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Though many Malaysians speak English, learn some simple words in spoken Malay to get around. The Malay spoken in Singapore is the same as in Malaysia. The Malay language in written in Roman characters and pronunciation of consonants are similar to the English Language. Vowels are pronounced according to the word with some generalization as listed below (there are some exemptions).
Malay usage | Pronounced as | example | a | 'a' | as in | arm | eg. makan (eat), pronounced ‘ma-kan' | e | 'a' | as in | ago | eg. selamat (safe) pronounced ‘se-la-mat’ | i | 'i' | as in | sit | eg. itek (duck) pronounced ‘e-tek’ | o | 'o' | as in | bow or jaw | eg. pos (post) pronounced ‘pose’ ; orang (people) | u | 'u' | as in | put | eg. udang (prawn) pronounced ‘u-dung’ | or | 'o' | as in | home | eg. lebuh (street) pronounced ‘le-boh’ | c | 'ch' | as in | chin | eg. cantek (pretty) pronounced ‘chan-tek | sy | ' sh' | as in | shirt | eg. syah (shah ) pronounced ‘shah’ |
Continue learning words and phrases in English to Malay here |
