Malaysia Culture & Language

Malaysia's defining characteristic is that three major cultures and dozens of indigenous ones share it without having merged. Mosques, Chinese temples, Hindu temples and churches stand within blocks of each other in most towns, and the public holiday calendar accommodates all of them.

Islam is the official religion and Malays are Muslim by constitutional definition, while Chinese Malaysians are largely Buddhist, Taoist or Christian and Indian Malaysians largely Hindu.

The open house tradition is the most visible expression: at Hari Raya, Chinese New Year, Deepavali and Christmas, families host anyone who comes, across community lines.

In Borneo the picture differs entirely — Iban, Kadazan-Dusun, Bidayuh, Melanau and Orang Ulu peoples, many with living longhouse traditions, and a markedly different religious mix.

Bahasa Malaysia is the national language, written in the Latin alphabet and comparatively straightforward — no tones, regular spelling.

English is widely spoken, particularly in cities, business and tourism, which makes Malaysia one of the easiest countries in the region for an English speaker. Mandarin, Cantonese, Hokkien and Tamil are all in everyday use.

Useful: terima kasih for thank you, selamat pagi for good morning, berapa harga for how much.

Lah attached to the end of sentences is a feature of Malaysian English rather than an error, and softens whatever precedes it.