Comparison of Standard Malay and Indonesian

The Indonesian and Standard Malay forms of the Malay language are generally mutually intelligible, but differ in spelling, pronunciation, and vocabulary. The differences can range from those mutually unintelligible with one another to those having a closer familial resemblance. The regionalized and localized varieties of Malay can become a catalyst for intercultural conflict, especially in higher education.

Perception

To non-native speakers both varieties may seem identical, but to native speakers, the differences are noticeable through diction and accent. These differences often lead to incomprehension when used in formal conversation or written communication. They also affect broadcasting business in relation to foreign language subtitling, for example DVD movies or cable TV subscriptions. In order to reach a wider audience, sometimes both Indonesian and Malay subtitles are displayed in a movie with other language subtitles. Another example is Malaysian TV providing Malay subtitling on Indonesian sinetrons (TV drama) aired in Malaysia.

The Malay language in Indonesia and Malaysia also differs in recognition and general perception by the people and government of the two countries. Ignorance of these subtleties may result in misconceptions.

The term "Malay" (Bahasa Melayu) in Indonesia and Malaysia invites different perceptions. To Malaysians, the Malay language is generally the national language of Malaysia, Bahasa Malaysia being the name for the Malaysian standardized form of Malay. Between 1986 and 2007, the term Bahasa Melayu was used instead of Bahasa Malaysia, until the latter was reinstated, in order to instil a sense of belonging among Malaysians of all races, rather than just Malays. Therefore, there is no clear distinction between the use of the term Malay (Bahasa Melayu) and the national language of Malaysia (Bahasa Malaysia). In Brunei, where Malay is also an official language, the language is known as Bahasa Melayu and in English as "Malay".

In Indonesia, however, there is a clear distinction between "Malay" (Bahasa Melayu) and the "Indonesian" (Bahasa Indonesia). Indonesian is the national language which serves as the unifying language of Indonesia. The term "Malay" is reserved for the language indigenous to the Malay people. Thus, "Malay" is considered a regional language in Indonesia, enjoying the same status as Javanese, Bataknese, Sundanese, Buginese, Balinese and others. Moreover, to Indonesians, the term "Malay" is more often associated with Malaysia and the Malaysian national language.

In Malaysia, the terms "Indonesian Malay" and "Malaysian Malay" are sometimes used for Indonesian and Malay as spoken in Malaysia. In Indonesia, "Indonesian Malay" refers to the Malay spoken by the Malay people in Indonesia, that is, to Malay as a regional language in Sumatra, though it is rarely used. Bahasa Malaysia and Bahasa Melayu are used interchangeably in reference to Malay in Malaysia.

Orthography

Before the 20th century, Malay was written in a modified form of the Arabic alphabet known as Jawi. After the 20th century, Malay written with Roman letters, known as Rumi, has almost completely replaced Jawi in everyday life. The romanisations originally used in Malaya (now part of Malaysia) and the Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia) reflected their positions as British and Dutch possessions respectively. In Malaya, the romanisation of Malay, devised by Richard Wilkinson was influenced by English, whereas in the Dutch East Indies, the system devised by C A Van Ophuijsen was influenced by Dutch.

As a result, in Indonesia, the vowel in the English word 'moon' was formerly represented oe, as in Dutch, although the official spelling of this sound was changed to u in 1947.

Similarly, until 1972, the initial consonant of the English 'chin' was represented in Malaysia as ch, whereas in Indonesia, it continued to follow Dutch and used tj. Hence the word for 'grandchild' used to be written as chuchu in Malaysia and tjoetjoe in Indonesia, until a unified spelling system was introduced in 1972 (known in Indonesia as Ejaan Yang Disempurnakan or the 'Perfected Spelling') which removed most differences between the two varieties: Malay ch and Indonesian tj became c: hence cucu.

Indonesia abandoned the spelling dj (for the consonant at the beginning of the word 'Jakarta') to conform to the j already in use in Malaysia, while the old Indonesian j for the semivowel at the beginning of the English 'young', was replaced with y as in Malaysia. Likewise, the velar fricative which occurs in many Arabic loanwords, which used to be written 'ch' in Indonesian, became kh in both languages.

However, oe was retained in some proper names, such as the name of the first President, Sukarno (written as Soekarno), and his successor Suharto, (written as Soeharto). The ch and dj letter combinations are still encountered in names such as Achmad and Djojo (pronounced as Akhmad and Joyo respectively), although the post-1972 spelling is now favoured.

Although the representations of speech sounds are now largely identical in the Indonesian and Malay standards, a number of minor spelling differences remain, usually for historical reasons. For instance, the word for 'money' is written as wang in Malaysia, but uang in Indonesia, the word for 'try' is written as cuba in Malaysia, but coba in Indonesia, the word for 'because' is written as kerana in Malaysia, but karena in Indonesia, while the word for 'cake' is written as kuih in Malaysia, but kue in Indonesia.

One notable difference in punctuation between the two languages is the use of different decimal marks; Indonesian, influenced by Dutch, uses the decimal comma, whereas Malay, influenced by English, uses the decimal point.

Pronunciation

Pronunciation also tends to be very different, with East Malaysia, Brunei and Indonesia pronouncing words in a form called Bahasa Baku, where the words are pronounced as spelt and enunciation tends to be clipped, staccato and faster than on the Malay Peninsula, which is spoken at a more languorous pace. Many vowels are pronounced (and were formerly spelt) differently in Peninsular Malaysia, Singapore, and Sumatra: tujuh is pronounced (and was spelt) tujoh, pilih as pileh, etc., and many final a's tend to be pronounced as schwas; [e] and [o] are also allophones of /i/ and /u/ in closed final syllables in peninsular Malaysian, Singaporean, and Sumatran varieties of Malay.

Speakers of Malay in Peninsular Malaysia tend to speak at a more flowing pace, while words that end with the letter "a" often come out as a schwa (/ə/). Indonesian speakers speak in clipped staccato tones, their "r"s are more markedly trilled (rolled r), and all words are pronounced exactly as they are spelled.

Vocabulary

Vocabulary differences

Indonesian differs from Standard Malay in the quantity of loanwords from Javanese, Dutch, and other languages. For example, the word for 'post office' in Malaysia is "pejabat pos" (in Indonesia this means 'post officer'), whereas in Indonesia it is "kantor pos", from the Dutch word for office, kantoor. There are also some Portuguese influences: in Indonesia, Christmas is known as "Natal", whereas Malaysia uses "Krismas", derived from English (or in some cases also "Natal", due to Indonesian influence). Pronunciation of some loanwords in Standard Malay follows English, while some in Indonesian follows Dutch, for example Malay "televisyen" (from English: television) and Indonesian "televisi" (from Dutch: televisie), the "-syen" and "-si" also prevail in some other words. There are also instances where the Malay version derives from English pronunciation while the Indonesian version takes its cue from Latin. The Latin preference of the (older) Indonesian intellectuals in these instances may be ascribed to the influence of their classical-oriented education when Gymnasium schools were established during the Dutch colonial period : compare Malay kualiti, kuantiti, majoriti, minoriti and universiti with Indonesian kualitas, kuantitas, mayoritas, minoritas and universitas.

Some words which are spelt the same in both languages may even carry entirely different meanings in the other language, potentially leading to humorous or embarrassing situations: while baja means "steel" in Indonesian, in Malay it means "fertiliser". Also, whereas the Indonesian word butuh means "require" or "need", in Malaysia it is a vulgar slang term equivalent to "cunt/cock". Conversely, where the word "banci" seems innocuous enough in Malaysia ("census"), in Indonesia it is a derogatory term for "transvestite".

The relatively large share of Islamic (Arabic or Persian) loan words shared by Malay and Indonesian often poses no difficulty in comprehension and usage, although some forms may have developed a (slightly) different meaning or have become obsolete either in Malay or in Indonesian, e.g. khidmat, wakil (see below).

