Manglish (Malaysian English)

# Information from Wikipedia...
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manglish)
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malaysian_English_vocabulary)

Words and grammar

Nouns

• "barsket" - derived from 'bastard', general derogatory term. May also be derived from 'basket case'.
• "bladibarsket" - derived from 'bloody bastard', profane derogatory term.
• "dablardigarmen" - ie 'the bloody government', a catchall phrase for the malevolent powers that be.
• "kapster" - a nosy or talkative person; can also be used as an adjective, e.g., "I hate them because they are so kapster." Contraction of the Malay verb "cakap", to speak, plus -ster (probably from analogy with English words such as "trickster").
• "maluation" - embarrassment, from Malay "malu" + English "-ation".
• "outstation" - out of town (e.g., going outstation).
• "terrer" - (pronounced as the English "terror") Refers to someone or something being awesomely amazing or good (e.g., "Bloody hell, that guy is terrer!").
• "mempersiasuikan" - disgraceful, derived from hokkien "siasui" + malay.(e.g. "Sungguh mempersiasuikan" or "Very mempersiasuikan" which means very disgraceful/humiliating/embarrassing)

Adjectives

• "action/askyen/eksyen" - show-offy (due to confusion of the usage of the Malay word "berlagak", which can either mean "show off" or "to act")
• "aiksy/lan si" - arrogant, overconfident. 'Aiksy' possibly derived from 'acting up'; 'lan si' is of Cantonese origin.
• "blur" - confused, out-of-it. Roughly equivalent to "spacey" in American slang.
• "slumber" - relaxed, laid-back; possibly a conflation of the Malay "selamba", meaning nonchalant, and the English "slumber".
• "pai-seh" - ashamed, embarrassed/embarrassing. 'pai seh' is of Hokkien origin [Eg: I kena punish lah... very pai-seh eh!].
• "chop" - stamp (of approval). (Due to confusion of the usage of the Malay word "cop". [Eg. I got the chop for my letter from the office lah.])
• "sophisticashun wan" - as in "you so sophisticashun wan lah" ie 'you are so sophisticated'; an example of Manglish's tendency to use a noun as an adjective.
• "la-la" - flashy, gaudy appearance. "La-la" replaces the older derogatory term "ah lien" that is used to describe girls who wear heavy make-up and outstanding clothes and accessories. They also usually sport brightly coloured hair. "La-la" can also be used to describe the things these girls are known to wear. E.g. "That salegirl was very la-la"/"The clothes are so la-la"

