Malay keeps its grammar light, but everyday conversation still leans hard on a small set of words: pronouns, particles, and the handful of verbs that carry most sentences. This list is that set. Get comfortable with these hundred and you'll already recognize the skeleton of most things you read or hear.
How to use this list
Do not work through this list top to bottom. Read down it and mark only the words you could not have produced yourself. Those are your list. The rest are already yours, and reviewing them is wasted effort better spent on words you actually meet in reading, conversation, or subtitles.
The 100 words
| # | Malay | English | In use |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | dan | and | Saya dan awak akan pergi ke sekolah.You and I will go to school. |
| 2 | atau | or | Awak mahu teh atau kopi?Do you want tea or coffee? |
| 3 | tetapi | but | Saya mahu pergi, tetapi hujan.I want to go, but it's raining. |
| 4 | kerana | because | Saya sedih kerana awak pergi.I am sad because you are leaving. |
| 5 | kalau | if | Kalau hujan, kita akan tinggal di rumah.If it rains, we will stay home. |
| 6 | supaya | so that | Dia belajar bersungguh-sungguh supaya lulus peperiksaan.He studies hard so that he passes the exam. |
| 7 | lalu | then | Saya makan, lalu tidur.I ate, then slept. |
| 8 | saya | I | Saya tinggal di Kuala Lumpur.I live in Kuala Lumpur. |
| 9 | aku | I (informal) | Aku sayang kamu.I love you. |
| 10 | kamu | you (informal) | Kamu suka muzik ini?Do you like this music? |
| 11 | anda | you (formal) | Adakah anda bercakap bahasa Inggeris?Do you speak English? |
| 12 | dia | he/she | Dia bekerja di bank.He works at a bank. |
| 13 | kami | we (excluding listener) | Kami akan pergi ke kedai.We are going to the store. |
| 14 | kita | we (including listener) | Mari kita makan bersama.Let's eat together. |
| 15 | mereka | they | Mereka bermain di taman.They are playing in the park. |
| 16 | apa | what | Apa nama awak?What is your name? |
| 17 | siapa | who | Siapa datang tadi?Who came earlier? |
| 18 | mana | where | Awak tinggal di mana?Where do you live? |
| 19 | bila | when | Bila filem itu bermula?When does the movie start? |
| 20 | kenapa | why | Kenapa awak menangis?Why are you crying? |
| 21 | bagaimana | how | Bagaimana perasaan awak?How do you feel? |
| 22 | berapa | how much/many | Berapa harganya?How much does it cost? |
| 23 | ya | yes | Ya, saya setuju.Yes, I agree. |
| 24 | tidak | no/not | Tidak, saya tidak mahu.No, I don't want to. |
| 25 | bukan | not (for nouns) | Ini bukan buku saya.This is not my book. |
| 26 | sudah | already | Dia sudah makan.He has already eaten. |
| 27 | belum | not yet | Saya belum makan.I haven't eaten yet. |
| 28 | akan | will | Kami akan bertemu esok.We will meet tomorrow. |
| 29 | sedang | currently (-ing) | Dia sedang tidur.She is currently sleeping. |
| 30 | masih | still | Dia masih tidur.She is still sleeping. |
| 31 | juga | also | Saya juga mahu kopi.I also want coffee. |
| 32 | sangat | very | Bandar ini sangat cantik.This city is very beautiful. |
| 33 | hanya | only | Saya hanya ada sepuluh ringgit.I only have ten ringgit. |
| 34 | lagi | more/again | Boleh saya minta satu lagi?Can I ask for one more? |
| 35 | sini | here | Saya berada di sini.I am here. |
| 36 | sana | there | Buku itu ada di sana, atas meja.The book is over there, on the table. |
| 37 | sekarang | now | Saya perlu pergi sekarang.I need to go now. |
| 38 | nanti | later | Kita berbincang nanti.We'll discuss it later. |
| 39 | di | at/in | Dia tinggal di Pulau Pinang.He lives in Penang. |
| 40 | ke | to | Kami memandu ke bandar.We are driving to the city. |
| 41 | dari | from | Dia berasal dari Poland.He is from Poland. |
| 42 | pada | on/at (time) | Kami bertemu pada hari Isnin.We are meeting on Monday. |
| 43 | dengan | with | Saya pergi ke pawagam dengan kawan.I am going to the cinema with a friend. |
| 44 | untuk | for | Hadiah ini untuk awak.This gift is for you. |
| 45 | tentang | about | Mari kita bincang tentang masa depan.Let's talk about the future. |
| 46 | dalam | in/inside | Kucing itu tidur dalam bilik.The cat is sleeping in the room. |
| 47 | atas | on/above | Buku itu ada di atas meja.The book is on the table. |
| 48 | bawah | under | Anjing itu tidur di bawah meja.The dog is sleeping under the table. |
| 49 | ada | to have/there is | Saya ada dua abang.I have two older brothers. |
| 50 | jadi | to become/so | Jadi, apa rancangan kita?So, what's our plan? |
| 51 | buat | to make/do | Apa yang awak buat?What are you doing? |
| 52 | pergi | to go | Saya mahu pergi ke pasar.I want to go to the market. |
| 53 | datang | to come | Dia akan datang esok.He will come tomorrow. |
| 54 | kata | to say | Dia kata dia penat.He said he's tired. |
| 55 | mahu | to want | Saya mahu makan.I want to eat. |
| 56 | boleh | can/may | Bolehkah saya bantu awak?Can I help you? |