Vocabulary comparison

English	Malay	Indonesian
abolition	pemansuhan	penghapusan, abolisi
abortion	pengguguran	aborsi, pengguguran (kandungan)
abroad	luar negara	luar negeri
accessibility	kebolehcapaian, ketercapaian	keterjangkauan, ketercapaian, aksesibilitas
account (bank, bills)	akaun	rekening from Dutch – only used in the bank, akun used in all term of account excluding bank account
accountability	kebertanggungjawapan, akauntabliti	akuntabilitas, pertanggungjawaban
accountant	akauntan	akuntan
accounting	perakaunan	akuntansi
accurate	tepat	tepat, akurat influenced by Dutch accuraat
administration	pentadbiran	administrasi
after	selepas, setelah	sesudah, setelah (also used in Malay to indicate consecutive actions)
afternoon	petang	sore (02 pm to 04 pm) – petang (04 pm to 06 pm)
agent	ejen, agen	agen
air force	tentera udara	tentara angkatan udara
airport	lapangan terbang ('airfield' in Indonesian)	bandar udara (bandara)
Algeria	Algeria	Aljazair from Arabic al-Jazā'ir
alliance	perikatan, persekutuan, pakatan	aliansi influenced by Dutch alliantie, persekutuan
alloy	pancalogam, aloi	aloi, logam campuran
apartment	pangsapuri, rumah pangsa, rumah kondo (only for 'condominium')	apartemen influenced by Dutch appartement, rumah susun (rusun)apartment for poor family, kondominium
application (software)	perisian penggunaan, aplikasi	aplikasi
architecture	seni bina	arsitektur influenced by Dutch architectuur
archive	arkib	arsip from Dutch archief
area	kawasan	area, kawasan
armed forces	tentera	angkatan bersenjata, tentara
army	tentera darat	tentara angkatan darat
assembly	majlis, perhimpunan (from the root verb 'himpun' meaning 'to gather/assemble')	majelis
assets	aset	harta, aset, aktiva from Dutch activa
association	persatuan	asosiasi from Dutch associatie, persatuan, perkumpulan
assumption	andaian, anggapan	asumsi, anggapan
astronaut	angkasawan	astronot
Athens	Athens	Athena influenced by Dutch Athene or from native Greek Athina
athletics (sport)	olahraga ('sport' in Indonesian)	atletik
auction	lelong from Portuguese leilão	lelang also from leilão
August	Ogos	Agustus from Dutch augustus
auntie	makcik (also used in Riau Malay dialect in Indonesia), emak saudara, ibu saudara	bibi, tante from Dutch
autobiography	autobiografi	autobiografi – otobiografi is a substandard spelling
automatic	automatik (formerly otomatik)	otomatis derived from Dutch pronunciation of automatisch
autonomy	autonomi	otonomi
awkward	janggal; kekok (of gesture)	aneh, janggal; canggung, kikuk (of gesture)
backpack	beg sandang literally "sling bag"	ransel from Dutch
bag	beg	tas from Dutch
baseband	jalur asas	baseband, pita dasar
basin (wash basin/sink)	besen	wastafel from Dutch
basketball	bola keranjang	bola basket
because	kerana, sebab	karena, sebab
bed	katil	matras influenced by Dutch matras, tempat tidur, ranjang, kasur
Belgium	Belgium	Belgia influenced by Dutch België
Belgrade	Belgrade	Beograd
belt (of a seat)	tali keledar	sabuk
bicycle	basikal	sepeda influenced by French velocipede
bill (legislation)	rang undang-undang	rancangan undang-undang, legislasi
billboard	pelekat, tempelan	baliho, papan iklan, papan reklame from Dutch reclame (advertisement)
billion	seribu juta, bilion	miliar from Dutch miljard
binary	perduaan	biner from Dutch binaire
bishop	biskop, bisyop	uskup
board (company)	lembaga	dewan
bonnet, hood (of a car)	bonet, bumbung, hud	kap from Dutch
boot, trunk (of a car)	but	bagasi
Britain	Britain	Britania influenced by Dutch Brittannië, Inggris more commonly used
Brussels	Brussels	Brussel influenced by Dutch
Bucharest	Bucharest	Bukarest
bucket; pail	baldi	ember from Dutch emmer
bus	bas	bus, bis substandard, influenced by Dutch pronunciation
bus station	stesen bas	terminal bus
bus stop	perhentian bas	pemberhentian bus, halte bus from Dutch bushalte
business	perniagaan, bisnes	bisnis (less commonly used: perniagaan)
Cairo	Kaherah from Arabic Al-Qahirah	Kairo
Cambodia	Kemboja	Kamboja
Cameroon	Cameroon	Kamerun
campaign	kempen	kampanye from Dutch campagne (a French loanword)
can (to be able)	boleh, dapat	dapat, bisa
cancer	kanser, barah	kanker from Dutch
capacitor	pemuat, kapasitor	kondensator, kapasitor
capital city	ibu negara	ibu kota
car	kereta (means carriage in Indonesian, commonly used as a shorthand for kereta api, which means train. Malay followed English derivation of car which was a contraction of horseless carriage)	mobil from Dutch/mid-English automobile
card	kad	kartu from Dutch kaart
career	kerjaya, karier	karier
Caribbean	Caribbean	Karibia
carrot	lobak merah	wortel from Dutch
case	kes	kasus, hal
cash	wang tunai	uang tunai, kas
cashier	juruwang	kasir from Dutch kassier, juru uang
cavalry	pasukan berkuda	kavaleri, pasukan berkuda
cement	simen	semen
censor	tapisan (means "filter" in Indonesian)	sensor
census	banci	sensus, cacah
centipede	lipan	kelabang, lipan
central	pusat	pusat, sentral, tengah
chaos (theory)	teori kekacauan	teori chaos
chilli	cili, lada ('pepper' in Indonesian), cabai (used in the northern states of Malaysia)	cabai, cabe, lombok besar
China	China	Tionghoa (Chinese people), Tiongkok archaic official, China, Cina still in common use but discouraged due to possible racist connotations,
Christmas	Krismas, Natal	Natal from Portuguese
cinema	panggung wayang bergambar (more popularly abbreviated as pawagam), panggung wayang	bioskop from Dutch bioscoop, sinema
circuit	litar	sirkuit
city	bandar, bandaraya big city, kota	kota
civil	awam, sivil	sipil
claim	tuntutan	klaim
clarification	penjernihan (to make something, e.g. water, clear in Indonesian)	klarifikasi, penjelasan
clause (legal)	fasal	ayat, klausul
club (association)	kelab	klub, perkumpulan infrequent
coach (carriage)	koc	gerbong
coat	kot	jas from Dutch jas
cockroach	lipas	lipas, kecoa from the Chinese Min Nan ka chuah
college	kolej, maktab	kampus, kolese, kolegium
Cologne	Cologne	Köln, Koeln
Colombia	Colombia	Kolombia
comment	ulasan, komen	komentar from Dutch commentaar
commission	suruhanjaya	komisi
commissioner	pesuruhjaya	komisaris from Dutch commissaris, komisioner
committee	jawatankuasa	komite
commonwealth	komanwel	persemakmuran
Comoros	Comoros	Komoro
company	syarikat	perusahaan, firma, maskapai from Dutch maatschappij – almost exclusively used to refer to airline companies, i.e. maskapai penerbangan
compiler	penyusun	penyusun, kompilator
complaint	aduan	aduan, keluhan, komplain
conclusion	kesimpulan; konklusi (rare)	kesimpulan, konklusi
condensation	pemeluwapan, pengembunan, pencecairan	kondensasi, pengembunan
conference	persidangan	konferensifrom Dutch conferentie, sidang
confirmation	pengesahan	konfirmasi, pengesahan of a document, kepastian of a decision
conflict	pertikaian	konflik, pertentangan, pertikaian
Congo	Congo	Kongo
conservation (movement)	pemuliharaan; konservasi (rare)	konservasi, pelestarian (of animals and plants)
constitution of a country	perlembagaan	undang-undang dasar influenced by Dutch grondwet ("basic law"), konstitusi from Dutch constitutie
construction	pembinaan	(commonly used: pembangunan (of building), pembinaan (of moral)), konstruksi
consumption	perbelanjaan	konsumsi, pemakaian, penggunaan
contamination	pencemaran	pencemaran, kontaminasi
continuous	selanjar	berkesinambungan, berlanjut, kontinu
