List of loanwords in Malay

The Malay language has many loanwords from Sanskrit, Persian, Tamil, Greek, Latin, Portuguese, Dutch, certain Chinese dialects and more recently, Arabic (in particular many religious terms) and English (in particular many scientific and technological terms). Modern Malay loanwords are now primarily from English, Arabic and Javanese. English is the language of trade and Arabic is the language of religion (Islam), although key words such as surga/ syurga (heaven) and the word "religion" itself (agama) reflect their Sanskrit-Hindu origins. Many Javanese words, including those of Sanskrit origin, are being assimilated into Malay because of the influence of Indonesian.

While based on Malay itself, Indonesian is traditionally more influenced by Javanese and Sundanese, as the Javanese are the largest ethnic group in Indonesia, with Javanese having the largest number of native speakers. Dutch influence over Indonesian vocabulary also is significant, as the Malay language itself was favored and adopted due to its trading benefit during VOC era over the archipelago, leading to mass loanword and influence over the modern Indonesian language. It is known that at least one third of the Indonesian vocabulary grew under Dutch influence.

There are some words in Malay which are spelled exactly the same as in its other language counterparts, e.g. in English – museum (Indonesian), hospital (Malaysian), format, lesbian, transit etc. In contrast, some Malay words have been loaned into other languages, e.g. in English – rice paddy ("Padi"), Orangutan, rattan, babirusa,^[1] cockatoo,^[2] compound,^[3] gong, tuak, sago,^[4]^[5] cootie,^[6] amok, durian, agar, rambutan, keris, Pantoum/pantun,^[7] "so long",^[8] angrecum (anggrek/ anggrik), cassowary,^[9] gingham, caddy, camphor (kapur), Gutta-percha (getah perca), launch, parang, sarong, dammar, gambir.

The Malay language has also heavily influenced the forms of colloquial English spoken in Malaysia, also known as Manglish.

Some examples as follows:

This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by expanding it with reliably sourced entries.

