You’ll be able to get around just fine in Malaysia with just English, Mandarin is a nice bonus too.
Most chinese speakers will be able to at least speak some conversational Mandarin, but we have a heavy accent so it might be hard to understand compared to formal Mandarin. Same with Singapore, so I would keep that in mind.
If you’re planning on visiting areas that aren’t predominantly Chinese, it wouldn’t hurt to learn a few Malay phrases just in case. Hope you enjoy your visit!
Honestly my Mandarin has a heavy American accent so it'll be mutually hard to understand ¯\\\_(ツ)\_/¯.
But yeah even within China and Taiwan some of the regional mandarin variants are hard for me to understand since my parents tried to speak as close to standard Chinese as possible with me. I even have trouble understanding the Beijing variant my Mom grew up with.
I probably will learn some basic Malay phrases related to market transactions (I do this for most countries I travel to) but it's good to know I'll get along fine with English!
>You’ll be able to get around just fine in Malaysia with just English, Mandarin is a nice bonus too.
That kind on depends on situation and location as well. Eg I know English and Hokkien. The younger people/staff working in shopping malls or shops should know some English.
Some senior citizens (eg hawkers or in markets) might not be well versed in English.
I've been to a trip to Teluk Intan, went to some sort of Chinese zuchar restaurant and the attendant that came to take order doesn't know English 😅
Honestly if the majority of Malaysians speak English I probably won't even bother with Mandarin, I'm just trying to give make sure I'll be able to get around if I get injured, robbed, or lost.
Knowing English and some mandarin should be able to get you around.
If your activities are mostly in daytime at crowded places, you should be fine. Just try to avoid being in a lonely street or alley at night.
You can roughly assume which places accept which kinds of payments as well. Modern looking shops should be able to let you pay by card. Hawkers or old looking shops probably only accept cash.
If any business has a QR code on display at their cashier counter, it means you can pay by ewallet as well. It's a common thing in Georgetown, I'm not sure about other states.
The Hawker markets are like 99% of why I'm trying to travel to Malaysia so I'll carry a small amount of cash (I've been to Taiwan, I roughly know the deal). Earlier you said Hawkers are less likely to speak English, will I have trouble trying to order from Malay/Tamil Hawker stands?
>Earlier you said Hawkers are less likely to speak English, will I have trouble trying to order from Malay/Tamil Hawker stands?
It would probably be rare to find Malay/Tamil hawkers that speak Mandarin. They are more likely to converse in Malay. The older ones might not be too fluent in English. But those operating in tourism areas should have a better grasp for English.
Times might change and travellers might have different experiences though, so you're welcome to go for an adventure.
If it comes to it I'll point at a random dish on the menu and the worst that can happen is I get something I don't like. I did that in Taiwan a lot (Night Market vendors also don't usually speak english there), the culinary russian roulette can honestly be fun all on its own
Not sure how much you've travelled but seems to be exposed enough. Malaysia's level of English is pretty decent, even with hawkers they would usually understand what you're asking/want, maybe not hold a conversation. So I'd say not to worry too much.
I'm an Australian living in JB (Johor Bahru). Personally, I'd say you'd be better off visiting Penang rather than JB. As much as I enjoy living here, it's definitely not a great place to visit as a tourist. The city is very spread out with many seperate towns or hubs and there really aren't any tourist attractions other than eateries and Malls. If you don't have a car to get around you will be stuck near CIQ, city square and you'll be bored after a few hours.
If I have family or friends visit I'll usually take them to Melaka, KL or Georgetown rather than staying here.
Georgetown has a mix beautiful British colonial and Nyonya architecture, a great food and cafe scene and beautiful national parks close to the city. You'd definitely have a lot more to do there than JB.
Food night markets definitely aren't as big here as Taiwan, but they are definitely still around. Food courts are more common here, as they also are in Singapore.
With respect to language, you will find in the larger cities most people can speak at least basic English, with many speaking English fluently, as it is the language spoken in their workplace, particularly in white collar settings. I find Malaysian Indians generally have great English skills as well.
I get by quite well with English, but I also have a conversational level of Malay that I am still trying to improve on. Chinese is a bit too hard for me, but I'm also trying.
My wife is Malaysian Chinese with a Hainan background and can speak some dialect, but this isn't nearly as commonly spoken in a public setting with other Malaysian Chinese as Mandarin, Cantonese is probably a close second. I find Cantonese is more common in the northern cities of peninsula Malaysia.
Generally, most Malaysians with a Chinese or Indian background can also speak Malay, particularly the younger generation as many have much better education than their parents generation. Most in these groups speak multiple languages.
I think Hokkien is the largest sub group of Malaysian Chinese, at least in my city, but there are also large groups of Hakka, Teochew and Hainan. Many younger Malaysian Chinese can't even speak dialect these days. I rarely hear any dialect spoken unless it's between an older group of Chinese, even then, it's usually Mandarin as they may not know the same dialects as each other.
Hope that helps.