conversion	penukaran (mean exchange in Indonesia)	konversi, perubahan
corporation	perbadanan	korporasi
corruption	rasuah; korupsi (rare)	korupsi, rasuah (non-standard)
Costa Rica	Costa Rica	Kosta Rika
counter	kaunter	loket from Dutch, konter/kaunter non-standard
country	negara	negara, negeri in Malaysia, negeri usually refers to a state within a federation
court	mahkamah	pengadilan, mahkamah only refers to the institution
cracker	keropok	kerupuk
criminal	jenayah	ahli pidana, penjahat, kriminal
Croatia	Croatia	Kroasia
crucial	genting	krusial, penting, genting
Cuba	Cuba	Kuba
cupboard	almari from Portuguese armário	lemari also from armário
current (adjective, of time)	semasa	saat ini, kini, terkini, aktual from Dutch actueel
current affairs	hal ehwal semasa	aktualitas, peristiwa terkini
curtain	langsir, tirai	tirai, gorden from Dutch gordijn
customs (authority)	kastam	pabean refers to the administrative institution, bea dan cukai (bea-cukai) lit. tariff-and-tax, duty
cute	comel	imut, menggemaskan, lucu
Cyprus	Cyprus	Siprus
Czech Republic	Republik Czech	Republik Ceko, Ceko, (Republik) Ceska substandard
dandruff	kelemumur	ketombe
December	Disember	Desember influenced by Dutch december
decimal	perpuluhan	desimal
decree	dekri	surat keputusan, dekrit from Dutch decreet
degree (of temperature)	darjah	derajat
delicious, tasty	lazat, sedap, enak	lezat, enak, sedap
democratic	demokratik	demokratis from Dutch demokratisch note: "democratic republic" (in country names) translates as republik demokratik, such as in Republik Demokratik Kongo (Democratic Republic of the Congo)
department	jabatan('occupation' in Indonesian)	departemen, jurusan (for department in university)
departure	pelepasan	keberangkatan, kepergian
depression (psychological)	kemurungan	depresi
deputy	timbalan	wakil, deputi
design	reka bentuk	desain, rancangan
detail	terperinci	detil, rinci
dialect	loghat	dialek, logat
detection	pengesanan	pelacakan, deteksi
different – difference	beza, berbeza – perbezaan	beda, berbeda – perbedaan
diocese	kawasan uskup, keuskupan	keuskupan
director	pengarah	direktur from Dutch (and French) directeur, sutradara (of a film) from Sanskrit (through Javanese)
discount	diskaun, rebat, potongan harga	diskon, rabat, potongan harga, korting from Dutch, less frequent
discussion	perbincangan, diskusi	pembicaraan, diskusi
disinfectant	penyahjangkit	disinfektan, obat pemusnah, sucihama
domestic	dalam negara	dalam negeri, domestik
driver	pemandu	sopir from French chauffeur through Dutch, pengemudi formal
driver's license (U.S.)/ driving licence (UK)	lesen memandu	surat izin mengemudi (SIM)
drugs (illegal)	dadah colloquial use in Indonesia means "goodbye".	narkoba an acronym for NARKotika dan OBat-obatan terlArang (narcotics and illegal drugs), NAPZA less frequent – an acronym for NArkotika, Psikotropika dan Zat-zat Adiktif (narcotics, psychotropics, and addictive chemical substances)
Dutch East Indies	Hindia Timur Belanda	Hindia-Belanda
duty (economics)	duti, cukai	bea, cukai
e-mail	e-mel	surel standard, shortened of surat elektronik (electronic mail), email rarely used in everyday spelling, often used on online spelling (e.g. website-based registration or social account)
Easter	Easter, Paskah strictly used for Jewish Passover	Paskah from Portuguese Pascoa
Ecuador	Ecuador	Ekuador
editor	penyunting	editor, penyunting, redaktur from French rédacteur through Dutch – refers to editors of mass media, esp. newspapers, magazines, etc.
editorial (board)	kakitangan editorial	redaksi from Dutch redactie
effectiveness	keberkesanan	keampuhan, keefektifan, efektivitas from Dutch effectiviteit
efficiency	kecekapan	efisiensi, kedayagunaan, kemangkusan
Eid ul-Fitr	Hari Raya Aidilfitri	Hari Raya Idulfitri – Idul Fitri substandard spelling, but common, Lebaran colloquial – from Javanese
eight	lapan used as colloquial abbreviation in Indonesian	delapan used in Malaysia before the spelling reform
elasticity (economy)	keanjalan	bingkas, elastisitas
electricity	tenaga elektrik lit. electric energy	listrik, kelistrikan, setrum from Dutch stroom
embargo (political)	sekatan	boikot, embargo
emergency	kecemasan used for anxiety or "too anxious" (condition) in Indonesian.	darurat from Arabic – also used in Malaysia to express a state of emergency
emperor	maharaja	kaisar from Dutch keizer, maharaja from Sanskrit
empire	empayar	kekaisaran, imperium
enamel	enamel	email from Dutch emaille
energy	tenaga	energi, tenaga
engine	enjin	mesin also translates as machine in English
England	negeri Inggeris	Inggris
eraser	getah pemadam	penghapus
erosion	hakisan	pengikisan, erosi
escalator	tangga gerak	eskalator, tangga berjalan
estimation	jangkaan, anggaran	perkiraan, dugaan, estimasi
Europe	Eropah	Eropa, Europa
evacuation	pemindahan	pengungsian, evakuasi
evaluation	penilaian	penilaian, evaluasi
excess	lebihan	kelebihan, berlebihan, ekses
excretion	perkumuhan	ekskresi, pembuangan kotoran
execution (death sentence)	hukuman mati	eksekusi, penghukuman mati
exhaust (pipe)	ekzos	knalpot from Dutch, in which it also means "muffler"
exploration	penjelajahan, eksplorasi	eksplorasi, penjelajahan
export	eksport	ekspor
expose	pendedahan	paparan, ekspos
extinct	pupus	padam (of flame or light), punah (of species), pupus (loss of hope)
faculty	fakulti	fakultas, fakulteit (obsolete, from Dutch)
facility	kemudahan, fasiliti	kemudahan, fasilitas
faction (politics)	puak	fraksi from Dutch fractie
factory	kilang ('refinery' in Indonesian)	pabrik from Dutch fabriek
federal	persekutuan	federal
federation	persekutuan (related to "alliance" in Indonesian)	federasi from Dutch federatie, serikat
fermentation	fermentasi, peragian	fermentasi, peragian, penapaian
financial	kewangan	keuangan, finansial from Dutch financieel
Finland	Finland	Finlandia
firefighter squad	bomba	pemadam kebakaran lit. fire extinguisher, branwir from Dutch brandweer (fire defense)
flash drive	pemacu kilat	flash drive, penggerak kilat
floor, level (storey)	tingkat may be used in Indonesian to express the number of storeys/levels a building has, e.g. a 5-storey building = gedung bertingkat 5, or to emphasize British floor numbering, e.g. tingkat satu means first floor (UK), second floor (US) in both languages, aras (used to emphasize American floor numbering, e.g. aras dua = tingkat satu	lantai also refers to floor as ground surface in both languages, emphasizes American floor numbering, tingkat emphasizes British floor numbering, e.g. lantai dua = tingkat satu
football	bola sepak	sepakbola
form (document)	borang	formulir from Dutch formulier, borang
free (of charge)	percuma in Indonesian means "worthless"	gratis from Dutch, cuma-cuma, cecuma
fungus	kulat, fungus	fungi (commonly has got misconception as: jamur)
furniture	perabot rumah, perkakas rumah	mebel from Dutch meubelen, furnitur, perabot rumah tangga
fusion	pelakuran	fusi, penggabungan, peleburan
gangster	samseng	geng, preman from Dutch vrijman (lit. free-man), gangster from English
garage	garaj	garasi influenced by Dutch pronunciation
garrison	garrison	garnisun from Dutch garnizoen
gear	gear	roda gigi influenced by Dutch tandwiel, literally "tooth wheel"
gearbox	kotak gear	persneling from Dutch versnelling, girboks, transmisi
general (military)	jeneral	jenderal from Dutch generaal
ginger	halia	jahe