Word	English translation	From language	Word
abjad	alphabet/alefbet	Arabic	أبجد / ʾabjad
abolisi	abolition	Latin	abolitia
akta	act (law)	Latin	actus
aktivitas \| aktiviti	activity	English	activity
ad interim	temporarily	Latin	ad interim
Ahad	Sunday	Arabic	الأحد / al-ʾaḥad
ahli	community, expert	Arabic	ahlil
agama	religion	Sanskrit	agama/dharma
aksara	alphabetic letter, key	Sanskrit	अक्षर / akṣara
almari (Indonesian: "lemari")	cupboard	Portuguese	armário
almamater	revered name for one's university	Latin	alma mater: wise and nurturing mother
amnesti	amnesty, state-granted pardon	Latin	amnestia
anggur	grape	Persian	انگور / angūr
angkasa	outer space, sky (literary)	Sanskrit	ākāśa "sky"
anugerah	award, blessing	Sanskrit	anugraha अनुग्रह "favour"
apam	kind of cake or Hoppers	Tamil	apam அப்பம்
askar	soldier	Arabic	عسكري / ʿaskarī
asmara	love, passion	Sanskrit	smara
badam	almond	Persian	بادام / bādām
bahasa	language	Sanskrit	bhāṣā, Tami lபாஷை / pAsai
bahaya	danger	Sanskrit	bhaya भय "risk, peril"
baki	remainder, leftover	Arabic	بقية / baqiyaẗ
bakti	homage, devotion, service etc.	Sanskrit	bhakti
baldi (not used in Indonesian)	bucket	Portuguese	balde
bandar	port/town	Persian	بندر / bandr
bangku	stool/chairs	Portuguese	banco
bangsa	nation, race	Sanskrit वंश	vaṃśa "lineage, race" - cf. "wangsa"
bus \| bas	bus	English	bus, from Latin "omnibus"
bayu (lit.)	wind	Sanskrit	वायु / vàyu
bendera	flag	Portuguese	bandeira
bendi (in Indonesian, it means "gig", different with "bhendi" in Hindi)	okra/lady's finger	Hindi	भेंडी bhēṇḍī, Tamil vendi / வெண்டி
beta	I (as used by royalty)	the Moluccan dialect
becak \| beca	Trishaw	Hokkien	馬車,马车 / bé-tshia "horse-cart"
beda \| beza	difference	Sanskrit	bheda
biara	monastery	Sanskrit	bihara
bidadari	fairy, angel	Sanskrit	विद्याधरी / vidyàdharī "fay, sprite"
bina	to build	Sanskrit	bhinna different, fresh, new
bihun	rice vermicelli	Hokkien	米粉 / bí-hún
biola	violin	Portuguese	viola
biskuit \| biskut	biscuit	English	biscuit
bohsia	sexually active girl	Hokkien	無聲 bô siaⁿ 'without voice'
bomba (not used in Indonesian)	fire brigade	Portuguese	bomba, "pump", or bombeiro, "fireman", lit. "pumper"
boneka	doll	Portuguese	boneca
bola	ball	Portuguese	bola
buat	do	Sanskrit	wuat
budi	reason, virtue	Sanskrit	boddhi, related to buddhism
buku	book	Dutch	boek
bumi	earth	Sanskrit	bhūmi "land"
cadar	bed linen	Persian	چادر / chādar "cloak"
cawan	cup	Mandarin	茶碗,茶碗 / cháwǎn '“tea bowl”
cendana	sandalwood	Sanskrit	चन्दन / candana
cukup	enough	Mandarin	足够 / zúgòu
dacin \| dacing	scales	Mandarin	台秤 / táichèng
dakwah	sermon	Arabic	دعوه / daʿwah
delima	pomegranate, ruby	Sanskrit	dálima / दाडिम "pomegranate"
demokrasi	democracy	Greek	δημοκρατία / dēmokratía
dekan	dean	Portuguese	decano
denda	fine, punishment	Sanskrit	danda दण्ड
desa	countryside	Sanskrit	deśa देश "country"
dewan	hall	Persian	دیوان / dīvān "administration"
dewi	Goddess	Sanskrit	devi
diam	Shut Up	Hokkien (MinNan)	恬去 / tiām--khì
dirgahayu	"long live" (Dirgahayu Tuanku! - Long live the King!)	Sanskrit	dirghayu
deskriptif	descriptive	English	descriptive
dobi	laundry	Hindi	धोबी / dhobī "caste of laundrymen who used to wash people's clothes in bygone days"
duka	sadness	Sanskrit	duhkha
dunia	world	Arabic	دنيا / dunyā
durjana	evil, wicked, malicious	Sanskrit	durjana
email \| emel	email	English	email
erti (Indonesian variant "arti")	meaning	Sanskrit	arta