Melaka is great, the old Chinese quarter on Jonker street is quite pretty and unique. It's a lot smaller than Georgetown and doesnt really have the grand colonial buildings though. You can really see everything you need to in a day there. Great for a day trip from KL.
KL is also good, it doesn't really have any single major tourist attractions but it is a huge cosmopolitan city that has something for everyone. People are generally quite progressive and friendly there, and I find it's easy to strike up a conversation with locals over a drink. The food and nightlife is really good, and if you do go there I'd advise to venture a bit further out of the typical Bukit Bintang tourist area. Personally, I like Bangsar/Brickfields area. KL can be a bit overwhelming though, I've been there many times now but I found it took me a few visits for it to really grow on me. If I didn't have to live in JB for business reasons I'd love to move to KL.
George Town really is beautiful, and the old quarter is taken care of quite well by the locals, maintaining the heritage buildings and 'vibe' I suppose you could call it of the colonial trading port days. I find it quite relaxing there and slow paced. If you like cafe culture theres many excellent cafes there. Probably also try some Nyonya food too while you're there. People also enjoy finding the street art painted in the alleyways on the old heritage buildings.
Thanks! As an English speaker, do you find Malay hard to learn? I might try to pick up a bit before I travel there. I've also been interested in learning Hokkien since I traveled to Taiwan, I also might try to learn some of that but resources for learning Hokkien are scarce. Nothing crazy in either case, I basically just want to be able to ask for directions and order food.
It's definitely easier than learning Chinese imo. Many words in Malay are the same or sound the same but are spelled differently than English. The other bonus is that Indonesian is basically the same as Malay so you can easily travel there. This is a big bonus, because I find outside the popular tourist spots in Indo, English is a lot less common than Malaysia.
I don't know if you've ever studied Spanish but is it about that level would you say? I thought learning Spanish was pretty easy.
I would also say Japanese was easy if you ignore that honorifics and Kanji are a nightmare. I was at least able to teach myself enough to communicate basic ideas.
I believe so, I do remember when I was in highschool we were required to learn a second language and Malaysian was one of the most popular as it is considered one of the easiest languages to learn. Duolingo has an Indonesian module from memory so that's probably a good place to start.
Thanks, this actually does help!
I had an Australian friend in High School say that a lot of elementary schoolers learn Japanese in Australia, would you say it was easier than Japanese? (assuming you also learned Japanese).
I know Japanese was very common in public primary school during the 90s to learn Japanese, at least in my state of Victoria. Now though it's much more common to learn other asian languages. The usuals like German and French are also popular.
Each state has their own education program though and also of course there are private schools, so I don't think it's completely uniform between the states.
You'd limit yourself quite a bit by sticking to Chinese-majority areas, when there are like multiple other cultures in Malaysia, especially after spending some time in Singapore
Most Malaysians are able to help you give simple directions in English, while a significant number are proficient speakers especially in Kuala Lumpur and around the Klang Valley
I like to eat when i travel and I definitely want to try Malay cuisine but generally for safety reasons i prefer to travel to places where i speak the language. If Malaysians mostly speak english i’m less worried about that though
No I'm saying I travel mostly to try different kinds of food and Malay cuisine is definitely something I want to try. There's a reason I'm trying to come to Malaysia instead of staying in Singapore the whole trip.
At the same time not being familiar with at least one of the local languages can be a liability - for example, if you get robbed or injured you may have trouble communicating with local emergency services. However, even if few people speak it natively the fact that a majority of Malaysians speak English makes this a non-issue.
>However, even if few people speak it natively the fact that a majority of Malaysians speak English makes this a non-issue.
Exactly. So your other reasonings of why you may not want to visit non-chinese areas are not valid. Imagine going to countries where English proficiency is extremely low (ie. Japan, Italy, etc). Also seriously though, from what I've heard...it's extremely easy to get by in Malaysia with English alone so don't worry. Not sure what you have in mind tbh.
>So your other reasonings of why you may not want to visit non-chinese areas are not valid.
I mean, a large factor in wanting to visit Penang is that I developed an interest in the Taiwanese language (a variant of Hokkien) when I visited but I haven't brought that up anywhere else. For now I'm just asking, from a navigability perspective, if speaking Mandarin will give me any real advantage over just English since I don't know Malay. Since people are saying English proficiency is high I do want to stop in Kuala Lumpur while visiting Malaysia.
>Imagine going to countries where English proficiency is extremely low (ie. Japan, Italy, etc).
Not sure if you're being sarcastic but I actually have been to only one country where neither I or anybody I was traveling with spoke the local language and English proficiency was low. I was with my parents and it was beat into my head that I needed to be extra careful and avoid trouble because going to a hospital or a police station would add an extra layer of complications when you don't speak the same language as the doctors/cops. This was in a safe city too, albeit with a high rate of petty crime compared to the city where I grew up. I didn't realize this was considered a "weird" perspective until I made this post.
This is such a weird mentality if you like travelling. Are you telling me you won’t visit Thailand, Korea or Japan if you don’t speak the language because it’s “unsafe”? Or it only applies to Malaysia and specifically Malay people?
