MALAY PRONOUNS
*e = e pepet, sounds like i in bird; ē = e taling, sounds like e in “hey”.
1st person singular pronouns:
Saya - the most common word, pairs with “awak/kamu/anda”.
Aku - common, said to someone close, may sound unmannered if speaker is not close to listener, but in Indonesia, this is OK. Also, when praying to God, “aku” is always used (to show closeness). Pairs with “engkau/kau” in Malaysia, “engkau/kau/kamu” in Indonesia.
Bēta - “saya”, said by a sultan/sultanah.
Teman - “saya”, in Perak.
Cēk - “saya”, in Penang/Kedah, said to someone older.
Kula/kulo - “saya/aku”, in Javanese (in Batu Pahat, Muar, Kuala Selangor, and other areas where old Javanese people can be found).
Kamēk - “saya”, in Sarawak. “Kamek orang” for plural.
Dēnai/Dēn/Ēsē - “saya”, in Minangkabau slang (especially in Kuala Pilah, Negeri Sembilan, and South Sumatera).
Awak - “saya”, in sounthern Perak (Tapah, Setiawan, Bota, Batu Gajah, Grik, etc).
Ambo/Kawē - “saya”, in Kelantan/Terengganu.
Kami/Kita - “saya”, said by kids among themselves, usually in Johor.
Kawan - “saya”, in Johor (not widely used today).
Orang - “saya”, in Singapore (***Jordan’s note: also in Johor!).
Ana - “saya”, from Arabic (sometimes used by Muslim scholars, eg tabligh, or someone who tries to adopt a little Arab culture).
Wa/Gua - “aku”, coined from Hokkien, in Indonesia: “Guē”.
Sinda - (classical, northen slang “I”), to pair with “sira”.
Patik - “saya”, said by ordinary person to a sultan/sultanah.
Hamba - literally means ‘slave’, mainly in classical literature, it shows humbleness.
1st person plural pronouns:
Kami - “we”, plural of “I”, listener excluded.
Kita - “we”, “you + I”, “you all + I”, listener(s) included.
Kema - “kami/kita”, in Perak.
Sēpa - “kami”, in Kedah/Penang.
Iboq - “kami” in Semang (an aborigine tribe in Pahang/Terengganu).
Manira - classical “kami/kita”, probably from Sanskrit.
Kita orang or simply kitorang - informal, broken, very common, daily speech. Not used in Indonesia/Brunei.
2nd person pronouns:
Awak (plural awak semua*) - the common word, pairs with “saya”, not used in Indonesia, though. (* semua means “all”, this word is added to make a plural “you”.)
Engkau/Kau - sounds rude if speaker is not close to listener. Pairs with “aku”.
Kamu (plural kamu semua) - another common word, more formal, higher level (teacher, parents, older, boss) to lower level (students, kids, younger, employer) – there’s a sense of superiority of the speaker, Indonesian Malay doesn’t have “awak”, some Kelantanese/Terengganu people think it sounds rather rude, especially if the listener is older. Ironically, they use the shorter form “mu” to pair with “ambo”. Again, don’t mix up the pairs!
Anda (plural anda semua) - formal or polite form of “you”.
Saudara - “you”, polite, formal, addressed to a male stranger on the street when you want to ask for directions, shops, seminars, etc. Literally, it means “brother”, also used in informal letters.
Saudari - feminine form of “saudara”.
Dēmo - “kamu”, in Kelantan.
Sira - “anda”, classical, in northern states, pairs with “sinda”.
Mika - “engkau”, in Perak, used between close conversants, or older to younger, higher level to lower.
Kome/Komē - “kamu” in Perak, informal. Usually said by a superior speaker.
Hang - “engkau”, in Perlis/Kedah. “Hangpa” = “kamu semua” (plural).
Cēk - “kamu” in Penang, used by older speaker to a younger listener.
Koē - “awak”, in Indonesia.
Kitak (plural kitak semuak) - “awak” in Sarawak.
Ēkau - “engkau” in Minangkabau slang, pairs with “dēn”.
Anta - “kamu”, from Arabic, for a male listener. Pairs with “ana”.
Anti - feminine form of “anta”.
Mung - “kamu”, in Terengganu.
Tuan hamba - literally means ‘master of slave’, mainly in classical literature, it shows greatness, pairs with “hamba”.
Kalian - plural form of “anda” in Indonesia.
Lu - “awak/kau”, coined from Hokkien; in Indonesia: “Loh”.
Kau orang or simply korang - informal, broken, very common, daily speech (plural). Not used in Indonesia/Brunei.
Encik - “Mr.”, formal.
Puan - “Mrs.”, (in Malaysia/Brunei), formal, polite. Don’t use the husband’s name, she’s not “Puan Jordan” but “Puan Leen” (using her own name).
Nyonya - “Mrs.”, especially in Penang, Melaka, and Singapore during pre-independence time, now only used in Indonesia, especially if she is of Chinese decent. “Nyonya Mansur” doesn’t mean Mansur is a she-male! It’s her husband’s name.
Ibu - this doesn’t mean you’re calling another woman “mom”! It’s the equivalent of “Puan” in Indonesia. “Ibu Leen” = Madam Leen.
Cik - “Miss”, in Malaysia.
Nona - “Cik” in Indonesia.
Tuan - literally means “master”. Equivalent to “Mr.”, usually addressed to someone who has performed his pilgrimage to Mecca, eg: Tuan Haji Jordan (pairs with Puan Hajjah Mazleen) (***Jordan’s note: InshAllah!), also means “Sir”, especially to police officer, judge, eg: “Tuan Inspektor”, “Tuan Hakim”, “Tuan Doktor” (this even includes a female judge or doctor!). In that case, it means “Lady/madam” to show respect/status/higher rank. In classical Malay, “Tuan Puteri” (My Lady Princess). Not “Puan Puteri” or “Cik Puteri”.
Bapak - literally means “father”, used in Indonesia. Equivalent to Malaysians’ “Encik/Tuan”, excluding “Tuan Puteri/Doktor”. Eg: “Bapak Polisi”, “Bapak Jordan”. Male only.
Abang - “elder brother”, to a stranger on the street, at a warong, shops, campus. In Malaysia only.
(Kang) Mas - “abang” in Javanese, Indonesia.
Kakak/Kak - “elder sister” in Malaysia, also “abang/kakang” in Indonesia.
Kakēk - “grandpa”, in Indonesia.
Adik - “younger brother/sister”, in Malaysia.
Makcik - “Aunty”, in Malaysia.
Pakcik - “Uncle”, in Malaysia.
Tanter - “Aunty”, in Indonesia.
Om - “Uncle”, in Indonesia.
3rd person pronouns:
Dia - “He/She”
Ia - “He/She/It”
Dēme - “They” in Northern dialect.
Nya - “He/She” in Sarawak. “Nya orang” for plural.
Merēka - “They”
Dia orang - or simply diorang - informal, broken, very common, daily speech (plural). Not used in Indonesia/Brunei.