Word origins

• Reformasithe political and military reformations that began with Fall of Suharto since May 1998 in Indonesia.
• sekaliWhat if, lest (something problematic or unanticipated happens)
• mamakA roadside stall selling Muslim Tamil or Malay cuisine; by extension, a restaurant that sells similar foods.
• balutAsian street food consisting of a developing duck embryo boiled alive and eaten in the shell
• kopitiamA traditional style of eatery having public seating and multiple vendors selling Chinese, Indian, and Malay food.
• pontianakA female vampiric ghost in Malaysian and Indonesian mythology, said to be the spirit of a woman who died while pregnant.
• lepakTo loiter about casually or idly, to hang around unproductively, to laze around or relax.
• susahDifficult.
• upasA tree, Antiaris toxicaria, of the mulberry family, common in the forests of Java and the neighboring islands, with poisonous secretions.
• NyonyaA female Peranakan
• ragiA grain, of species Eleusine coracana, cultivated as a cereal in arid areas of Africa and Asia; finger millet.
• proaA sailing vessel found in the waters of Micronesia and Indonesia; it has a single, large outrigger and a triangular sail.
• kendiA container of Asian derivation, usually handleless, used to hold liquid with a broad opening on top for inserting liquid and usually only one spout for pouring.
• TawauThe district capital of Tawau district, Sabah, Malaysia.
• PeranakanA descendant of the 15th- through 17th-century Chinese immigrants to the Malay Peninsula and Nusantara (Indonesian Archipelago), now part of Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, and Southern Thailand).
• manjaString coated with crushed glass and attached to a kite, used to cut the strings of other kites in kite fighting.
• kosongNot having additional ingredients, such as milk or sugar; plain.
• tolongplease
• buangTo discard or throw something out.
• bajuA traditional Malay jacket worn with a sarong.
• KinabatanganA town and capital of Kinabatangan Diatrict, Sandakan Division, Sabah, Malaysia
• encikInformal term of address for a male warrant officer in the Singapore Armed Forces.
• @At a rate of (so much each).
• agak-agakTo estimate or guess.
• agar-agarAgar.
• Alor SetarThe capital city of the state of Kedah, Malaysia.
• ayam percikA dish of grilled chicken with a spicy curry-like sauce.
• BachokBachok (a district of Kelantan, Malaysia).
• badakA rhinoceros.
• bak kut tehA pork rib dish cooked in broth, popular in Malaysia and Singapore.
• balachongA Malaysian and Singaporean form of ngapi, a Southeast Asian condiment made from fermented and compressed fish or shrimp.
• baleia type of hall, station, or large building for public uses, typically found in present-day Malaysia
• balik kampungan annual travel to one's hometown to meet one's family and relatives.
• Bandar Seri BegawanThe capital city of Brunei.
• barang-barangOne's personal belongings; or more broadly, miscellaneous articles or things, paraphernalia.
• begedilA deep fried potato patty of Javanese origin, derived from the Dutch meat based frikadel. Introduced to Singapore and Malaysia by Javanese immigrants.
• belachanA Malay condiment made from fermented shrimp paste.
• belanjaTo give someone a treat.
• belimbingstar fruit
• bilianA hardwood tree, Eusideroxylon zwageri, of Malaysia, Borneo, Indonesia, and the Philippines.
• binturongA large species of civet, Arctictis binturong, of southern Asia.
• bodohStupid, dumb.
• bomohA Malay shaman or witch doctor.
• BosskuNajib Razak, former prime minister of Malaysia.
• bruangThe Malayan sun bear.
• bruhExpressing amazement or shock.
• Bukit AmanThe Royal Malaysia Police; the police.
• Bukit MerahA planning area and town in the Central Region of Singapore.
• cadjanA form of parchment made from leaves of the coconut palm, formerly used in Asia.
• cajuputcajuput oil
• caracoaAny of various similar light vessels or proas used by the Malays, and the Indonesians and Filipinos, particularly for raiding.
• cayolaqueSynonym of lakawood.
• ceramah; public talk, speech, political campaign or rally for a certain candidate
• changkolA type of hoe.
• ChanglunChanglun (a town in Kubang Pasu district, Kedah, Malaysia).
• chawatA traditional loincloth of the Malay region.
• chempedakA tree of species Artocarpus integer, of southeast Asia, domesticated is Oceania.
• ChukaiA town, the capital of the Kemaman District, Terengganu, Malaysia.
• congkakA traditional Malay two-player mancala game in which seeds or marbles are dropped into depressions carved into a boat-shaped wooden board.
• dabaiAn official of the Chinese government wearing a white biosafety suit.
• dadahrecreational drugs
• DBKLKuala Lumpur City Hall, the city council that governs the city of Kuala Lumpur.
• DSAIAnwar Ibrahim, a Malaysian politician and Prime Minister
• dukunA Malay shaman or witch doctor.
• DYMMSynonym of His Majesty (when addressing a Malay monarch).
• ejooSynonym of gomuti.
• gabraPanicky and confused.
• gantangAn imperial gallon.
• golokA cutting tool, similar to a machete, used in agriculture and as a weapon in Indonesia and Malaysia.
• gostanTo go backwards; to reverse (a vehicle).
• gotong-royongCooperation by members of a community to achieve a common goal.
• gulaiA kind of spicy stew of Southeast Asia.
• gula melakaPalm sugar made from the sap of flower buds from the coconut palm, or less commonly other palms.
• gutta-perchaAn inelastic natural latex, produced from the sap of several tropical trees of the genera Palaquium and Payena.
• habisTo finish or be finished; used to express that something is over or cannot be undone.
• Hari Raya AidiladhaSynonym of Eid al-Adha
• Hari Raya HajiEid al-Adha
• Hari Raya PuasaSynonym of Eid al-Fitr.
• hentak kakiTo march on the spot (a drill command sometimes used as form of punishment).
• Hulu LangatA district of Selangor, Malaysia
• igasurineAn alkaloid found in nux vomica, and extracted as a white crystalline substance.
• ijukgomuti (Arenga pinnata)
• Iskandar PuteriThe administrative capital of Johor, Malaysia.
• jalan-jalanTo take a walk, to go for a stroll.
• Jalur GemilangThe flag of Malaysia.
• jambuCute, adorable or beautiful.
• jelakFood which makes one feel satiated, disgusted, because the taste is too overwhelming.
• jelutongA tree of species Dyera costulata, in the oleander subfamily.
• jogeta Malay popular dance, in which a couple improvises to the accompanying music. Also attributive, and transferred, the place where such dancing occurs.
• Johor BahruThe capital city of Johor, Malaysia.
• kacang putehAssorted nuts, crackers, legumes and murukku, traditionally sold by Indian vendors in paper cones.
• kacauTo disturb; to bother or trouble (someone).
• kalongA fruit bat, especially the black-eared flying fox (Pteropus melanotus).
• kampangAn enclosed village.
• kampong chickenA free-range chicken raised in a village.
• kampung spiritA sense of social cohesion in a community and a willingness of neighbours to co-operate with each other.
• KamuntingA town in Taiping, state of Perak, Malaysia.
• kanary treeThe tropical tree Canarium indicum, found from the Malay Archipelago eastwards through New Guinea to the Pacific islands.
• kanchilA small, agile chevrotain of the genus Tragulus, especially Tragulus kanchil (lesser mouse-deer).
• kantoicaught in the act, busted