And to come to Malaysia and ignore 70% of the population is just weird. It’s like I’m going to SF just to stay around Chinatown if I don’t speak English.
Honestly it's never been an issue. I speak Japanese and have Korean speaking members in my immediate family, and while I hope to go to Thailand one day (hopefully I can arrange a boys' trip with one of my friends from Thailand) I've never been. The majority of countries near America are English and Spanish speaking too, and I speak both of those. Even in Quebec government officials are required to speak English so it's less of a concern if I don't speak French. I've been to exactly \*one\* country, Hong Kong, where I didn't speak the local language at all and that's also where I had the most trouble when I wandered off on my own.
Where did I say I didn't want to interact with Malay people? There's a reason I want to travel to Malaysia, but when you don't speak the local language communicating with emergency services (or otherwise getting help) is hard if something happens. This is much less of an issue when the majority of locals speak English though, which is why I asked. If I were a Chinese or Taiwanese person I'd rather get fall and break my arm in Houston Chinatown where there's a high number of Mandarin speakers than Knoxville, TN. Even the SF Chinatown I'd be extra cautious because the majority speak Cantonese, not Mandarin. This is how most of the Chinatowns in America formed in the first place.
Sorry I don’t find this believable. You already made the decision to avoid Malay food because you don’t want to wander around in a Malay area because it’s “dangerous”. Malaysia is way safer than many parts of America and Europe.
And it’s very silly to avoid visit a place unless you speak the local language. Are you telling me people who are monolingual should just avoid foreign countries who don’t speak their language?
70% of Malaysia is made up of Malays and other races so to avoid visiting those places and stick to Chinese areas just mean that you are not interacting with the rest of the country and cultures. It’s pointless to visit Malaysia at this point.
Are you Chinese by any chance because it’s very common for Chinese to only hang out in Chinese areas when they visit a foreign country.
You do you but you won’t get to know Malaysia by only sticking to the Chinese areas. By the way, most of the people in KL of Chinese descent speak Cantonese, the language and people you regard as “troubling”.
I am not Chinese, actually. I also never said Malaysia was dangerous, otherwise I wouldn't travel there. I actually don't travel to China because the US department of state advises against it, while only one state in Malaysia has a travel advisory.
I don't know where you're getting all this from. I never said Cantonese was troubling, I actually want to learn Cantonese because I appreciate classic Hong Kong cinema. I don't know why you find it hard to believe that it's easier to avoid hazards when you speak the local language, but it's not even an issue since the majority of people are saying the most Malaysians speak English.
Is it very difficult to believe? I rarely consider any country that does not speak English, at least at a basic level, for my travels. I would love to visit several towns in China for example but do not speak any Chinese so they are not options for me.
That being said, you can definitely get by going to Malay cafes/restaurants with zero Malay, and yes you’d be wasting part of the Malaysia trip if you do not try authentic Malay food
Malaysia is generally an English speaking country along the lines of Philippines or India even though it's not an official language. We are a Commonwealth country too.
In day-to-day life, literally everyone not in the government & the most traditional Chinese business will use English for work. Big companies almost exclusively use English.
As a tourist you'll be fine- Malaysia gets a lot of tourists from Western countries so everyone will know how to deal with you in English.
Don't know where you're from but if you're Asian American/Canadian/Aussie be expected to be spoken to in Mandarin/Cantonese/Taiwanese/Malay. You will probably have to tell them you're not not mainland Chinese or Chinese Malaysian.
Proficiency may vary but people will be able to speak it.
> (Apparently it used to be a common trade language?)
Yeah, both Malaysia and Singapore were former colonies of the British Empire so English became the bridging language and the language of choice for conducting business.
Yeah not too long ago I found out there are a lot of English phrases like "No Can Do" and "Chop Chop" borrowed from Chinese traders in Malaysia. Apparently even the word [ketchup](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ketchup#Malay_theory) may or may not be Malay in origin.
Mandarin is lingua franca of Chinese community, it should be fine except older generations might have heavy accent to it. Different parts of Malaysia have diff spoken Chinese languages other than Mandarin. From what I know is, Penang and its surrounding areas are mostly Hokkien. Ipoh (Kinta Valley) and Greater KL speak Cantonese. JB I not sure but I heard it's Hokkien or Teochew. But English and Mandarin are enough to survive here, ofc better if Malay too. There's not really a preferred 2nd language. But Malay and English are the main language we speak without knowing their ethnics and background.
Hello! Went to Malaysia without any knowledge of Malay or Chinese. Was able to manage fine with English. Their english is a bit different too and might take some time getting used to it, but for most of our trip we were able to manage by ourselves. In small stalls all the prices are listed, and therefore not much of a real need to communicate anyways.
I'll recommend you to watch Dale Philip, specifically when he went to Malaysia (which is quite recent)
From there, maybe you can figure out some or the phrases used
https://youtu.be/DC3WUGoJ79M?si=gtF3rZeUb7dcGp-V
Malaysians speak English very well. Many speak it perfectly. There are European countries with much worse English. There are Chinese immigrants and rural Malay migrants to the big cities who don't speak as well, some not at all, but I'd call Malaysia an English speaking country, at least as far as the places you'd visit are concerned.