| 57 | tahu | to know | Saya tidak tahu jawapannya.I don't know the answer. |
| 58 | lihat | to see | Saya lihat burung itu.I see that bird. |
| 59 | beri | to give | Beri saya buku itu.Give me that book. |
| 60 | ambil | to take | Ambil payung, hujan turun.Take an umbrella, it's raining. |
| 61 | fikir | to think | Saya fikir awak betul.I think you're right. |
| 62 | kerja | to work | Dia kerja di hospital.She works at a hospital. |
| 63 | tinggal | to live/stay | Kami tinggal di Kuching.We live in Kuching. |
| 64 | cakap | to speak | Dia boleh cakap tiga bahasa.He can speak three languages. |
| 65 | tanya | to ask | Boleh saya tanya sesuatu?Can I ask something? |
| 66 | jawab | to answer | Tolong jawab soalan ini.Please answer this question. |
| 67 | baca | to read | Saya suka baca buku.I like reading books. |
| 68 | tulis | to write | Dia sedang tulis surat.She is writing a letter. |
| 69 | makan | to eat | Kami makan tengah hari bersama.We are eating lunch together. |
| 70 | minum | to drink | Dia minum air.He is drinking water. |
| 71 | suka | to like | Saya suka muzik ini.I like this music. |
| 72 | sayang | to love | Saya sayang keluarga saya.I love my family. |
| 73 | tunggu | to wait | Saya tunggu bas.I am waiting for the bus. |
| 74 | cari | to look for | Dia sedang cari kerja.She is looking for a job. |
| 75 | jumpa | to find/meet | Saya tidak jumpa kunci saya.I can't find my keys. |
| 76 | mula | to begin | Kami mula pelajaran sekarang.We are starting the lesson now. |
| 77 | habis | to finish | Saya sudah habis kerja.I have finished work. |
| 78 | faham | to understand | Saya tidak faham soalan ini.I don't understand this question. |
| 79 | belajar | to study/learn | Kanak-kanak belajar di sekolah.Children study at school. |
| 80 | tolong | to help | Bolehkah awak tolong saya?Could you help me? |
| 81 | rasa | to feel | Saya rasa penat.I feel tired. |
| 82 | dengar | to hear | Saya dengar muzik.I hear music. |
| 83 | orang | person | Setiap orang berbeza.Every person is different. |
| 84 | lelaki | man | Lelaki itu seorang doktor.That man is a doctor. |
| 85 | perempuan | woman | Perempuan itu membawa beg.The woman was carrying a bag. |
| 86 | anak | child | Anak itu bermain di taman.The child is playing in the park. |
| 87 | hari | day | Hari ini hari yang indah.Today is a beautiful day. |
| 88 | tahun | year | Lima tahun telah berlalu.Five years have passed. |
| 89 | masa | time | Saya tidak ada masa.I don't have time. |
| 90 | rumah | house | Rumah kami dekat dengan tasik.Our house is near the lake. |
| 91 | baik | good | Ini filem yang baik.This is a good movie. |
| 92 | kecil | small | Itu bandar yang kecil.That is a small town. |
| 93 | dunia | world | Dunia ini luas.This world is vast. |
| 94 | hidup | life | Hidup ini indah.Life is beautiful. |
| 95 | air | water | Tolong bagi saya segelas air.Please give me a glass of water. |
| 96 | jalan | road/street | Rumah saya di hujung jalan ini.My house is at the end of this street. |
| 97 | buku | book | Buku ini sangat menarik.This book is very interesting. |
| 98 | kawan | friend | Dia kawan baik saya.He is my good friend. |
| 99 | keluarga | family | Keluarga saya tinggal di Johor.My family lives in Johor. |
| 100 | besar | big | Mereka mempunyai rumah yang besar.They have a big house. |
The ones English speakers get wrong
saya, aku, anda, awak, kamu
Malay has more pronouns for 'I' and 'you' than English, and they carry different levels of formality. 'Saya' is the safe, neutral 'I'; 'aku' is intimate and used with close friends or family. 'Anda' is formal 'you' for strangers and official contexts, while 'awak' and 'kamu' are casual, used with friends and equals.
kita vs. kami
Both mean 'we,' but they aren't interchangeable. 'Kita' includes the person you're speaking to ('let's go' = we, you and I), while 'kami' excludes them ('we went without you'). Picking the wrong one changes who's included in the sentence.
bukan vs. tidak
Both are ways to say 'not,' but they attach to different things. 'Tidak' negates verbs and adjectives, as in 'Saya tidak mahu' (I don't want to). 'Bukan' negates nouns and identity, as in 'Ini bukan buku saya' (This is not my book).
No articles, and ini/itu instead
Malay has no words for 'a' or 'the.' Definiteness is often left to context, or shown with 'ini' (this) and 'itu' (that/the) attached after the noun, as in 'buku itu' (the book, literally 'book that').
Reduplication instead of a plural ending
Malay nouns don't take a plural suffix. Plurality is usually left to context ('saya ada buku' can mean one book or several), or shown by repeating the word: 'orang-orang' means 'people,' not just 'person' repeated for emphasis.
What to do next
A list this size is about two weeks of light daily review, and it is the difference between decoding Malay and following it.