Malaysian language overview: the 137 languages of Malaysia

Malaysia provides a fascinating study from a language perspective. The official Malaysian language, Malay, represents one of 137 living languages spoken in the country today — 41 of which are found in Peninsular Malaysia, and the rest in Malaysian Borneo. Most are native to Malaysia; some, like English, Mandarin, and Tamil, arrived with immigrants and colonial settlement.

My Malaysian language overview could not begin anywhere other than with the numbers. According to DOSM Q4 2024 statistics, Malaysia's total population reached approximately 34.2 million. Malays account for 58.1% of the population, Chinese for 22.4%, and Indians for 6.5% — with Other Bumiputera (comprising indigenous peoples of Sabah, Sarawak, and Peninsular Malaysia) making up a further 12.3%. The United Nations has recognized Malaysia as a notable example of a multi-ethnic society maintaining linguistic and cultural harmony through institutional respect for minority languages.

In this guide:

1. Malay, Malaysia's official language
2. English
3. Tamil and Indian languages
4. Chinese languages
5. Regional languages of Peninsular Malaysia
6. Languages of Malaysian Borneo
7. Other native Malaysian languages and creoles
8. Endangered and extinct languages
9. What Malaysia's linguistic landscape means for translation
10. Frequently asked questions

Malay, Malaysia's official language

Many locals refer to Malaysia's national language as Bahasa Malaysia (the language of Malaysia), Bahasa Melayu (the language of the Malay), or simply Malaysian. Its status as national language is codified in Article 152 of Malaysia's Federal Constitution, and it is the medium of instruction at national primary schools.

Within Malaysia, Malay has approximately 19.9 million speakers — around 58% of the population. Globally, Malay is spoken as a first language by approximately 80 million people and as a first or second language by close to 300 million, counting Indonesian (Bahasa Indonesia), Bruneian Malay, and Singaporean Malay as part of the broader Malay macrolanguage. Indonesian and Malaysian Malay are closely related and partially mutually intelligible but have diverged significantly in vocabulary, spelling conventions, and formal register — making them distinct target languages for translation purposes. For more on Indonesian, see the Indonesian language overview.

Malay has ten dialects, only some of which are spoken in Malaysia. These include Kelantanese, Terengganu, Kedah, Sarawak, and Perak Malay. Malay is written primarily in the Latin-based Rumi script; the Arabic-based Jawi script retains cultural and religious significance and is also officially recognized.

English

English holds a unique position in Malaysia. It is widely spoken as a second language — approximately 72% of the population can communicate in English to varying degrees, driven by the country's colonial history and the role of English in international business and education. Sarawak has designated English as an official language alongside Malay. English is a compulsory subject in all national primary and secondary schools and is the main medium of instruction in most private universities.

Malaysian Standard English (MySE) (colloquially known as Manglish) is a distinctive English variety that blends British English conventions with vocabulary and grammatical influences from Malay, Chinese dialects, and Tamil. Manglish is widely used in informal settings and increasingly on social media, though formal professional and academic contexts use closer-to-standard British English.

Tamil and Indian languages

Over 1.8 million Tamil speakers live in Malaysia, mostly in Peninsular Malaysia. Several Tamil dialects are spoken, reflecting historic immigration patterns. Tamil is one of the three main languages of instruction in Malaysia's national-type schools (SJK(T)), where it serves as the primary medium of education for the Indian community.

Other Indian languages spoken in Malaysia include Gujarati, Hindi, Bengali, Malayalam, Punjabi, Telugu, and Urdu — each with communities of varying size, primarily in Peninsular Malaysia's urban centers.

Chinese languages

Mandarin functions as the lingua franca of Malaysia's Chinese community and the medium of instruction in Chinese vernacular schools (SJK(C)). Job market data shows that 20.8% of positions in Malaysia require Mandarin proficiency, reflecting the language's growing economic importance alongside Malaysia's trade relationships with China and Chinese-speaking markets.

Beyond Mandarin, many Malaysian Chinese also speak Hokkien, Hakka, Cantonese, Teochew, and other varieties. Approximate speaker numbers within Malaysia include: approximately 1.9 million Hokkien, 1.7 million Hakka, 1.4 million Cantonese, 1 million Teochew, and 1 million Mandarin-as-first-language speakers. Foochow, Hainanese, and Min Bei each have a few hundred thousand speakers. For more detail on the full range of Chinese language varieties, see the languages spoken in China overview.

Regional languages of Peninsular Malaysia

The languages of Peninsular Malaysia fall primarily into Malayic and Aslian families, with some exceptions.

Kedah Malay

Mainly spoken in northwestern Malaysia, Kedah Malay has around 2.6 million native speakers, including some in southern Thailand. It gave rise to several subdialects (Kedah Utara, Perlis-Langkawi, and Penang) reflecting the distinct communities along the northwestern coast.

Kelantanese Malay

Also known as Kelantan-Pattani Malay, Kelantanese Malay has around 2 million native speakers in Malaysia and approximately 3 million in Thailand. Geographically isolated by mountains and rainforest from the rest of Peninsular Malaysia, the Kelantanese variety is phonologically and lexically distinct enough to be sometimes difficult for speakers of Standard Malay to understand.