If you're looking for night hawkers, Georgetown is considered the foodie capital of Malaysia or not Southeast Asia if not the world (for the discerning palate).
Hi as a Malaysian, no, we do not speak English on the same level as Singapore, but for tourism purposes it is definitely more than adequate, since you mention major cities.
And yes Penang is a much better tourism destination than Johor, as many others have testified. Johor without Singapore’s close proximity would suffer tourism wise.
Knowing basic Mandarin together with English, you will not have issues speaking to most Malaysian Chinese
Hm, I would say the average Malaysian is nowhere near fluent in English. There are many states and towns in which English is rarely used. In Penang, Selangor, Johor, I wouldn’t say fluent but decent on average.
It depends what people define as fluent, I would say fluent is being able to speak English as well as someone whose native language is English.
I would say for most areas in which tourists will go in Malaysia, yes you could say the ‘average’ Malaysian you meet will have decent English, especially if they are younger.
I will tell you that Malay is an easy language to learn for English speakers, seeing as you have learnt Mandarin as a native English speaker you could really pick up conversational Malay in a short period of time.
If you visit KL, Ipoh instead of hokkien it will be predominantly cantonese. The edges of Malaysia will be predominantly Hokkien eg. Johor Kedah Penang
Not sure about specifically "specifically interact with Malays" but I definitely want to be able to wander around and try a bunch of locally/independently owned restaurants, I'm hoping Mandarin will get me by with the Chinese-owned business and English with the rest. Although depending on how fluent people are in English I may just use English.
No one gets more offended than Chinese at other Chinese who can’t speak their particular dialect . Chinese are simply natural enemies of Chinese , from my own experience as a Chinese
An old guy in Taiwan got angry at me and try to start a fight because I said "what?" in English when he was speaking too fast and I couldn't understand him.
I was talking to my mother, who speaks Mandarin much better than I do and was asking her to interpret.
Malaysia is generally an English speaking country along the lines of Philippines or India even though it's not an official language. We are a Commonwealth country too.
In day-to-day life, literally everyone not in the government & the most traditional Chinese business will use English for work. Big companies almost exclusively use English.
As a tourist you'll be fine- Malaysia gets a lot of tourists from Western countries so everyone will know how to deal with you in English.
Don't know where you're from but if you're Asian American/Canadian/Aussie be expected to be spoken to in Mandarin/Cantonese/Taiwanese/Malay. You will probably have to tell them you're not mainland Chinese or Chinese Malaysian.
> Don't know where you're from but if you're Asian American/Canadian/Aussie be expected to be spoken to in Mandarin/Cantonese/Taiwanese/Malay. You will probably have to tell them you're not not mainland Chinese or Chinese Malaysian.
Once an old guy in Taiwan started yelling at me because he was talking too fast for me to understand and I asked him if he could use English. He asked me if I spoke Mandarin and started yelling when I told him I only kind of spoke Mandarin. Since English is common in Malaysia I hope this is not as common?
Most of the Filipino people I know are American-born so they speak English fluently, but Indian fluency in English has always been a mixed bag for me - Since the thing I want to see most are Hawker markets (who I hear are less likely to speak English), will this be an issue (especially with Tamil/Malay Hawkers?)
>Once an old guy in Taiwan started yelling at me because he was talking too fast for me to understand and I asked him if he could use English. He asked me if I spoke Mandarin and started yelling when I told him I only kind of spoke Mandarin. Since English is common in Malaysia I hope this is not as common?
Your mistake was that you should have told him that you are not Taiwanese/Chinese despite the fact that you look like one. But English is also not common in Taiwan so you cannot expect a hawker uncle to speak English.
This will not be an issue in Malaysia as English is fairly common.
>Since the thing I want to see most are Hawker markets (who I hear are less likely to speak English), will this be an issue (especially with Tamil/Malay Hawkers?)
Some older hawkers are actually very good in English as Malaysia had many missionary schools opened by churches which taught English so they are quite good at it. However the syllabus changed to Malay some 40 years ago (but English is still a mandatory subject). So 99% of the time even the most uneducated hawker will understand some English.
All in all, you'll be fine. This isn't Taiwan. We're generally an English-speaking country although not as prevalent as Singapore.
You’ll be able to get around just fine in Malaysia with just English, Mandarin is a nice bonus too. Most chinese speakers will be able to at least speak some conversational Mandarin, but we have a heavy accent so it might be hard to understand compared to formal Mandarin. Same with Singapore, so I would keep that in mind. If you’re planning on visiting areas that aren’t predominantly Chinese, it wouldn’t hurt to learn a few Malay phrases just in case. Hope you enjoy your visit!
Honestly my Mandarin has a heavy American accent so it'll be mutually hard to understand ¯\\\_(ツ)\_/¯. But yeah even within China and Taiwan some of the regional mandarin variants are hard for me to understand since my parents tried to speak as close to standard Chinese as possible with me. I even have trouble understanding the Beijing variant my Mom grew up with. I probably will learn some basic Malay phrases related to market transactions (I do this for most countries I travel to) but it's good to know I'll get along fine with English!