Global Positioning System	Sistem Kedudukan Sejagat	Sistem Pemosisian Global
goal keeper	penjaga gol/penjaga gawang	kiper, penjaga gawang
golf club (stick)	kayu golf	stik golf, pemukul golf, tongkat golf
government	kerajaan derived from raja (king) – used in Malaysia and Brunei – in Indonesian means "kingdom"	pemerintah derived from perintah (order/instruction) – also used in Singapore, which, like Singapore, is a republic
governor	gabenor, Yang di-Pertua Negeri (in Malaysian states)	gubernur from Dutch gouverneur
gradation	pemeringkatan	gradasi, pemberian tingkat
graduate	siswazah, sarjana	lulusan, sarjana
grandfather	datuk	kakek
Greece	Greece of recent use, Yunani	Yunani from Arabic Yūnān يُونَان
gross financial	kasar	bruto from Dutch
group	sekumpulan, kumpulan	kelompok, grup from Dutch pronunciation of groep
guarantee	jaminan	jaminan, garansi from Dutch pronunciation of garantie
hammer	tukul	palu, martil from Portugue martelo
head office	ibu pejabat "ibu" also means "mother" or "ma'am" in both languages.	kantor pusat "kantor" – from Dutch kantoor (office)
headscarf, hijab	tudung	kerudung, jilbab though these words have different meaning
healthy	sihat	sehat
herb	herba	jamu often understood as traditional potion made from rhizomes, also means "guest" ("tamu") and "treat the guest" ("menjamu").
hexadecimal	perenambelasan	heksadesimal
hospital	hospital	rumah sakit influenced by Dutch ziekenhuis ("house of the sick") – This term is still used in Brunei, but in Malaysia, "hospital" has replaced the term completely since the 1960s.
Hungary	Hungary	Hungaria, Hongaria substandard, influenced by Dutch Hongarije
hybrid (biology)	kacukan	blasteran, hibrida
I	saya, aku	saya, aku, gue/gua (slang, informal; from Chinese dialects "ua")
ice	ais	es
ice cream	ais krim	es krim
Iceland	Iceland	Islandia
image	citra, imej (of reputation), gambar (pictorial image)	citra (of reputation), gambar (pictorial image)
immigration	imigresen	imigrasi from Dutch immigratie
import	import	impor
impotence	mati pucuk, impotensi, lemah syahwat	impotensi from Dutch impotentie, lemah syahwat colloquial
impotent	kemandulan	impotensi, kemandulan
incineration	penunuan	pembakaran, insinerasi
Indian Ocean	Lautan Hindi	Samudra Hindia
inductor	peraruh, induktor (rare)	induktor
information	maklumat	informasi, from Dutch informatie, maklumat, penerangan
injection	suntikan	suntikan, injeksi
ink	dakwat from Arabic	tinta from Dutch tinte
installment (payment)	ansuran	angsuran, cicilan
instant	segera (means "soon" in Indonesia)	seketika, instan
insurance	insurans	asuransi from Dutch assurantie
intelligence (spying)	risikan (means 'secret investigation' in Indonesia)	intelijen
international	antarabangsa	internasional, antarnegara, (sometimes used: mancanegara from Javanese meaning: foreign land)
internet café	kafe internet, kafe cyber	warnet an acronym for "WARung interNET" (internet shop/café)
intervention	campur tangan, intervensi	campur tangan, intervensi
introspection	kaji diri, introspeksi (rare)	introspeksi, mawas diri
invasion	penyerangan, penjajahan, invasi	invasi, penaklukan
investment	pelaburan	investasi, penanaman modal
Iraq	Iraq	Irak
Ireland	Ireland	Irlandia
irrigation	pengairan	irigasi, pengairan
Italy	Itali	Italia from Italian
Japan	Jepun from Chinese dialect	Jepang, Jepun (archaic)
Jordan (country)	Jordan	Yordania from Dutch Jordanië
journalist	wartawan	wartawan, jurnalis
July	Julai	Juli from Dutch juli
June	Jun	Juni from Dutch juni
ketchup	kicap	saus tomat
lane	lorong (mean alley in Indonesian)	lajur
lawyer	peguam	advokat from Dutch advocaat, pengacara (means 'master of ceremony' in Malay.)
Lebanon	Lubnan from Arabic	Lebanon, Libanon influenced by Dutch
legislative	perundangan, legislatif	legislatif
liabilitity	liabiliti	kewajiban
licence	lesen	izin, lisensi from Dutch licentie
lift, elevator	lif	lift
liquidity (economy)	kecairan	likuiditas
Lisbon	Lisbon	Lisboa from Portuguese, Lisabon influenced by Dutch Lissabon
list	senarai	daftar
local	tempatan	lokal, setempat
Luxembourg	Luxembourg	Luksemburg influenced by Dutch/German Luxemburg
Macau	Macau	Makau
Macedonia, Republic of	Republik Macedonia	Republik Makedonia
magistrate	majistret	hakim from Arabic حَكِم – used in Malaysian to refer to judges, magistrat less common
Maldives	Maldives	Maladewa
male	lelaki, laki-laki, jantan (for animals, depending on the context, it can mean masculine or used as a derogatory term on men)	laki-laki, pria, lelaki, jantan (on animals, used on men to describe masculinity)
malfunction	kerosakan, malfungsi, pincang tugas	kerusakan, malafungsi
malpractice	penyelewengan (mean "misappropriation" in Indonesian)	malapraktik
management	pengurusan	manajemen
manager	pengurus	manajer
manufacturing	pengilangan	manufaktur
March (month)	Mac	Maret influenced by Dutch maart
mass	jisim	massa, kelembaman (inertia)
mathematics	matematik, ilmu hisab	matematika, ilmu hitung, ilmu hisab only used in silamic text book
matter	jirim	materi
mattress	tilam	kasur, matras
mean (verb)	bererti	berarti
mediation	pengantaraan	penengah, mediasi
medicine	ubat	obat
memory card	kad ingatan/kad memori	kartu memori
mental arithmetic	congak	aritmetika cepat, mencongak
Mexico	Mexico	Meksiko
mile	batu (mean "stone" in Indonesian)	mil
military	tentera, ketenteraan, militari	kemiliteran (militer from French militaire through Dutch militair), ketentaraan
minibus	bas mini	bis mini, minibus
minute	minit	menit
mobile phone, cellphone	telefon bimbit	telepon selular (ponsel), telepon genggam, handphone (HP) (colloquial)
Monaco	Monaco	Monako
Monday	Isnin	Senin
money	wang, duit	uang, duit (colloquial)
Morocco	Maghribi from Arabic	Maroko
mortgage	gadai janji	hipotek from Dutch hypotheek, gadai
Moscow	Moscow	Moskwa, Moskow
motorcycle	motosikal	sepeda motor lit. "motorized bicycle" – influenced by Dutch motorfiets, motor (informal)
Mozambique	Mozambique	Mozambik
Mrs.	Puan	Ibu, Nyonya (Ny.)
music	muzik	musik
naked	bogel, telanjang	telanjang, bugil (colloquial)
natural	semulajadi	alami, natural
navigation	pandu arah, navigasi	navigasi
navy	tentera laut	angkatan laut
negotiation	perundingan	perundingan, negosiasi
network	rangkaian (means series in Indonesian)	jaringan
New Zealand	New Zealand	Selandia Baru
newspaper	surat khabar coined from two Arabic words: ṣūrat – صورة / صورت (form, appearance) and khabar خبر (news)	surat kabar (more formal – lit. news letter), koran (from French courant through Dutch, become Krant in modern Dutch, but Koerant in Afrikaans)
Nicosia	Nicosia	Nikosia
nil	nil	nol from Dutch nul
noisy	bising, kecoh in Indonesian means "disturb" or "distract", memekak	berisik, ribut, ramai, bising
noon	tengah hari	siang
Norway	Norway	Norwegia
number	nombor	angka, nomor – nomer substandard spelling from Dutch/German nummer
nurse	jururawat	perawat, suster from Dutch zuster
ocean	lautan	samudra, lautan
Oceania	Oceania	Oseania
octal	perlapanan	oktal
office	pejabat	kantor (from Dutch kantoor)
officer	pegawai, kaki tangan (a negative connotation usually means accomplice in criminal activity in Indonesian)	pejabat
official (adj.)	rasmi (from Arabo-Persian rasmi رَسمِي)	resmi (also from rasmi)
Olympic	Olimpik	Olimpiade
opposition	pembangkang	oposisi, pembangkang (in mean of "defiance")
option	pilihan, opsyen (rare)	pilihan, opsi