Perak Malay

With around 1.4 million speakers, Perak Malay is one of the most commonly spoken Malay dialects, contributing to the distinct identity of Perak state. It has two subdialects: Kuala Kangsar and Perak Tengah.

Terengganu Malay

Terengganu state uses Terengganu Malay as a lingua franca across multiple ethnic groups. It is mutually intelligible with Kelantan-Pattani and Pahang Malay, with total speakers numbering well over 1 million.

Negeri Sembilan Malay

People in Negeri Sembilan and Alor Gajah speak this variety of Malay. Many scholars consider it a dialect or variant of Minangkabau. Native speakers number around 500,000. For more on the difference between a language and a dialect, Tomedes examines the distinction in detail.

Southern Thai

Spoken primarily in southern Thailand, Southern Thai also has clusters of speakers in northern Malaysia — around 70,000 of its approximately five million speakers. Locals in Malaysia refer to it as Pak Thai or Dambro.

Semai

Native to western Malaysia, Semai has around 44,000 speakers and is the only Aslian language of Malaysia considered unendangered. About 2,000 Semai speakers use it exclusively as their language of daily life.

Jakun

Considered a dialect of Malay by some scholars and a separate language by others, Jakun has around 28,000 speakers, most living on the eastern coast of Peninsular Malaysia and further inland.

Other Peninsular Malaysian languages

Peninsular Malaysia is home to many other native languages, including Temuan, Temiar, Baba Malay, Jah Hut, Semelai, Duano', Mah Meri, Kristang, Semaq Beri, Orang Seletar, Batek, Jahai, Semnam, Cheq Wong, Jedek, Minriq, Kensiu, Lanoh, Mintil, Kintaq, Chitty Malay, and Orang Kanaq.

Languages of Malaysian Borneo

Malaysian Borneo preserves many languages from the North Bornean, Land Dayak, Melanau-Kajang, Kayan-Murik, Sama-Bajaw, Malayic, and Philippine branches of the Austronesian family. The North Bornean branch has the greatest number of speakers overall.

Iban

With around 790,000 native speakers and a further 700,000 second-language speakers, Iban is the most widely spoken indigenous language in Malaysian Borneo. Most Iban speakers live in Sarawak. Iban was added to Google Translate in 2024, representing a significant step in technological support for indigenous language preservation.

Sarawak Malay

Sarawak is home to around 600,000 speakers of Sarawak Malay. Linguists debate whether to classify it as a language or a vernacular of Standard Malay — but speakers of Standard Malay often cannot understand it, which has practical implications for translation and government communication in Sarawak.

Bajaw

Bajaw is used across the Malaysian states of Sabah, Labuan, and Sarawak, with more than 430,000 speakers.

Suluk

Originating from the Philippines (where it is called Tausug), Suluk is spoken by more than 205,000 people in eastern Sabah. Its presence reflects centuries of trade and migration between the southern Philippines and Malaysian Borneo.

Dusun

Also known as Bunduliwan, Dusun has around 140,000 speakers in Malaysian Borneo.

Melanau

Melanau has approximately 110,000 native speakers, most living in Sarawak.

Other languages of Malaysian Borneo

Malaysian Borneo is home to dozens of further languages with smaller speaker communities, including Lelak, Seru, Bukitan, Sekapan, Tutoh, Tring, Kajaman, Papar, Sungai, Lahanan, Serudung, Sugut Dusun, Kanowit, Central Dusun, Ukit, Sama, Biatah, Brunei Bisaya, Coastal Kadazan, Rungus, Mainstream Kenyah, Tagol, Sian, Bukar Sadong, Jangkang, Punan Batu, Jagoi, Iranun, Sabah Bisaya, Tatana', Eastern Kadazan, Lotud, Nonukan Tidong, Bahau, Lun Bawang, Kayan, Penan, Tombonuwo, Ida'an, Kinabatangan, Lundayeh, Timugon, Kuijau, Keningau Murut, Molbog, Uma' Lasan, Kelabit, Paluan, Cocos Malay, Bintulu, Berawan, Remun, Kiput, Narom, Sa'ban, Sembakung, Sebop, Bonggi, Selungai Murut, Murik Kayan, Dumpas, Gana', Klias River Kadazan, Abai, Belait, Brunei Malay, Kendayan, Kimaragang, Maranao, and Sabah Malay.

Other native languages and creoles

Minangkabau is spoken by around 930,000 people in Malaysia, Javanese by more than 660,000, and Buginese by roughly 143,000. Acehnese, Banjarese, Cham, Kerincini, and Mandailing can also be heard in various communities.

Several creole languages thrive in Malaysia:

Kristang — a Portuguese-based creole spoken by the Kristang community, descended from Portuguese settlers in Malacca. It is now critically endangered, with only a few hundred fluent speakers remaining.

Chavacano — a Spanish-based creole, spoken by some communities in Malaysia who trace roots to the southern Philippines.