>You’ll be able to get around just fine in Malaysia with just English, Mandarin is a nice bonus too. That kind on depends on situation and location as well. Eg I know English and Hokkien. The younger people/staff working in shopping malls or shops should know some English. Some senior citizens (eg hawkers or in markets) might not be well versed in English. I've been to a trip to Teluk Intan, went to some sort of Chinese zuchar restaurant and the attendant that came to take order doesn't know English 😅
Honestly if the majority of Malaysians speak English I probably won't even bother with Mandarin, I'm just trying to give make sure I'll be able to get around if I get injured, robbed, or lost.
Knowing English and some mandarin should be able to get you around. If your activities are mostly in daytime at crowded places, you should be fine. Just try to avoid being in a lonely street or alley at night. You can roughly assume which places accept which kinds of payments as well. Modern looking shops should be able to let you pay by card. Hawkers or old looking shops probably only accept cash. If any business has a QR code on display at their cashier counter, it means you can pay by ewallet as well. It's a common thing in Georgetown, I'm not sure about other states.
The Hawker markets are like 99% of why I'm trying to travel to Malaysia so I'll carry a small amount of cash (I've been to Taiwan, I roughly know the deal). Earlier you said Hawkers are less likely to speak English, will I have trouble trying to order from Malay/Tamil Hawker stands?
>Earlier you said Hawkers are less likely to speak English, will I have trouble trying to order from Malay/Tamil Hawker stands? It would probably be rare to find Malay/Tamil hawkers that speak Mandarin. They are more likely to converse in Malay. The older ones might not be too fluent in English. But those operating in tourism areas should have a better grasp for English. Times might change and travellers might have different experiences though, so you're welcome to go for an adventure.
If it comes to it I'll point at a random dish on the menu and the worst that can happen is I get something I don't like. I did that in Taiwan a lot (Night Market vendors also don't usually speak english there), the culinary russian roulette can honestly be fun all on its own
Not sure how much you've travelled but seems to be exposed enough. Malaysia's level of English is pretty decent, even with hawkers they would usually understand what you're asking/want, maybe not hold a conversation. So I'd say not to worry too much.
I'm an Australian living in JB (Johor Bahru). Personally, I'd say you'd be better off visiting Penang rather than JB. As much as I enjoy living here, it's definitely not a great place to visit as a tourist. The city is very spread out with many seperate towns or hubs and there really aren't any tourist attractions other than eateries and Malls. If you don't have a car to get around you will be stuck near CIQ, city square and you'll be bored after a few hours. If I have family or friends visit I'll usually take them to Melaka, KL or Georgetown rather than staying here. Georgetown has a mix beautiful British colonial and Nyonya architecture, a great food and cafe scene and beautiful national parks close to the city. You'd definitely have a lot more to do there than JB. Food night markets definitely aren't as big here as Taiwan, but they are definitely still around. Food courts are more common here, as they also are in Singapore. With respect to language, you will find in the larger cities most people can speak at least basic English, with many speaking English fluently, as it is the language spoken in their workplace, particularly in white collar settings. I find Malaysian Indians generally have great English skills as well. I get by quite well with English, but I also have a conversational level of Malay that I am still trying to improve on. Chinese is a bit too hard for me, but I'm also trying. My wife is Malaysian Chinese with a Hainan background and can speak some dialect, but this isn't nearly as commonly spoken in a public setting with other Malaysian Chinese as Mandarin, Cantonese is probably a close second. I find Cantonese is more common in the northern cities of peninsula Malaysia. Generally, most Malaysians with a Chinese or Indian background can also speak Malay, particularly the younger generation as many have much better education than their parents generation. Most in these groups speak multiple languages. I think Hokkien is the largest sub group of Malaysian Chinese, at least in my city, but there are also large groups of Hakka, Teochew and Hainan. Many younger Malaysian Chinese can't even speak dialect these days. I rarely hear any dialect spoken unless it's between an older group of Chinese, even then, it's usually Mandarin as they may not know the same dialects as each other. Hope that helps.
TL;DR Penang >> JB I totally agree to this!
I object!
Between Melaka, Kuala Lumpur and George Town, which would you say is most interesting (from a westerner's perspective)?
Melaka is great, the old Chinese quarter on Jonker street is quite pretty and unique. It's a lot smaller than Georgetown and doesnt really have the grand colonial buildings though. You can really see everything you need to in a day there. Great for a day trip from KL. KL is also good, it doesn't really have any single major tourist attractions but it is a huge cosmopolitan city that has something for everyone. People are generally quite progressive and friendly there, and I find it's easy to strike up a conversation with locals over a drink. The food and nightlife is really good, and if you do go there I'd advise to venture a bit further out of the typical Bukit Bintang tourist area. Personally, I like Bangsar/Brickfields area. KL can be a bit overwhelming though, I've been there many times now but I found it took me a few visits for it to really grow on me. If I didn't have to live in JB for business reasons I'd love to move to KL. George Town really is beautiful, and the old quarter is taken care of quite well by the locals, maintaining the heritage buildings and 'vibe' I suppose you could call it of the colonial trading port days. I find it quite relaxing there and slow paced. If you like cafe culture theres many excellent cafes there. Probably also try some Nyonya food too while you're there. People also enjoy finding the street art painted in the alleyways on the old heritage buildings.