orange (colour)	jingga, oren	jingga, oranye (from Dutch oranje)
orange (fruit)	oren, limau	jeruk, limau
order	order, perintah	orde (from Dutch), perintah
organization	pertubuhan, organisasi	organisasi
oscillation	ayunan	osilasi, ayunan
oven	ketuhar	oven
Pacific Ocean	Lautan Pasifik, Lautan Teduh	Samudra Pasifik, Lautan Pasifik
Palestine	Palestin	Palestina
papaya	(buah) betik	(buah) pepaya
Papua New Guinea	Papua New Guinea	Papua Guinea Baru, Papua Nugini
parallel	selari	paralel
parliament	parlimen	parlemen (from Franco-Dutch parlement)
party (political)	parti	partai (from Dutch partij)
passport	pasport	paspor
patient	pesakit	pasien
patrol	ronda	patroli (for police and military) (from Dutch patrolie), ronda (for civilian)
pavement, sidewalk	jalan pinggir, jalur jalan untuk pejalan kaki, laluan jalan kaki, kaki lima	pinggir jalan, trotoar (from Franco-Dutch trottoir)
penis	zakar from Arabic ذَكَر "male"- this word is extremely vulgar in Indonesian, "buah zakar" means testicles, batang lelaki, konek (slang)	alat kelamin laki-laki, kemaluan lelaki, burung (vulgar), titit (children's slang like "pee-pee"), kontol (slang, extremely vulgar)
percent	peratus	persen, perseratus
perfume	haruman, minyak wangi	parfum from Dutch, minyak wangi
periodic	berkala	periodik, berkala
Persia	Parsi	Persia
pharmacy	farmasi	apotek (from Dutch apotheek), farmasi (usually for medicine manufacturers)
photograph	gambar, foto	fotografi (photograph), foto (literally means photo)
physics	fizik	fisika
pickpocket noun	penyeluk saku	copet (contraction of colong dompet- wallet thief), pencopet
pipe	paip	pipa
pirate (maritime)	lanun	bajak laut, perompak (perompak in Malay, means "robber")
platform (train)	platform	peron from Dutch perron
Poland	Poland	Polandia
police	polis (mean "insurance policy" (polis asuransi) in Indonesian)	polisi from Dutch politie
pollution	pencemaran	pencemaran, polusi
portion	sebahagian	porsi, sebagian (a portion of...)
post code	poskod	kode pos
potential	keupayaan	potensial, daya berkemampuan
Prague	Prague	Praha (also used in Malay)
prayer (Islam)	solat, sembahyang	salat, shalat, sholat (from Arabic, 'sh' is usually pronounced as 's'), sembahyang
prayer room (Islam)	surau	surau, musala, mushollah (from Arabic, 'sh' is usually pronounced as 's')
precipitation (meteorology)	kerpasan	curah hujan, presipitasi
prediction	ramalan	prediksi, ramalan, prakiraan (not perkiraan estimation)
pregnant	mengandung, hamil (formal, from Arabic حَامِل), berbadan dua lit. "two bodied", bunting for animals	mengandung, hamil, berbadan dua, bunting (informal)
premature	pramatang	prematur, dini
preposition	kata sendi naman	preposisi, kata depan
press	media massa, surat khabar (see above)	pers (from Dutch), media massa
Private Limited Company	Sendirian Berhad abbreviated as Sdn Bhd (suffix), "sendirian" alone means "alone"	Perseroan Terbatas abbreviated as PT(prefix)
privatization	penswastaan	privatisasi, swastanisasi, penswastaan
producer	produsen	pengeluar, produsen, penghasil
product	keluaran	produk (from English and Dutch product), hasil, keluaran more specific term for outcome
programming (computer)	pemrograman	pemrograman, pengaturcaraan
property	harta	properti
propulsion	perejangan	propulsi, pendorong, penggerak
prostitute	pelacur, perempuan sundal (vulgar)	pelacur, Wanita Tuna Susila (WTS) (Sanskrit, pronounced 'way-tay-es', i.e. "moral-less women"), Pekerja Seks Komersial (PSK) (formal, pronounced 'pay-es-ka' (commercial sex workers)), perek (slang)
prostitution	pelacuran	prostitusi, pelacuran
province	wilayah (used in Indonesian to mean 'area'), daerah (used in Indonesian to mean 'area')	provinsi (from Dutch provincie)
publication	penerbitan	penerbitan, publikasi, terbitan
pulse	denyut	denyut, pulsa
push, to (door)	tolak (used less primarily in Indonesian to mean 'subtract', it also means 'to refuse/reject', also common meaning in Malay when used in arithmetics)	dorong (means "to push" in Malay, but often used to mean "to support")
queue (line)	barisan (mean line "formation" in Indonesian)	antre
rabbit	arnab (from Arabic)	kelinci
Random-Access Memory (RAM)	Ingatan Capaian Rawak	Memori Akses Acak
rape	rogol	perkosa
raspberry	rasberi	frambus, frambosen (from Dutch framboos)
ratio	nisbah	rasio, nisbah, perbandingan
Read-Only Memory (ROM)	Ingatan Baca Sahaja	Memori Hanya Baca
real estate	hartanah	realestat, properti tanah
receipt	resit, penerimaan	kuitansi, kwitansi (from Dutch kwitantie), bon from Dutch, struk
recession (economy)	kemelesetan	resesi, kelesuan (ekonomi)
reclamation	tebus guna	reklamasi
recruitment	pergerakan, pengambilan	rekrutmen, perekrutan
refraction	pembiasan	pembiasan, refraksi
refrigerator	peti sejuk lit. cool box (rarely used in Indonesian)	lemari es, lemari pendingin, kulkas (from Dutch koelkast)
religion	agama, ugama (widely used before the 80s)	agama, religi
renovation	pengubahsuaian	renovasi, pembaharuan
reproduction	pembiakan	reproduksi, pembiakan (also mean breeding)
research	kajian(mean research or investigation result in Indonesian)	penelitian, riset
responsibility	tanggungjawab	tanggung jawab, pertanggungjawaban, responsibilitas
resistor	perintang	resistor, hambatan
restaurant	kedai makan lit. "eating shop", restoran	rumah makan lit. "eating house", warung makan lit. "eating café", restoran
retailing	peruncitan	ritel, eceran
ring (mathematics)	gelanggang	ring, gelanggang
rob	rompak (Indonesian for "to commit piracy")	rampok, rampas
Rome	Rom	Roma
room	bilik (usually used to mean "compartment" in Indonesian)	kamar (from Dutch kamer), ruang (Javanese, for storage areas etc.)
roundabout (traffic)	bulatan e.g. Bulatan DBP in Kuala Lumpur pusing keliling (in Brunei)	bundaran e.g. Bundaran HI in Jakarta
routing	penghalaan	routing
royal	diraja	kerajaan (in Malaysia and Brunei means "kingdom" or "government")
rubber	getah may also mean gum or sap or resin in both languages, also figure of speech for "cause of bad deed"	karet
rumour	khabar angin, desas-desus	rumor, desas-desus, kabar angin, kabar burung
salty	masin	asin
Sanskrit	Sanskrit	Sanskerta
sauce	sos	saus
school (Islamic)	sekolah pondok	madrasah, pesantren, pondok pesantren
science	sains	ilmu (from Arabic 'ilm), sains
Scotland	Scotland	Skotlandia
secret	rahsia	rahasia
secretary	setiausaha Indonesian lit. "loyal to work"	sekretaris (from Dutch secretaris)
section	seksyen, bahagian	seksi (from Dutch sectie)
sensor	penderia, pengesan, sensor	sensor, pendeteksi
server (computing)	pelayan	peladen
session	sesyen, sesi	sesi (from Dutch sessie)
sewer	saluran najis "najis" means dirty in both languages, saluran kumbahan	selokan, parit (means 'ditch' in Malay), got, saluran air/pembuangan
sexagesimal	perenampuluhan	seksagesimal
shampoo	syampu (from Anglo-Indian / Hindustani chāmpo, the imperative form of (Hindi) चाँप्ना chāmpnā 'to smear, knead the muscles, massage')	sampo
share	berkongsi	berbagi
shirt	baju (also in Indonesian but more generally refers to clothes)	kaos, kemeja (from Portuguese camisa)
shoe	kasut generalized term for any footwear in Indonesian, but usually related to sandals or ancient shoes., sepatu	sepatu (understood but less frequently used in Malaysia, from Portuguese sapatu)
shop	kedai (Means eateries stall in Indonesia)	toko