falsafah	philosophy	Arabic	Arabic فلسفه / falsafah, from Ancient Greek φιλοσοφία / philosophía
fitnah	slander	Arabic	فتنة / fitnaẗ "upheaval, scandal"
forum	forum	Latin	forum
gajah	elephant	Sanskrit	gaja गज
gandum	wheat	Persian	گندم / gandm
garasi \| garaj	garage	English	garage
garpu	fork	Portuguese	garfo
gereja	church	Portuguese	igreja
grafik	graphic	English	graphic
gratis (mainly in Indonesian usage)	for free	Dutch	gratis
guru	teacher	Sanskrit	guru
had	limit	Arabic	حد / ḥadd
halal	permitted	Arabic	حلال / ḥalāl
haram	forbidden	Arabic	حرام / ḥarām
harta	asset	Sanskrit/Tamil	artta/அர்த்தம்
hartal	strike/civil disobedience	Gujarati	હડતાળ / haḍtāḷ, હડતાલ / haḍtāl
hasta	hasta (unit)	Sanskrit	hásta हस्त
hina	lowly, inferior	Sanskrit	hīnna
hisab	counting/arithmetic	Arabic	حساب / ḥisāb
humaniora	humanities	Latin	humaniora
huruf	word character/letter	Arabic	حرف / ḥurf
ilmu	knowledge/science	Arabic	علم / ʿilm
Isnin (Indonesian: "Senin")	Monday	Arabic	الإثنين / al-ʾiṯnayn
istana	palace	Sanskrit	ásthána आस्थान assembly/audience hall
jawab	to answer	Arabic	جواب / jawāb
jelata	the masses	Sanskrit	janatá जनता "community"
jendela (mainly in Indonesian usage)	window	Portuguese	janela
Jumat \| Jumaat	Friday	Arabic	الجمعة / al-jumʿaẗ
Kamis \| Khamis	Thursday	Arabic	الخميس / al-ḫamīs
kaca	glass (material)	Sanskrit	kāca काच "glass, lens"
kamus	dictionary	Arabic	قاموس / qāmūs
kantata	song	Latin	cantata
kapal	boat	Tamil	kappal கப்பல்
kaunter (Indonesian: konter (alternative of loket))	counter, desk	English	counter
kedai	foodstall	Tamil	kadai கடை
keju	cheese	Portuguese	queijo
kelas	class	English	class
kemeja	shirt	Portuguese	camisa
kepala	head	Sanskrit	kapāla कपाल "skull"
karena \| kerana	because	Sanskrit	karaṇena करणेन
kasihan	pity	Mandarin	可惜 / kéxī + 遗憾,遺憾 yíhàn
kuli	coolies/ port workers	English	coolie (itself derived from an Indic language)
karton	carton (classifier for packaging)	English	carton
kartun	cartoon (animated movie)	English	cartoon
kereta	carriage, car	Portuguese	carreta
kemah \| khemah	tent	Persian/Urdu	خیمه / ḫeymah
kuil	temple/shrine	Tamil	koyil கோயில்
kismis	raisin	Persian	کشمش / kishmish
kolam	Pool of water	Tamil	kulam குளம்
kompromi	Compromise	The pronunciation (lack of the "s" phoneme) suggests that this was borrowed from French (perhaps via Dutch)	compromis
komputer	computer	English	computer
kurkuma (Malaysian: koma-koma)	saffron	Sanskrit	kuṅkuma कुङ्कुम
kongsi	share	Hokkien	kong-si 公司
korban	sacrifice	Arabic	قربان / qurbān
kota	fort	Tamil	கோட்டை / Kottai
kredo	creed	Latin	credo
kucai	chives	Hokkien	韭菜,韭菜 / kú-tshài
kuda	horse	Sanskrit	kudda
kue \| kuih	cake	Hokkien	kué 粿
kualitas \| kualiti	quality	Latin	kualitas, through Dutch: kualiteit
kurma	date	Persian	خرما / ḫurma
lancia \| lanca	rickshaw	Hokkien	人車,人车 / lâng-tshia "human drag cart"
lancar	launch	Portuguese	lançar
lelong	auction	Portuguese	leilão (archaic)
lemari (Malaysian: "almari")	cupboard	Portuguese	armário
lirik	lyrics	English	lyrics
limau	lemon/orange	Portuguese	limão
lobak	carrot	Cantonese	萝卜,蘿蔔 / lo⁴ baak⁶
lungkang \| longkang	drain	Hokkien	龍江,龙江 / liông-kang
lori	truck/lorry	English	lorry
maaf	sorry	Arabic	معاف / maʿaf
maha	great	Sanskrit	maha
makmal	laboratory	Arabic	معمل / maʿmal
mangga	mango	Tamil	mangkai மாங்காய்
mani	Sperm, semen	Sanskrit	maṇi मणि "bead, jewel, gem"
manusia	human being	Sanskrit	manuṣyá मनुष्य
masjid	mosque	Arabic	مسجد / masjid
maya	illusion (religious)	Sanskrit	maya