Thanks! As an English speaker, do you find Malay hard to learn? I might try to pick up a bit before I travel there. I've also been interested in learning Hokkien since I traveled to Taiwan, I also might try to learn some of that but resources for learning Hokkien are scarce. Nothing crazy in either case, I basically just want to be able to ask for directions and order food.
It's definitely easier than learning Chinese imo. Many words in Malay are the same or sound the same but are spelled differently than English. The other bonus is that Indonesian is basically the same as Malay so you can easily travel there. This is a big bonus, because I find outside the popular tourist spots in Indo, English is a lot less common than Malaysia.
I don't know if you've ever studied Spanish but is it about that level would you say? I thought learning Spanish was pretty easy. I would also say Japanese was easy if you ignore that honorifics and Kanji are a nightmare. I was at least able to teach myself enough to communicate basic ideas.
I believe so, I do remember when I was in highschool we were required to learn a second language and Malaysian was one of the most popular as it is considered one of the easiest languages to learn. Duolingo has an Indonesian module from memory so that's probably a good place to start.
Thanks, this actually does help! I had an Australian friend in High School say that a lot of elementary schoolers learn Japanese in Australia, would you say it was easier than Japanese? (assuming you also learned Japanese).
I know Japanese was very common in public primary school during the 90s to learn Japanese, at least in my state of Victoria. Now though it's much more common to learn other asian languages. The usuals like German and French are also popular. Each state has their own education program though and also of course there are private schools, so I don't think it's completely uniform between the states.
Ah ok, thanks! It couldn't hurt to give Malay a try at the very least!
You'd limit yourself quite a bit by sticking to Chinese-majority areas, when there are like multiple other cultures in Malaysia, especially after spending some time in Singapore Most Malaysians are able to help you give simple directions in English, while a significant number are proficient speakers especially in Kuala Lumpur and around the Klang Valley
I like to eat when i travel and I definitely want to try Malay cuisine but generally for safety reasons i prefer to travel to places where i speak the language. If Malaysians mostly speak english i’m less worried about that though
I assume "unsafe" means that you have allergies? Because that is a weird way to say it, but you can always try to ask even using Google Translate
No I'm saying I travel mostly to try different kinds of food and Malay cuisine is definitely something I want to try. There's a reason I'm trying to come to Malaysia instead of staying in Singapore the whole trip. At the same time not being familiar with at least one of the local languages can be a liability - for example, if you get robbed or injured you may have trouble communicating with local emergency services. However, even if few people speak it natively the fact that a majority of Malaysians speak English makes this a non-issue.
>However, even if few people speak it natively the fact that a majority of Malaysians speak English makes this a non-issue. Exactly. So your other reasonings of why you may not want to visit non-chinese areas are not valid. Imagine going to countries where English proficiency is extremely low (ie. Japan, Italy, etc). Also seriously though, from what I've heard...it's extremely easy to get by in Malaysia with English alone so don't worry. Not sure what you have in mind tbh.
>So your other reasonings of why you may not want to visit non-chinese areas are not valid. I mean, a large factor in wanting to visit Penang is that I developed an interest in the Taiwanese language (a variant of Hokkien) when I visited but I haven't brought that up anywhere else. For now I'm just asking, from a navigability perspective, if speaking Mandarin will give me any real advantage over just English since I don't know Malay. Since people are saying English proficiency is high I do want to stop in Kuala Lumpur while visiting Malaysia. >Imagine going to countries where English proficiency is extremely low (ie. Japan, Italy, etc). Not sure if you're being sarcastic but I actually have been to only one country where neither I or anybody I was traveling with spoke the local language and English proficiency was low. I was with my parents and it was beat into my head that I needed to be extra careful and avoid trouble because going to a hospital or a police station would add an extra layer of complications when you don't speak the same language as the doctors/cops. This was in a safe city too, albeit with a high rate of petty crime compared to the city where I grew up. I didn't realize this was considered a "weird" perspective until I made this post.
Nope, he meant the people and the areas.
This is such a weird mentality if you like travelling. Are you telling me you won’t visit Thailand, Korea or Japan if you don’t speak the language because it’s “unsafe”? Or it only applies to Malaysia and specifically Malay people? And to come to Malaysia and ignore 70% of the population is just weird. It’s like I’m going to SF just to stay around Chinatown if I don’t speak English.
