we exchange WhatsApp numbers?

   Usage

   Exchanging contacts via the most popular messaging app in Malaysia

   Grammar Note

   WhatsApp is the most widely used messaging app in Malaysia. "Nombor" is borrowed from English "number".

9. Saya akan hubungi awak

   Sa-ya a-kan hu-bung-i a-wak

   I will contact you

   Usage

   Promising to get in touch later

   Grammar Note

   "Akan" marks future tense. Malay has no verb conjugation for tense — auxiliaries like "akan" (future) and "sudah" (completed) do this job.

10. Senang berkenalan dengan awak

    Se-nang ber-ke-na-lan de-ngan a-wak

    Nice to meet you

    Usage

    Greeting someone you've just met

    Grammar Note

    "Kenal" (know) + "ber-" + "-an" forms a reciprocal verb "berkenalan" (get to know each other). Malay affixes create rich meanings.

Browse all TravelPhrases languages