mentega	butter	Portuguese	manteiga
mi \| mee	noodles	Hokkien	麵,面 / mī
meja	table	Portuguese	mesa
melati	jasmine (jasminum grandiflorum)	Sanskrit	मालती / mālatī
merana	suffering, wasting away	Sanskrit	māraṇa मारण "death"
merdeka	rich, prosperous and powerful	Sanskrit	Maharddhika
merdu	melodious, tuneful	Sanskrit	मृदु / mṛdu "soft"
mesej (not used in Indonesian)	message	English	message
minggu	week	Portuguese	domingo (domingo means Sunday, "dominus" meaning "Lord" in Latin and "die dominicu" meaning "day of the Lord")
miskin	poor	Arabic	مسكين / miskīn
misi	mission	Latin	misi
mitos	myth	Greek	μύθος / mýthos
muflis	bankrupt	Arabic	مفلس / maflis
mula	to start, to begin	Sanskrit	mūla मूल origin
munafik	hypocrite	Arabic	منافق / munāfq
mungkin	maybe, perhaps, possibly	Arabic	ممكن / mumkin "possible"
mustahil	impossible	Arabic	مستحيل / mustaḥīl.
museum \| muzium	museum	English Derived from Greek, the "um" suffix is Latin	museum, from Ancient Greek μουσεῖον / mouseîon and Latin suffix "-um"
nadi	pulse, lifeline	Sanskrit	nāḍī नाडी "artery"
najis	excrement	Arabic	نجس / njis
nama	name	Sanskrit	naama नाम
naratif	narrative	English	narrative
negara	country	Sanskrit	nagara नगर "city"
nanas \| nenas	pineapple	Arabic	أناناس / ʾanānās
neraka	hell	Sanskrit	naraka
nihil	nil, nothing, zero	Latin	nihil
nota bene	actually, after look carefully, also	Latin	nota bene: examine closely
nujum	astrologer	Arabic	النجوم / an-nujūm
nila	indigo dye	Sanskrit	nīla नील "blue"
nilam	sapphire	Sanskrit	nīlam नीलं "blue"
nobat	royal ensemble music	Sanskrit	compound nau-, nav(a)- "nine" + bah "combination" = "combination of nine (musical instruments)"
Nusantara	archipelago (esp. the Malay Archipelago)	Javanese	nusantara
oknum	authority figure (police, soldier, prosecutor, judge) that perform unlawful or corrupted deed	Latin	ocnum: name personal
Paderi	priest (Christian)	Portuguese	padre
pahala	divine reward	Sanskrit	phala फल
pahlawan	hero/warrior	Persian	پﮩلوان / bahlvān
pancaragam	musical band	Sanskrit	pañca पञ्च "five" + rāga राग "melody/tune/musical note"
pau	steamed bun	Portuguese	pão (bread). This word is also behind "pau"/"pav" in Indian languages or "bāo" 包 in Chinese)
perkasa	mighty	Sanskrit	prakáśa प्रकाश "enlightened"
perpustakaan	library	Sanskrit	base word "pustaka" is the Sanskrit word for "book"
pesta	party	Portuguese	festa
pasar	market, bazaar	Persian	بازار / bāzār
peta	map	Tamil	Paṭaṁ (படம்)
perdana menteri	prime minister	Sanskrit	pradhānamantri प्रधानमन्त्रिन्
pertama	first	Sanskrit	prathama प्रथम
pertiwi	native soil, motherland	Sanskrit	pṛthivī पृथिवी/pṛthvī पृथ्वी "Prithvi", mother goddess of the earth
piala	cup (in the sense of a trophy)	Persian	پیاله / piyālah
pita	tape	Portuguese	fita
puasa	fasting	Sanskrit	upavasa
puja	idolize, worship	Sanskrit	pūjā पूजा
pura	Hindu temple, city	Sanskrit	pura city/walled enclosure
punya	possessive verb	Sanskrit	punya पुण्य merit, deserving
purnama	(of the moon) full	Sanskrit	root pūrṇa पूर्ण - cf. "sampurna"
putra \| putera	prince	Sanskrit	putra "royal son"
purba	ancient	Sanskrit	purva/poorv meaning past
rahasia \| rahsia	secret	Sanskrit	rahasya रहस्य "mysterious"
raja	king	Sanskrit	rāja
Rabu	Wednesday	Arabic	الأربعاء / al-ʾarbaʿāʾ
raksasa	monster	Sanskrit	rākṣasa राक्षस demon
rasa	taste	Sanskrit	rasa रस
ratna	jewel, gemstone	Sanskrit	ratna रत्न
renda	lace	Portuguese	renda
risiko	risk	Dutch	risico
roda	wheel	Portuguese	roda