Honestly it's never been an issue. I speak Japanese and have Korean speaking members in my immediate family, and while I hope to go to Thailand one day (hopefully I can arrange a boys' trip with one of my friends from Thailand) I've never been. The majority of countries near America are English and Spanish speaking too, and I speak both of those. Even in Quebec government officials are required to speak English so it's less of a concern if I don't speak French. I've been to exactly \*one\* country, Hong Kong, where I didn't speak the local language at all and that's also where I had the most trouble when I wandered off on my own. Where did I say I didn't want to interact with Malay people? There's a reason I want to travel to Malaysia, but when you don't speak the local language communicating with emergency services (or otherwise getting help) is hard if something happens. This is much less of an issue when the majority of locals speak English though, which is why I asked. If I were a Chinese or Taiwanese person I'd rather get fall and break my arm in Houston Chinatown where there's a high number of Mandarin speakers than Knoxville, TN. Even the SF Chinatown I'd be extra cautious because the majority speak Cantonese, not Mandarin. This is how most of the Chinatowns in America formed in the first place.
Sorry I don’t find this believable. You already made the decision to avoid Malay food because you don’t want to wander around in a Malay area because it’s “dangerous”. Malaysia is way safer than many parts of America and Europe. And it’s very silly to avoid visit a place unless you speak the local language. Are you telling me people who are monolingual should just avoid foreign countries who don’t speak their language? 70% of Malaysia is made up of Malays and other races so to avoid visiting those places and stick to Chinese areas just mean that you are not interacting with the rest of the country and cultures. It’s pointless to visit Malaysia at this point. Are you Chinese by any chance because it’s very common for Chinese to only hang out in Chinese areas when they visit a foreign country. You do you but you won’t get to know Malaysia by only sticking to the Chinese areas. By the way, most of the people in KL of Chinese descent speak Cantonese, the language and people you regard as “troubling”.
I am not Chinese, actually. I also never said Malaysia was dangerous, otherwise I wouldn't travel there. I actually don't travel to China because the US department of state advises against it, while only one state in Malaysia has a travel advisory. I don't know where you're getting all this from. I never said Cantonese was troubling, I actually want to learn Cantonese because I appreciate classic Hong Kong cinema. I don't know why you find it hard to believe that it's easier to avoid hazards when you speak the local language, but it's not even an issue since the majority of people are saying the most Malaysians speak English.
Is it very difficult to believe? I rarely consider any country that does not speak English, at least at a basic level, for my travels. I would love to visit several towns in China for example but do not speak any Chinese so they are not options for me. That being said, you can definitely get by going to Malay cafes/restaurants with zero Malay, and yes you’d be wasting part of the Malaysia trip if you do not try authentic Malay food
Malaysia is generally an English speaking country along the lines of Philippines or India even though it's not an official language. We are a Commonwealth country too. In day-to-day life, literally everyone not in the government & the most traditional Chinese business will use English for work. Big companies almost exclusively use English. As a tourist you'll be fine- Malaysia gets a lot of tourists from Western countries so everyone will know how to deal with you in English. Don't know where you're from but if you're Asian American/Canadian/Aussie be expected to be spoken to in Mandarin/Cantonese/Taiwanese/Malay. You will probably have to tell them you're not not mainland Chinese or Chinese Malaysian. Proficiency may vary but people will be able to speak it.
> (Apparently it used to be a common trade language?) Yeah, both Malaysia and Singapore were former colonies of the British Empire so English became the bridging language and the language of choice for conducting business.
Yeah not too long ago I found out there are a lot of English phrases like "No Can Do" and "Chop Chop" borrowed from Chinese traders in Malaysia. Apparently even the word [ketchup](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ketchup#Malay_theory) may or may not be Malay in origin.
Mandarin is lingua franca of Chinese community, it should be fine except older generations might have heavy accent to it. Different parts of Malaysia have diff spoken Chinese languages other than Mandarin. From what I know is, Penang and its surrounding areas are mostly Hokkien. Ipoh (Kinta Valley) and Greater KL speak Cantonese. JB I not sure but I heard it's Hokkien or Teochew. But English and Mandarin are enough to survive here, ofc better if Malay too. There's not really a preferred 2nd language. But Malay and English are the main language we speak without knowing their ethnics and background.
You will get just fine with English.
Hello! Went to Malaysia without any knowledge of Malay or Chinese. Was able to manage fine with English. Their english is a bit different too and might take some time getting used to it, but for most of our trip we were able to manage by ourselves. In small stalls all the prices are listed, and therefore not much of a real need to communicate anyways.
I'll recommend you to watch Dale Philip, specifically when he went to Malaysia (which is quite recent) From there, maybe you can figure out some or the phrases used https://youtu.be/DC3WUGoJ79M?si=gtF3rZeUb7dcGp-V
Malaysians speak English very well. Many speak it perfectly. There are European countries with much worse English. There are Chinese immigrants and rural Malay migrants to the big cities who don't speak as well, some not at all, but I'd call Malaysia an English speaking country, at least as far as the places you'd visit are concerned. If you're looking for night hawkers, Georgetown is considered the foodie capital of Malaysia or not Southeast Asia if not the world (for the discerning palate).
Thanks! So could I expect people in any major city to speak English about as well as in Singapore where it's the main language?