Verbs

• "business" - a euphemism for bodily functions conducted in the toilet. One can do big business or small business. (In Malay, "qada hajat")
• "cabut/cantas" - to run off, flee or to escape ('Cabut' is a Malay word meaning to pull or pulling out as a transitive verb, or to become detached as an intransitive verb.)
• "gostan" - reverse a vehicle, apparently from the nautical term "go astern" (mostly used in Kelantan, Kedah and Penang). Sometimes also expressed as "gostan balik" (lit., reverse back).
• "jadi" - happened, succeeded (derived from the Malay word 'jadi', and may sometimes mean 'so' as in, "Jadi?" = "So what?")
• "jalan" - to walk (Malay)
• "kacau" - to disturb (Malay) e.g.: Please don't kacau me.
• "kantoi" - to get caught ("I kena kantoi..." means, "I got shafted/reprimanded/caught")
• "kena" - to get caught/punished; often used like a noun ("I sure kena if I cheat") or (I need to 'kena' a joint o_0"). From the Malay passive verb "kena".
• "kill" - to punish/scold/cause trouble to someone ("If you're not careful ah, this guy will kill you")
• "makan" - to eat (Malay), often refer to lunch or dinner (Malay) (e.g. "You makan dy?" means "Have you taken your dinner/lunch?")
• "minum" - to drink (Malay)
• "on/off" - to turn something on or off, respectively (e.g. "Don't forget to off the fan.")
• "pengsan" - to faint (Malay)
• "pon" - to skip school/play truant/apon (from Malay "ponteng", meaning the same)
• "saman" - to issue a fine, usually in relation to a traffic offence, from "summons".
• "sit" - since this is the word used for riding in a vehicle in Malay and in Chinese dialects, it is used in the same way in English, e.g. "sit bus"
• "tahan" - to stand, to bear ("Cannot tahan her perfume! So strong!"). From Malay "tahan", to endure, to withstand.
• "tumpang-ing" - riding in someone else's vehicle or lodging at someone else's house, from the Malay verb "tumpang" + "-ing"
• "mamak" / "mamak stall" - from the term mamak (a slang for Indian or Indian Muslims), it is used to refer to Indian restaurants in Malaysia. Example: let's go eat at a mamak lah.
• "yam-cha" - socializing with friends in "mamak stall" Derived from the "Yum Cha" used in Cantonese.
• "lempang" - literally "bash", it usually refers to a slap. Example: He can lempang your face.
• "bocor" - literally "leak". Used to refer to a leaking material or sometimes menstruation (in a bad way). Example: Aiya, dah bocor lah!
• (any Malay word) + "ing" - doing a certain action ("Tengah makan" or "I'm eating right now" is shortened to "Makan-ing' and "He's the one cheating me!" equates to 'He's d one dat tipu-ing me leh..' ")
• "Kow-kow" / "Kow kow" / "Kowkow" - (pron: Kao-kao) used to stress a personal satisfaction on a specific action specified before. The stress can be due to shock, anger, pain, or pleasure. Example: He got it kow kow ("He got it badly")
• "beraking" - defecating, derived from malay "berak" + "-ing" (e.g. Sorry, Boss beraking so I take your message ah.)
• "Da Bao/Tapau" - Take away (food)

Exclamations

• "Alamak": exclamation of surprise or shock. (E.g. "Alamak!" (Oh no!)). From the Malay exclamation 'alamak'
• "Best/Syok/Syiok": indicates the object as superlatively good. "Syok/shiok" is from the Hokkien word for pleasure. (Shiok is also a chain of novelty shops, although it could also be possible that the word stems from the English word "shock" in the context of seeing something shocking).
• "Die/Finish/Gone/Habis/Mampus/Mampui/Sei/Pok kai/tiu-lor(死)" - generic exclamations to indicate "trouble", used like the English "damn it" or "to face the music". "sei" is usually pronounced as its Cantonese equivalent, "die". (E.g. Today he die because of that loan shark). (Today, he is in trouble because of the loan sharks The word "die" does not mean to die literally)
• "Fooi sheh/Foo yoh/Foo lamak" - exclamation of amazement/wonder/marvel. (E.g. Foooooi sheh, his hair so jinjang!)
• "Jinjang" - a term to explain one's appearance, being out of fashion or old-fashioned. Sometimes it is used to refer to people who act rudely or uncivilized in public. (Jinjang is also a sub-urban town in Kuala Lumpur,Malaysia). (E.g. The guys over there are so jinjang!).
• "Walao/Waliao eh" - also an exclamation of amazement/wonder/marvel

Grammar

• "(Subject + predicate), is it?" - this is often used as a question. "It" doesn't refer to the subject, but rather to the entire preceding clause ("Is it so?") This is comparable to the French phrase "n'est-ce pas?" (literally "isn't it?")