shopping mall	pusat beli-belah	mal
site	laman, tapak (mean foundation (building) or footprint in Indonesia)	situs, laman
Slovakia	Slovakia	Slowakia
snow	salji (from Arabic thalj)	salju (also from thalj)
sodomy	liwat (from Arabic)	sodomi, liwat (only used in Islamic text book)
solar	solar, suria (from Sanskrit 'surya')	surya
solution	penyelesaian; solusi (rare)	solusi, pemecahan, penyelesaian
sour	masam	asam, masam (obsolete, usually used in connotative expression: bermuka masam: sour faced (unsatisfied/unhappy expression))
soya beans	kacang soya	(kacang) kedelai
Spain	Sepanyol	Spanyol
speak/talk	berbicara, bercakap (means 'to chat' in Indonesian), bersembang, berborak	berbicara, ngomong (Javanese ngoko, colloquial)
specialist	perubatan, pakar	spesialis (in case of specialist doctor), pakar
spoon	sudu	sendok
sport	sukan	olahraga (means "athletics" Malay, from Sanskrit, lit. "to train the body")
spouse	pasangan suami-isteri, kelamin colloquial, in Indonesian means "sex" or "gender"	pasangan (suami-istri), suami-istri (husband-wife)
stability	kestabilan	stabilitas, kestabilan
stadium	stadium	stadion, stadiun from Dutch
staff	kakitangan (phrase "kaki tangan" mean subordinate with negative image in Indonesian)	staff, personil from Dutch personeel
stamp	setem	perangko
standard	piawai, standard	standar
state (within a federation)	negeri	negara bagian
station	stesen	stasiun (formerly spelled "setasiun")
steering wheel	roda stereng	roda setir from Dutch stuur
stop (verb)	berhenti	berhenti, henti, stop
strawberry	strawberi	stroberi, arbei from Dutch aardbei
stupid	bodoh, bengap, tolol, bangang, bongok (slang)	bodoh, dungu, tolol, goblok (slang), very demeaning in Malay, geblek (slang), bego (slang)
sublimation (phase transition)	pemejalwapan	sublimasi, penyubliman
Sunday	Ahad	Minggu from Portuguese Domingo which means Lord's Day, Ahad (only used in Islamic calendar)
sunglasses	cermin mata gelap	kacamata riben (from American brand of sunglasses 'Ray-Ban')
supermarket	pasar raya	supermarket, pasar swalayan
supervision	penyeliaan	pengawasan, penyeliaan, supervisi
survey	tinjauan (mean process or result of observation in Indonesian), kaji selidik	survei
suspend (hang)	menggantung (it means 'hang' in Indonesian)	menangguhkan (also 'adjourn' in Malay)
Sweden	Sweden	Swedia
Switzerland	Switzerland	Swiss
Syria	Syria	Suriah (from Arabic)
table (set of facts or figures)	jadual	tabel
tank	kereta kebal	tank
tap water	air paip (piped water)	air keran (from Dutch Kraan), air ledeng ("ledeng" also means "plumbing", from Dutch "leiding")
tapioca	ubi kayu as in Indonesian, understood as the tuber cassava itself	(tepung) tapioka, tepung singkong
taxi	teksi	taksi
teacher	cikgu, guru	guru
teacher (religious, Islam)	ustaz, ustad (ultimately from Persian اُستَاذ), ustadzah female	ustad, ustadzah
team	pasukan used in Indonesian to refer to troops	tim
telephone	telefon (formerly talipon)	telepon
television	televisyen, TV	televisi (from Dutch televisie) , TV
terrorist	pengganas (means rioter" in Indonesian)	terroris
terrorism	pengganasan	terorisme
testicles	buah zakar, testis, buah keranjut	testis, biji kemaluan, buah zakar (slang, vulgar), kanjut (slang, vulgar)
Thailand	Negara Thai, Siam, Thailand	Thailand, Siam, Muangthai used in old scripts
The Hague	The Hague	Den Haag (from Dutch)
ticket	tiket	tiket, karcis (from Dutch kaartje)
time	masa, waktu	waktu from Arabic al-Wak'tu, masa (can be used for 'at a specific long period of time' in Indonesian)
tire (US)/tyre (UK)	tayar	ban (from Dutch [auto]band)
tofu	tauhu	tahu
toilet	bilik air, tandas	toilet, kamar kecil, WC (pronounced 'we-se') for watercloset
tornado	puting beliung	beliung, angin puyuh, tornado puting
toothpaste	ubat gigi	pasta gigi, odol
towel	tuala (from Portuguese toalha)	handuk (from Dutch handdoek)
traffic jam	kesesakan lalulintas, jam (slang)	kemacetan
traffic light	lampu isyarat	lampu lalu-lintas
train	kereta api, tren	kereta api, kereta
transport, transportation	pengangkutan	transportasi, pengangkutan, perhubungan (in case of Ministry of Transportation)
transsexual	pondan, bapok (slang), transseksual	transseksual, waria (polite), bencong, banci
tree	pokok in Indonesian means "principal" or "core" or "staple", in Sundanese poko means authentic, e.g. authentic cuisine, pohon	pohon
try	cuba	coba
turkey (bird)	ayam belanda	(ayam) kalkun (from Dutch kalkoen)
turn	pusing (means 'to spin' in Indonesian, commonly used to mean dizzy as a short form of kepala pusing), belok	belok, putar
ugly	hodoh, teruk, buruk	jelek, buruk
Ukraine	Ukraine	Ukraina
uncle	pakcik	paman, oom or om (derived from Dutch, pronounced and sometimes spelt as oom)
union	kesatuan (in Indonesian means "unitary")	persatuan, uni, serikat
United Arab Emirates	Emiriah Arab Bersatu	Uni Emirat Arab
United Kingdom	United Kingdom	Inggris Raya
United Nations	Pertubuhan Bangsa-Bangsa Bersatu	Perserikatan Bangsa-Bangsa
United States of America (USA) also the United States (US)	Amerika Syarikat	Amerika Serikat (AS)
university	universiti	universitas, universiteit (obsolete, from Dutch)
until	sehingga (mean thus in Indonesian), sampai	hingga, sampai
vagina	faraj (from Arabic, in Indonesian means "vulva"), pepek/pepet (slang)	alat kelamin wanita, liang peranakan, vagina, farji, memek (slang, vulgar), pepek (slang, vulgar)
variable (mathematics)	pemboleh ubah	variabel
Vatican City	Vatican City	(Kota) Vatikan
Venice	Venice	Venesia (influenced by Dutch Venetië )
verb	kata kerja	kata kerja (influenced by Dutch werkwoord, literally "work word"), verba
verification	pengesahan (mean "validation" in Indonesian)	verifikasi
very	sangat, amat, sekali	sangat, amat, sekali, banget (from Javanese ngoko)
vice (deputy)	naib	wakil
victim	mangsa in Indonesian means "prey"	korban
Vienna	Vienna	Wina (influenced by Dutch Wenen)
violet (colour)	lembayung	violet, ungu, lembayung (rarely used)
virgin	(anak) dara, (anak) gadis, perawan	perawan (formal), gadis, (anak) dara
viscosity	kelikatan	viskositas, kekentalan
visit	lawatan, pelancongan	wisata, kunjungan, pelancongan
volleyball	bola tampar	bola voli
volume (math)	isi padu	volume, ruang, isi
voucher	baucer	voucher
want	mahu	mau, ingin
warden	warden, penjaga penjara	sipir penjara (from Dutch cipier)
Warsaw	Warsaw	Warsawa
website	laman web	situs web
weekend	hujung minggu	akhir pekan, akhir minggu
well (water hole)	perigi	sumur, perigi (rarely used)
wheelchair	kerusi roda	kursi roda
when	bila, apabila, ketika, bilamana (rarely used)	kapan, bilamana, (question word) bila, ketika
window	tingkap, jendela	jendela (from Portuguese janela), tingkap (less common)
windscreen, windshield	cermin kereta	kaca depan (mobil)
wire	dawai, wayar	kawat (e.g. copper wire), kabel (e.g. electrical wire, cable)
you	anda (very formal), awak, kamu, engkau, kau	anda (everyday formal), kamu (familiar only), engkau ('kau) (prose), elu/loe (very vulgar Betawi slang, influenced by Chinese dialect leu)
zero	sifar	nol from Dutch nul
zipper (fastener)	zip	resleting from Dutch ritssluiting
zone	zon	daerah, zona
zoo	zoo, taman haiwan (kebun binatang was also frequently used in Malaysia before the mid-1960s)	kebun binatang (derived from Dutch dierentuin, literally "animal garden"), taman margasatwa (more formal form for zoological park)