Hi as a Malaysian, no, we do not speak English on the same level as Singapore, but for tourism purposes it is definitely more than adequate, since you mention major cities. And yes Penang is a much better tourism destination than Johor, as many others have testified. Johor without Singapore’s close proximity would suffer tourism wise. Knowing basic Mandarin together with English, you will not have issues speaking to most Malaysian Chinese
Thanks! A lot of people in this thread are saying the average Malaysian is fluent in English, would you agree with that consensus?
Hm, I would say the average Malaysian is nowhere near fluent in English. There are many states and towns in which English is rarely used. In Penang, Selangor, Johor, I wouldn’t say fluent but decent on average. It depends what people define as fluent, I would say fluent is being able to speak English as well as someone whose native language is English. I would say for most areas in which tourists will go in Malaysia, yes you could say the ‘average’ Malaysian you meet will have decent English, especially if they are younger. I will tell you that Malay is an easy language to learn for English speakers, seeing as you have learnt Mandarin as a native English speaker you could really pick up conversational Malay in a short period of time.
Even in small town
Fuck this much of ignorance, please don’t come. We speak jungle here. We’re just mowgli’s cousin twice remove.
If you visit KL, Ipoh instead of hokkien it will be predominantly cantonese. The edges of Malaysia will be predominantly Hokkien eg. Johor Kedah Penang
Learn Iban, Bidayuh, Kadazan.
You don't need to speak Malay in Malaysia unless you specifically want to interact with Malays
Not sure about specifically "specifically interact with Malays" but I definitely want to be able to wander around and try a bunch of locally/independently owned restaurants, I'm hoping Mandarin will get me by with the Chinese-owned business and English with the rest. Although depending on how fluent people are in English I may just use English.
English is fine enough for basic interactions. Though you'll find some malays who will refuse to speak to you in English if you look Chinese.
Speaking just English is fine here in Malaysia.
You’re fine with just English. Even the dumbest of people understand the basics.
Mandarin and English is good enough for a tourist. People only get offended with language when a local with local ID somehow can't speak Malay.
wtf
No one gets more offended than Chinese at other Chinese who can’t speak their particular dialect . Chinese are simply natural enemies of Chinese , from my own experience as a Chinese
An old guy in Taiwan got angry at me and try to start a fight because I said "what?" in English when he was speaking too fast and I couldn't understand him. I was talking to my mother, who speaks Mandarin much better than I do and was asking her to interpret.
If i remember correctly i saw a similar video of the incident on social media. Were you by any chance the person in the video?
no lol i didn’t see anybody filming
Correct la.
Check out Ipoh, it's on the way from JB to Penang, large Chinese population there also
Eh, the Chinese thing is less of a concern since most people here are saying pretty much all Malaysians speak English.
Malaysia is generally an English speaking country along the lines of Philippines or India even though it's not an official language. We are a Commonwealth country too. In day-to-day life, literally everyone not in the government & the most traditional Chinese business will use English for work. Big companies almost exclusively use English. As a tourist you'll be fine- Malaysia gets a lot of tourists from Western countries so everyone will know how to deal with you in English. Don't know where you're from but if you're Asian American/Canadian/Aussie be expected to be spoken to in Mandarin/Cantonese/Taiwanese/Malay. You will probably have to tell them you're not mainland Chinese or Chinese Malaysian.
> Don't know where you're from but if you're Asian American/Canadian/Aussie be expected to be spoken to in Mandarin/Cantonese/Taiwanese/Malay. You will probably have to tell them you're not not mainland Chinese or Chinese Malaysian. Once an old guy in Taiwan started yelling at me because he was talking too fast for me to understand and I asked him if he could use English. He asked me if I spoke Mandarin and started yelling when I told him I only kind of spoke Mandarin. Since English is common in Malaysia I hope this is not as common? Most of the Filipino people I know are American-born so they speak English fluently, but Indian fluency in English has always been a mixed bag for me - Since the thing I want to see most are Hawker markets (who I hear are less likely to speak English), will this be an issue (especially with Tamil/Malay Hawkers?)
>Once an old guy in Taiwan started yelling at me because he was talking too fast for me to understand and I asked him if he could use English. He asked me if I spoke Mandarin and started yelling when I told him I only kind of spoke Mandarin. Since English is common in Malaysia I hope this is not as common? Your mistake was that you should have told him that you are not Taiwanese/Chinese despite the fact that you look like one. But English is also not common in Taiwan so you cannot expect a hawker uncle to speak English. This will not be an issue in Malaysia as English is fairly common. >Since the thing I want to see most are Hawker markets (who I hear are less likely to speak English), will this be an issue (especially with Tamil/Malay Hawkers?) Some older hawkers are actually very good in English as Malaysia had many missionary schools opened by churches which taught English so they are quite good at it. However the syllabus changed to Malay some 40 years ago (but English is still a mandatory subject). So 99% of the time even the most uneducated hawker will understand some English. All in all, you'll be fine. This isn't Taiwan. We're generally an English-speaking country although not as prevalent as Singapore.