Others Vocabularies

A to D

A

• ABC - Air Batu Campur (ice blended with melted sugar, beans, corn and chendol)
• Aci - elderly Indian woman
• Ah Long/Along - loan shark, from Cantonese, 阿隆
• aiyoo/aiyah - to express frustration. The former's from Indian, the latter Chinese, from Mandarin-哎哟/哎呀.
• amoi/amoy - Chinese girlfriend, from Hakka-阿妹.
• apartment - a medium-cost and high-cost flat with veranda/balcony.
• apek - elderly Chinese man, from Hokkien-阿伯
• apa kes - What's up? or when spoken in an angry tone "What's wrong with you?"
• aqua/ah kua - Derogatory term for transsexuals
• ATM - automated teller machine.
• awek - Malay girlfriend.
• aisey man - "I'll say, man." Used to express frustration.
• angau - lovesick, in love
• angmor - [omit the r sound when pronounce] westerner, from Hokkien-红毛
• angpau - red packet with money to be given on Chinese New Year or during some occasion like weeding, birthday party and so on as a wishes to the receiver, from Hokkien-红包

B

• blue
  • a brawl or heated argument (for example "they were having a blue"), similar to the British word "barney".
  • offensive ("blue language").
  • porn reference ("blue movie", "layan blue").
• balak - Malay boyfriend
• bapok - transvestite, sissy
• botak- bald-headed
• blur - confused/slow-thinking.
• bodoh - stupid.
• bohsia - young female slut, literally means 'no sound' ("boh" - No "sia" - Sound) from Hokkien
• bohjan - Young boyfriend of 'boh sia' (aforementioned female, jailbait, promiscous slut)
• brinjal - eggplant.
• bungalow - a villa.

C

• cantik - beautiful.
• ceramah - public speech.
• ceti haram - loan shark (Indian)
• chao/chow - goodbye/see you.
• cilok - weaving through traffic.
• Cik - Miss (a Malay title used to address unmarried women).
• cincai - informal, sloppy
• chop - to stamp (with a rubber stamp), as well as the stamp itself.
• condominium - a high-rise flat typically high-cost with veranda and other facilities.
• comot - messy
• cut (other vehicles) - to overtake

D

• dadah - illegal drugs
• dang - damn.
• deco - decoration.
• DeepaRaya - a portmanteau denoting the Deepavali and Hari Raya Aidilfitri festival
• demo - demonstration.
• depa - they, generally used in Kedah, Perlis and Pulau Pinang.
• driver
  • someone who drives.
  • chauffeur.

E to K

E

• encik - mister.
• entao - handsome (hokkien)
• expressway - motorway (similar to the expressways in Japan or China)

F

• flat - a low-cost high-rise flat typically without veranda.
• follow - to accompany.
• fi- for

G

• ganja - marijuana
• gao lin - what the fuck (Hakka)
• gwai lou - Derogatory term for white person. From Cantonese 鬼佬
• gostan - derived from "go astern", reverse
• geng - powerful, From Cantonese 勍

H

• having-in - eat-in at a restaurant.
• haprak- useless, rubbish
• hampeh-useless, meaningles, rubbish
• hang- you, generally used in Kedah, Perlis and Pulau Pinang. Used only to address good friends.
• highway - motorway, roads
• horn - (used as verb) to sound the vehicle horn.
• HP - acronym of handphone, mobile phone or cellphone.

I

• ikan bilis - anchovies.

J

• jack (someone) - to praise other people to gain interests of favour
• jangan - don't.
• jom- let's go

K

• kampung
  • village
  • hometown (used as a possessive noun, for example my kampung which means my hometown)
• kapchai/kapcai - underbone motorcycle
• kaki/kakilang - friend, company (literally means 'leg'. e.g. "I can't go, I have no kaki.")
• kantoi - get caught in trouble.
• kautim - to finish a task. From Cantonese term 搞掂
• kay poh chee/kepoh - busy body (for example "why are you so kay poh chee?")
• keep
  • to put away or store.
  • to retain as one's own.
• kerang - cockles
• kong already - dead or non-functional
• kongmong - confused
• Kongsi Raya - a portmanteau, denoting the Chinese New Year and Hari Raya Aidilfitri (Eid ul-Fitr) festivals
• kuih - small cakes eaten before or after meals.
• kupang - cent, generally used in Kedah, Perlis and Pulau Pinang