False friends

Besides vocabulary differences, there are also a number of false friends in both languages. As these words are in quite common use in either or both of the languages, misunderstandings can arise.

Word	Malay meaning	Indonesian meaning
ahli	a member (of a group) (when the word is used by itself) (from Arabo-Persian "ahli" اهلی 'belonging to a group, people, indigenous or sim.'), expert in a field (from Arabo-Persian "'aqli" عقلی 'belonging to the intellect or mind, intellectual')	expert in a field
akta (from Latino-Dutch acta)	act (= law)	act (= written legal document)
awak	you (casual)	me / I (only used in some regions in Sumatra Island), crew (of transportation)
baja	fertilizer	steel Malay: besi waja
banci	census	effeminate, transvestite homosexual (negative connotation)
bandar	city	port
bapa	father (male parent)	specific to 'Father' (God) in religious context (Christianity) our Father which art in Heaven = Bapa kami yang di surga Father in Indonesian is bapak (with an additional 'k' letter')
belanja	to treat, giving something for free	to shop (note: also carries this meaning in Malay, though in a context more akin to "spend".)
berbual	to chat	to tell a lie
bercinta	in (the essence of) love	make love, have sexual intercourse
beredar	From the root word "edar" which can means; to oscillate (planets only), to leave, or to distribute	distributed
biji	seed	seed, testicles ("balls", offensive)
bila	when	if, when (older version, almost obsolete)
bina	to build	to develop
bisa	venom	can/able (same as "boleh" in Malay), venom
bontot/buntut	buttock	tail ('ekor' as commonly used in Malay)
budak	kid	slave
butoh/butuh	male genitals, an offensive reference	need
cadangan	suggestion, opinion, proposal (example: peti cadangan = suggestion box)	reserve, spare (example: ban cadangan = spare tire)
comel	cute, pretty	(to call) someone who can not keep a secret (example: mulutnya comel= her mouth can't keep a secret)
daripada	A preposition that carries 5 meanings; 1. from (to explain the origin of something) 2.than (to do comparison) 3.from (to protect from, to avoid from ) 4. from (to state the sender of something) 5. from (to state the differences)	than (comparison)(example: Kamus ini lebih baik daripada yang itu= This dictionary is better than that one)
doktor	doctor (paramedic); doctorate (educational title)	doctorate (educational title) In Indonesian, the equivalent for paramedic doctor is dokter
duduk	to sit, a place to live on (only used informally)	to sit
email	electronic mail (recently changed to "emel")	enamel
gampang	bastard from 'anak gampang' lit. easy child	easy (non-negative meaning)
getah	rubber, plant sap	plant sap
hemat	moral excellence	frugal, pennywise, save money or something e.g. electricity, gas or water usage
jabatan	department	position
jawatan	position	department
jemput	invite, pick up	pick up
jeruk	pickles/preserved fruits or vegetables	orange (fruit)
jimat	frugal, pennywise, save money or something e.g. electricity	amulet (the Malay equivalent is azimat)
kacak	handsome	ber-kacak pinggang (stands with hands on your hips) The Malay equivalent is bercekak-pinggang, a phrase to mean that a person is being bossy
kadar	rate	content, level
kakak	elder sister	elder sibling (either elder brother or sister)
kakitangan	employee	subordinate (with negative meaning)
kapan	or kafan: Muslim burial shroud (kain kafan/kapan)	when (kapan mau pulang?= when do you want to go home?)
karya	work of art (karyawan=artists)	work (karyawan= workers)
kerajaan	government (historical association, most Malay states were governed by monarchs, from Raja = King, now refers to any kind of government)	kingdom
keranjang	'bola keranjang' = basketball (no other use than for basketball)	basket
kereta	car	vehicle, carriage, cart (kereta api = train, kereta kuda = horse carriage/cart, kereta gantung = cable car)
kesal	regret	annoyed
khidmat	service	fully concentrate
koneksi	'konek' = dick (slang/vulgar) ( sambungan = connection in Malay)	connection
konfeksi	A soft solid made by incorporating a medicinal substance or substances with sugar, sirup, or honey	clothing industry, any fancy or luxurious women's clothes (Dutch: confectie. A non-standard spelling sometimes used is: "konveksi")
lucu	funny	funny, cute (slang)
mangsa	victim	prey for animal
mengacau	to disturb, to stir Indonesian: mengaduk	to disturb
operasi	mathematic operational symbol, tactical operation	mathematic operational symbol, police operation, operation/surgery (as in Dutch)
pajak	to mortgage, pawn	tax
paket	packet	packet, package (normally used for promotion purposes, as in Dutch)
pantas	speedily	appropriate, 'no wonder'
pantat	buttock (Sabahan Malay meaning), vagina/pussy (slang/vulgar)	buttock
pelan	plan (associated with architectural work, site map etc. only)	slow (perlahan in Malay)
penyelenggaraan	maintenance	to organize, organizing
pejabat	office	high-rank officer/officials (those who hold office, Malay (pegawai))
pembangkang	opposition	rebel (noun), insurgent
pemerintah	ruler	government
pengajian	studies	mass recitation of Qur'an
penganjur	organizer	promotor
percuma	free of charge percuma can also mean free of charge in Indonesian, but its usage has become obsolete, replaced by cuma-cuma/gratis (taken from Dutch: gratis=free)	useless, not needed
piawai	standard; correct bahasa piawai = standard language	expert; skillful (on something)
pijat	bugs (software bugs i.e. Year 2000 bug and also commonly referring to the bed bugs)	massage Javanese pijet
pohon	tree, to plea or to beg (from basic word: "mohon")	tree
pokok	tree	essential, basic, main kebutuhan pokok = essential necessities
polis	police	(insurance) policy (as in Dutch)
polisi	policy	police (as in Dutch)
punggung	buttock	back
pupuk	to nurture	fertilizer (also means 'to nurture' in the metaphorical sense of the word)
pusing	to go around a place, circular in motion, to spin/rotate Indonesian: putar	dizzy, confused, headache
putera	prince Indonesian: Pangeran	son
rambut	hair (for head only)	hair
rayuan	appeal (neutral)	flattery, seduction (emotional or sexual connotation)
tambang	fare	mine, rope (as tali tambang)
tandas	toilet	to explain, to finish
sederhana	medium, normal	simple, easy
senang	easy	happy, relax
seronok	good, enjoyable	impolite, pornography-related gambar seronok = porn picture
sulit	confidential, difficult	difficult
wakil	representative	vice (for example, 'vice chancellor' and 'vice president'), representative