ronda	verb, to patrol	Portuguese	verb, rondar or noun, ronda
rokok	cigarette	Dutch	roken "to smoke"
roti	bread	Sanskrit	rutti
rupa	shape, form, appearance	Sanskrit	rūpa रूप
sabda	quote, say	Sanskrit	śabda शब्द "word"
Sabtu	Saturday	Arabic	السبت / as-sabt
sabun	soap	Portuguese	sabão
sahaja	casual, relaxed (e.g. duduk bersahaja "seated casually")	Sanskrit	sahaja सहज "natural"
sains	science	English	science
sama	same	Sanskrit/Tamil	sama/samam சமம்
samseng	gangster	Hokkien	三牲 / sam-sing
sakti	miraculous power	Sanskrit	Shakthi
salju \| salji	snow	Arabic	ثلجي / ṯaljī
sekolah	school	Portuguese	escola
seks	sex	English	sex, from Latin
selamat	safe, well-being	Arabic	سلامات / salāmāt, used for greeting phrases as 'selamat pagi', etc.
Selasa	Tuesday	Arabic	الثلاثاء / aṯ-ṯulāṯāʾ
sempurna	perfect, complete	Sanskrit	sampūrṇa संपूर्ण complete(d) - cf. "purnama"
sengsara	Suffering	Sanskrit	samsara
Senin (Malaysian: "Isnin")	Monday	Arabic	الإثنين / al-ʾiṯnayn
spanduk \| sepanduk	banner	Dutch	spandoek
sekolah	school	Latin	skho·le
sepatu (mainly in Indonesian usage)	shoe	Portuguese	sapato
serigala	wolf	Sanskrit	śṛgāla शृगाल "jackal"
seteru	adversary, enemy	Sanskrit	śatru शत्रु
singa	lion	Tamil, Sanskrit	singam சிங்கம், simha सिंह
sejarah	history	Arabic	syajarah, تواريخ / tawārīḫ
serdadu \| soldadu (obsolete)	soldier	Portuguese	soldado
stadion \| stadium	stadium	Greek	στάδιον / stádion "running race in the Ancient Olympics"
status	status	Latin	status
sopir \| supir (dialectal/Indonesian)	driver	French	chauffeur
syariah	Islamic law	Arabic	الشريعة / aš-šarīʿaẗ
syukur	thankful	Arabic	شكر / šukr
surga \| syurga	heaven	Sanskrit	swargam[1]
sistem	system	English	system
suci	clean, pure	Sanskrit	śuci शुचि clean
suka	happiness	Sanskrit	sukha
sula	to impale	Sanskrit	śūla शूल stake, spear, pike
syor (not used in Indonesian)	recommendation	Mandarin	說,说 / shuō
surya \| suria	sun	Sanskrit	surya
takhta	throne	Persian	تخت / taḫt
tali	string	Sanskrit	talli
tangki	tank	Portuguese	tanque
tanglong (not used in Indonesian)	lantern	Hokkien	燈籠,灯笼 / tanglong
topan \| taufan	typhoon	Cantonese, Mandarin, Arabic, Greek	大風,大风 / daai⁶ fung¹, dàfēng, طوفان / ṭūfān, τυφών / tuphṓn
taoge \| taugeh	bean sprouts	Hokkien	豆芽,豆芽 / tāu-gê
tahu \| tauhu	bean curd	Hokkien	豆腐 / tāu-hū
tarikh	date	Arabic	التاريح / at-tārīḥ
teh O	black tea	Hokkien	茶乌,茶烏 / tê-oo
teja (archaic)	magnificence, splendor, radiance	Sanskrit	tejas तेजस्
taksi \| teksi	taxi	English	taxi
teko	teapot	Hokkien	茶壺,茶壶 / tê-KO
televisi	television	Dutch	televisie
televisyen	television	English	television
tembaga	copper	possibly Sanskrit or Spanish	tāmra ताम्र (Sanskrit) or tumbaga (Spanish). The Spanish word rather refers to a copper-gold alloy.
tempo \| tempoh	period	Portuguese	tempo "time"
topi	hat	Sanskrit	tuppi
tuala	towel	Portuguese	toalha
tukar	to exchange	Portuguese	trocar
universitas \| universiti	university	Latin	universitas
unta	camel	Sanskrit	ushtra
utama	main	Sanskrit	uttama उत्तम "principal" (adj.)
utara	north	Sanskrit	uttar(a)
waktu	time	Arabic	وقت / waqt
wangsa	dynasty	Sanskrit	vaṃśa वंश "lineage, race" - cf. "bangsa"
wanita	women	Tamil/Telugu	vanithai (Vanita in Telugu, also thought of came from Spanish word Juanita means women)
warna	colour	Sanskrit	varna
warta	news	Sanskrit	vārttā वार्त्ता
zarafah \| zirafah	giraffe	Arabic and English	زرافة / zarāfaẗ

List of loanwords in Malay

See also

References

Further reading