L to P

L

• lady's fingers - Malaysian/British English term for Okra.
• lalazai - People who do not have proper job.(from Cantonese)
• lawak - funny.
• lepak - loiter.
• leng lui - Pretty girl. From Cantonese 靓女
• leng zai - Handsome guy 靓仔
• limteh - Go out drink. From Hokkien 饮茶

M

• Malacca - Melaka.
• makan - eat.
• mamak - Stall in road side.
• mau - want (eg "Mau makan?" ; "Want to eat?").
• MC - abbreviation for medical certificate, or sick note in British English
• McD (pronunciation "Mac-D", no "s" sound) - McDonald's restaurant.
• mee - noodles.
• megi - instant noodles, adopted from the Maggi brand instant noodle.
• member - also means a friend.
• menteri - minister.
• Mat Gian - drug addict (male).
• Mat Motor - generic term for Malaysian bikers.
• Mat Rempit - illegal motorbike racer (male).
• Mat Minah - illegal motorbike racer (female)
• Maple'- roadside hawkers
• mata - police (literally: eye)
• Mat Salleh - (Derived from British 'Mad Sailor')A white person or Caucasian. The female equivalent is 'Minah Salleh'
• Milo - generic term for hot chocolate or any chocolate drink, adopted from the Milo brand chocolate drink.
• momantai - no problem (from Cantonese)
• malu - shy/embarrassed

N

• nah - here (used when giving something to another person. e.g: "Nah, kotak!" ; "Here, a box!").
• nasi - cooked rice
• NS/KN - National Service/Khidmat Negara
• Negri Sembilan - Negeri Sembilan.

O

• off / close (an electric appliance) - to turn off the switch of an electrical appliance
• on / open (an electric appliance) - to turn on the switch of an electrical appliance
• ong - Having good luck. From the Hokkien word 旺
• outstation - out of town/overseas.
• otai-chief,leader, (Old timer)
• otek- Police

P

• padan muka - serves you right.
• paikia - bad guy. (from Hokkien)
• pass up - to hand in (for example "pass up your assignments").
• pass motion - defecate.
• pat - see kay poh chee. (from Cantonese)
• pei hai - someone who feel numb.
• Penang - Pulau Pinang.
• pokai - being broke. penniless.
• pondan - a derogatory term for shemales and transsexuals or effeminate men, the term also covers homosexuals in certain communities.
• Puan - Mrs. (a Malay title used to address married women).
• pulun - doing something in a massive scale (for example "pulun download" means downloading in massive scale).

Q to Z

R

• ragut- to snatch
• rakyat - citizen.
• raya - festive (usually referring to Eid).
• remisier - stockbroker.
• rembat- to steal
• rubber - meaning eraser (for example "can I borrow your rubber?").

S

• sambal - traditional sauce.
• send - to take somebody to somewhere (for example "I'll send you to the airport.").
• seow - from the Hokkien term meaning crazy.
• sirap/syrup - rose syrup beverage.
• skodeng - to peep or records other's private activities.
• sotong - squid.
• sky juice - plain water.
• slippers - Japanese sandals; as in US and UK "flip-flops", Australia "thongs".
• SMS - text message.
• SPG - Abbreviation for Sarong Party Girl. Degoratory term to describe an Asian woman who exclusively dates white men.
• stylo - stylish. Stylo-mylo is occasionally used.
• suey/sueh - having bad luck. From Cantonese and Hokkien word 衰

T

• take-away - food purchased at a restaurant but eaten elsewhere.
• tapau/tarpau-ed
  • See take away.
  • To defeat an opponent in games. Similar usage to the term pwned
• thrice - three times.
• tin - can, especially for processed foods. (for example "give us a tin of beans.") Can is usually reserved for soft drinks or beer/cider.
• tani - drinking spree
• toyol
  • little child-like spirit in Malay folklore who steals valuables.
  • cheat sheets during tests or exams.
• tek- take

U

• U - university.

W

• warung - Malay food stall
• wikang - endo (stoppie) or reverse wheelie