Ignorance, driving and other things we're guilty of. But mostly driving.
1. Best/Syok
Which means superlatively good. Add ‘giler’ at the end of the sentence to connote ‘craaaaaazilly good’.
How to use: "Fuah, this Milo Dinosaur best giler’. Or, ‘Watching “Interstellar” on IMAX is damn syok."
2. Bo jio
‘Bo jio’ is coming up as one of our favourite phrases, which translates as ‘never invite’ in Hokkien. You don’t really have to mean it to say ‘bo jio’ – it can be used to annoy your friends who are having a better time than you.
How to use: "You’re holidaying at Langkawi with your girlfriend ah? Bo jio!"
3. Boss
‘Boss’ here doesn’t really refer to your manager. You call someone ‘boss’ when you don’t know his/her name. Or when you need to suck up to get into the person’s good books. Or when you need to order at the mamak.
How to use: "Boss, teh tarik satu’ [at the mamak]; ‘Okay boss, I’ll do everything you say" [to suck up].
4. Cincai
It really just means ‘whatever’ but you can also use it to describe an action where one does anything casually or as one pleases.
How to use: "Eat what? Cincai lah’ or ‘I cincai order for you, okay?"
5. Gostan
Our local ministers say it. The taxi driver says it. Your grandfather says it. Who cares if ‘gostan’ stems from the term ‘go astern’ as long as you know it means ‘to reverse’?
How to use: "Eh, don’t gostan into the longkang!"
6. Mempersiasuikan
If a portmanteau between a Malay and English word can exist in Malaysia, there’s no way we can’t do the same with other dialects, like this Hokkien verb, ‘sia sui’, which means ‘to embarrass’.
How to use: "You don’t mempersiasuikan the human race can or not?"
7. Yum cha
Yum cha is a Cantonese phrase, which means ‘go have tea’. But this favourite slang has been adapted by most Malaysians to ask their friends to hang out.
How to use: "Jom, we yum cha at Bangsar tonight."
8. Potong stim
A buzzkill that ruins your high, like how your friends flaked out on you at a Taylor Swift concert. Or that scene when Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike stepped into the shower in ‘Gone Girl’ but the Malaysian cinemas… well, you know what happened next.
How to use: "Wah, Ben Affleck is stark naked and he’s gonna… Oi! Why fast forward? Damn potong stim lah!"
9. On the way
To be used when you’re late for an appointment, wedding or yum cha session but you’re actually still in the shower. Malaysian timing mah.
How to use: "Ah? You wedding now ah? Okay, on the way… on the way" [still napping at home].
10. Then/Abuden?
As a nation fond of short cuts, we strive to be as economical as possible with our words. ‘Then/Abuden’ is a sarcastic reply to indicate ‘What else did you expect?’
How to use: "Abuden? You think this company is going to give you a raise ah?"
11. Fong fei kei
Literal: go fly (fong) aeroplane (fei kei). To ‘fong fei kei’ is to bail out or to ditch a plan, i.e. when someone stands you up at the last minute, you have every right to be irked, “Why you ‘fong fei kei’ me!”
How to use: “What for I jio you yum cha, jio also you confirm fong fei kei lah!”
12. Ngam-ngam
‘Ngam’ has Cantonese origins, but ‘ngam-ngam’ — that’s Malaysian-speak for just nice or perfect.
How to use: “Alamak, sorry weh, am I late ah?” “Eh, no lah, your timing is ngam ngam.”
13. Tapau
Food, unsurprisingly, features in many Malaysian slangs. ‘Tapau’ comes from the Chinese 打包 (da bao) which means to take away food. ‘Bungkus’ in Malay is used the same way.
How to use: “Boss, tapao roti canai satu… eh, actually, bungkus one teh tarik also.”
14. Belanja
To ‘belanja’ is to pay for something for a friend or a group of people, such as a kopi, lunch, or a movie, i.e. it’s your treat. Malaysians also often say ‘belanja’ to show off a selfie at the gym, for example, but teasingly.
How to use: "Wah, you belanja my Chagee ah? Thanks sis, next time it’s on me okay!”; or “Did you catch it? Jungkook belanja one back selfie on Insta this morning.”
15. Bawang
Literally, ‘bawang’ means onions. Colloquially, it means tea (the slang, not the drink). It’s a juicy scoop, or a hot piece of gossip. A ‘makcik bawang’ is an auntie who loves to gossip or to ask needling questions like, “When are you getting married?” at family functions.
How to use: “Ha, why are you three cheekily huddled up in a corner, membawang lah tu?”
16. Gerak lu, pape roger
If you know your memes, ‘Gerak lu’ is the Malaysian “‘ight, I’mma head out.” ‘Pape roger’ is short for “apa-apa roger”.‘Gerak lu, pape roger’ expresses a desire to exit a situation or to leave, but if anything comes up, you’re a call or a text away.
How to use: “Oh dang, I was supposed to pick up my sister from the station an hour ago. Gerak lu, paper roger!”
17. Pokai
Shopping like Rosmah Mansor without her husband’s prime minister salary will undoubtedly leave you ‘pokai’, i.e., broke or skint. A closet full of Hermès Birkin bags doesn't come cheap!
How to use: “I’ll have to skip dim sum tomorrow girls, pokai.”
18. Pishang
We use pishang when the word bored just isn’t enough.
How to use: “Pishang doh, let’s go out.”
19. Fuyoh
Chalk this one up with the likes of aiseh, cehwah, fuh, fulamak, huiyo, wah, or simply, wooow (drawn-out) to express astonishment and amazement.
How to use: “Fuyoh, Ali, since when you got drive Tesla? Rich already ah?”
20. Lek lu
Short for “rilek dulu”, it means chill, relax, don’t be hasty.
How to use: “Lek lu bro, traffic’s mad now. Jom, we yum cha first.”
21. Mantap
Good, proper. It’s an expression of approval, appreciation or support. Doing things the ‘mantap’ way doesn't necessarily mean you followed the rules, it means you did very well. Like helping your mum with spring cleaning for Chinese New Year.
How to use: “This pizza is mantap.”; or “Mantap ah Munir, you slayed that presentation earlier.”
22. Koyak
‘Koyak’ literally means torn, or ripped. But on the streets, you don’t want to be a ‘koyak’ person, it means you can’t take a joke, or that you’re butthurt or easily triggered by differing views or a dispute. Secondly, it could also mean a state of exhaustion, or that you’re spent i.e. “mental koyak, bro.
How to use: “Do not invite Jo to Village Park for nasi lemak; she’s a 223 stan and she’s going to be super koyak if you dare say it’s mid.”
23. Kantoi
Caught in 4k, if you speak Gen Z. It’s when a person is caught in a lie, or caught red-handed in the act of something compromising. For example, when you tell your boss you need to take the day off work because you’re “sick” but he finds out you were well enough to watch an afternoon screening of ‘Dune 2’ at the movies.
How to use: “He thought he could get away with it, but kantoi lah, a friend told Sarah that he’s been seeing Natasha behind her back!”
24. Yilek
A Tamil slang commonly misspelled as ‘elek’, but really, pronounced “ill-let”. It means no, or a catch-all for “don’t know”, “don’t have it”, “haven’t seen it”, etc.
How to use: “I know I’m late to lunch but please say you saved me some pizza.” “Yilek.”
25. Itulah tu
This one’s fun to say. ‘Itulah tu’ is sort of like, “it is what it is”, or to denote agreement or resigned acceptance of a situation.
How to use: “Haiya, big boss promised us bonuses last December, but it’s already April.” “Itulah tu…”