Photo: Oqbas/Shutterstock
5. Malaysians don’t ‘go on vacation’ … we ‘eat wind.’ (Makan Angin)
6. Malaysians aren’t curious to the point of being annoying …we’re ‘home grannies’. (Kaypoh)
7. Malaysians don’t say something is ‘super difficult’ … we say ‘eat strength.’ (Chia lat)
8. We Malaysians have a mental state somewhere between oblivious and silly … we call it ‘blur like a squid.’ (Blur like sotong)
9. Malaysians don’t say something is ‘second-rate’ … we say it’s ‘half-past six.’
10. Malaysians don’t say ‘forget it’ … we say ‘wait long time.’ (Tan ku ku)
This story was produced through the travel journalism programs at MatadorU.
11. We don’t refer to our slang as a “mix of Malay, English, Hokkien, Cantonese and Tamil’ … we say it’s ‘vegetables and a fruit salad’. (Rojak)
12. Malaysians don’t say ‘Oh wow! … we say ‘Is it’ or ‘Izzit’ (Ya ke!)
13. When someone points out the obvious, we don’t say ‘What else did you expect?’ … we say ‘ah, but then?’ (Abuden) 
Trending Now
How to Spend 72 Perfect Hours in Charlotte, NC
Feb 24, 2025
Sponsored
The 25 Dreamiest Island Airbnbs in the US
Jan 17, 2025
Don’t Miss These 5 Experiences on Your Spring Trip to Yosemite
Feb 20, 2025
Sponsored