Manglish — the English-based creole widely used in informal Malaysian communication, rich with Malay, Tamil, and Chinese influences. Manglish is not a written standard but a spoken register that reflects Malaysia's multilingual character.

Endangered and extinct languages

The dominance of Malay and English in formal, educational, and commercial contexts has placed significant pressure on smaller indigenous languages. Several have already disappeared entirely, including Kenaboi, Sabüm, and Wila'. Some languages under acute threat include Orang Kanaq with approximately 80 speakers, Kintaq with around 110, Mintil with approximately 180, Lanoh with around 240, and Lengilu — which had just four remaining speakers at last count.

UNESCO classifies many of these languages as critically or severely endangered, representing irreplaceable repositories of cultural knowledge, oral history, and ecological understanding accumulated over millennia. Documentation efforts (recording grammars, vocabularies, and oral traditions before communities lose their last fluent speakers) are among the most urgent tasks in Malaysian linguistics.

The importance of linguistic and cultural diversity in business extends to these endangered languages: their loss diminishes the cultural richness that makes Malaysia's multilingual market distinctive.

What Malaysia's linguistic landscape means for translation

Malaysia's 137 languages create a complex but navigable translation environment for organizations doing business in the country or with Malaysian communities abroad.

Bahasa Malaysia is not the same as Indonesian for translation purposes. Although Bahasa Malaysia and Bahasa Indonesia share a common linguistic ancestry and are partially mutually intelligible, they have diverged significantly in vocabulary, spelling, and formal register. A document translated into Standard Indonesian will not automatically be appropriate for Malaysian audiences, and vice versa. This is one of the most common errors in Southeast Asian localization. Any project targeting Malaysia specifically requires translators working in Bahasa Malaysia, not generic "Malay."

English proficiency is high but Manglish is not Standard English. With approximately 72% of Malaysia's population able to communicate in English, English-language content has wider reach in Malaysia than in most Southeast Asian markets. However, marketing and consumer-facing content should be adapted to Malaysian norms (including awareness of Manglish vocabulary and cultural references) rather than using generic US or UK English.

Chinese-language content requires variety specification. The Malaysian Chinese community primarily uses Simplified Chinese in educational settings and Traditional Chinese in some community media. Targeting this demographic requires knowing which script and which Chinese variety (Mandarin, Cantonese, Hokkien, Hakka) is most relevant for the specific context.

Tamil translation matters for significant market segments. With over 1.8 million Tamil speakers and Tamil-medium schools serving the Indian community, Tamil-language content is essential for any organization targeting the Indian Malaysian market in healthcare, legal, financial, or consumer contexts.

East Malaysian content has distinct linguistic requirements. Sarawak and Sabah have distinct indigenous language communities, with Iban and Kadazan-Dusun the most widely spoken. For government communications, community health programs, and educational materials targeting East Malaysia, awareness of these languages is essential.

Tomedes provides professional Malay translation services across both Bahasa Malaysia and other languages of Malaysia, with certified human translators matched to the specific language, variety, and domain of every project. For a free quote, contact Tomedes — support is available 24/7.

Frequently asked questions

Q: What is the official language of Malaysia?
A: The official and national language of Malaysia is Bahasa Malaysia (also called Bahasa Melayu or Malay). Its status is enshrined in Article 152 of Malaysia's Federal Constitution. English, Chinese, and Tamil are also widely used in education, business, and daily life.

Q: How many languages are spoken in Malaysia?
A: Malaysia has 137 living languages, 41 of which are found in Peninsular Malaysia, with the remainder in Malaysian Borneo. The majority are native languages; English, Mandarin, and Tamil are the most significant imported languages.

Q: What percentage of Malaysia's population speaks Malay?
A: According to DOSM Q4 2024 statistics, Malays account for 58.1% of Malaysia's population of approximately 34.2 million. When the broader Bumiputera category (which also includes non-Malay indigenous peoples of Sabah, Sarawak, and Peninsular Malaysia) is counted, the proportion rises to approximately 70.4%.

Q: Is Bahasa Malaysia the same as Indonesian?
A: They are closely related and partially mutually intelligible but are not the same language for translation purposes. Bahasa Malaysia and Bahasa Indonesia have diverged in vocabulary, spelling conventions, and formal register. A document prepared in Bahasa Indonesia is not automatically appropriate for Malaysian audiences. For more, see the Indonesian language overview.

Q: What Chinese dialects are spoken in Malaysia?
A: The most widely spoken Chinese varieties in Malaysia are Hokkien (approximately 1.9 million speakers), Hakka (1.7 million), Cantonese (1.4 million), Teochew (1 million), and Mandarin as a first language (1 million). Mandarin additionally functions as the lingua franca of Chinese-medium education and increasingly in business contexts. Foochow, Hainanese, and Min Bei also have significant speaker communities.

Q: What is the most widely spoken indigenous language in Malaysian Borneo?
A: Iban is the most widely spoken indigenous language in Malaysian Borneo, with approximately 790,000 native speakers and a further 700,000 second-language speakers, primarily in Sarawak.