The influence of English

One of the most important aspect in differences between Indonesian and Malay is the degree of influence from English. Apart from being heavily influenced by the Dutch language, Indonesian language also adopted a significant number of English loan words in its vocabulary, although English didn't play significant role on the Indonesian language and in fact most of these vocabulary are of Dutch origin (note that Dutch and English shared similar Germanic origin). There have been many changes in Indonesian language as a result of its historical development. Words have been freely borrowed from English and only partly assimilated, in many cases, to the Indonesian patterns of structure. By the late 1970s, English words pouring into the language, leading one commentator, writing in 1977, to refer to the "trend towards Indo-Saxonisation". A great many borrowings from English sometimes fulfill no communicative need, expressing concepts adequately covered by existing words. Among the examples are: akurat instead of tepat (accurate), aliansi in the place of sekutu (alliance), eksis rather than ada (exist), kandidat as well as calon (candidate), konklusi instead of kesimpulan (conclusion) kontaminasi in the place of pencemaran (contamination), opini rather than pendapat (opinion) and opsi in the place of pilihan (option). Contrary to their Indonesian countrepart, Malaysian Malay has shown a remarkable resilience, despite being the former colony of British empire.

Some in Indonesia view this trend of excessive borrowings as "language dynamism", while some Malay linguists called it mass "language pollution", and lack of creativity in creating new terms.

These days a widespread use of English in the Indonesian and Malay twittersphere can be observed. Basolectal and mesolectal English usage couched within Malay, and other local language are common. Twitter has, as an example, become extremely widely used by all sections of society and the next twenty years should see a lot of language-rub from which we could expect to see more Anglicisims move into acrolectical or printed Indonesian and Malay.

Example

The original text in Indonesian:

Apabila peraturan pakta stabilitas Eropa dihormati sampai ke detailnya, rasio utang publik dibanding produk domestik bruto pada hari krisis akan berada di posisi 10 persentase poin kurang dalam zona euro, katanya.

The same text rendered in Malay:

Apabila peraturan pakatan kestabilan Eropah dihormati secara terperinci, nisbah hutang awam berbanding keluaran dalam negara kasar pada zaman krisis akan berada di kedudukan 10 mata peratusan kurang dalam zon euro, kata beliau.

English translation:

If the European stability pact rules had been respected in detail, the ratio of public debt to gross domestic product on the days of crisis would have been at the position 10 percentage points less in the eurozone, he said.

Convergence of vocabulary

The rift of evolution between the two languages is based more on political nuance and the history of their formation than on cultural reasons. As a result, views regarding each other's languages differ among Malaysians and Indonesians. In Malaysia, the national language is Malay; in Indonesia, it is Indonesian. Malaysians tend to assert that Malay and Indonesian are merely different varieties of the same language, while Indonesians tend to treat them as separate – albeit related – languages. The result of this attitude is that the Indonesians feel little need to synchronize their language with Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei, whereas the Malaysians are keener to coordinate the evolution of the language with the Indonesians. However, both parties have realized that communication benefits from mutually comprehensible and intelligible languages, which motivated efforts to synchronize the languages' development. The effort to synchronize both languages' evolution to increase their mutual intelligibility has been embarked by imposing standard rules of language. This process is headed by Pusat Bahasa on the Indonesian side and Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka as its Malaysian counterpart.

Sample

The following texts are excerpts from the official translations of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in Malay and Indonesian, along with the original declaration in English.

• Malaysian text sample:

Maka dengan ini,

Perhimpunan Agung mengisytiharkan

PERISYTIHARAN SEJAGAT HAK ASASI MANUSIA ini sebagai suatu ukuran bersama terhadap pencapaian oleh seluruh umat manusia dan kesemua negara dengan tujuan supaya setiap individu dan setiap badan masyarakat, dengan senantiasa mengingati Perisytiharan ini, hendaklah berazam melalui pengajaran dan pendidikan bagi memajukan sanjungan terhadap seluruh hak-hak dan kebebasan ini dan secara langkah-langkah berperingkat-peringkat, di bidang negara dan antarabangsa, bagi menjaminkan pengkitirafan dan pematuhan sejagatnya yang berkesan, kedua-duanya di antara negara-negara anggota masing-masing dan rakyat wilayah-wilayah di bawah bidangkuasa mereka.

Perkara 1.

Semua manusia dilahirkan bebas dan samarata dari segi kemuliaan dan hak-hak. Mereka mempunyai pemikiran dan perasaan hati dan hendaklah bertindak di antara satu sama lain dengan semangat persaudaraan.

• Indonesian text sample:

Maka,

Majelis Umum memproklamasikan

PERNYATAAN UMUM TENTANG HAK ASASI MANUSIA sebagai satu standar umum keberhasilan untuk semua bangsa dan negara, dengan tujuan agar setiap orang dan setiap badan dalam masyarakat dengan senantiasa mengingat Pernyataan ini, akan berusaha dengan jalan mengajar dan mendidik untuk menggalakkan penghargaan terhadap hak-hak dan kebebasan-kebebasan tersebut, dan dengan jalan tindakan-tindakan progresif yang bersifat nasional maupun internasional, menjamin pengakuan dan penghormatannya secara universal dan efektif, baik oleh bangsa-bangsa dari negara anggota sendiri maupun oleh bangsa-bangsa dari daerah-daerah yang berada di bawah kekuasaan hukum mereka.

Pasal 1

Semua orang dilahirkan merdeka dan mempunyai martabat dan hak yang sama. Mereka dikaruniai akal dan hati nurani dan hendaknya bergaul sesama lain dalam semangat persaudaraan.

• The original English version of the text:

Now, therefore,

the General Assembly proclaims

this UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS as a common standard of achievement for all peoples and all nations, to the end that every individual and every organ of society, keeping this Declaration constantly in mind, shall strive by teaching and education to promote respect for these rights and freedoms and by progressive measures, national and international, to secure their universal and effective recognition and observance, both among the peoples of Member States themselves and among the peoples of territories under their jurisdiction.

Article 1

All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.

External links

• The Malay Spelling Reform, Asmah Haji Omar, (Journal of the Simplified Spelling Society, 1989-2 pp. 9–13 later designated J11)
• The MALAY LANGUAGE in MALAYSIA and INDONESIA: from lingua franca to national language Asmah Haji Omar article in The Asianists' ASIA
• Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia. 2008. Pusat Bahasa, Departemen Pendidikan Nasional