Differences Between Malaysian and Indonesian

False Friends

Besides vocabulary differences, there are also a number of false friends in both languages. As these words are in quite common use in either or both of the languages, misunderstandings can arise.

Word	Malaysian meaning	Indonesian meaning
ahli	a member (of a group) expert in a field (from Arabo-Persian "'aqli" عقلی 'belonging to the intellect or mind, intellectual')	expert in a field
akta	act	act
awak	you	me / I, shipper
baja	fertilizer	steel
banci	census	effeminate, transvestite homosexual
bandar	city	port
bapa	father (male parent)	specific to 'Father' (God) in religious context (Christianity) .
belanja	to treat, giving something for free	to shop (note: also carries this meaning in Malay, though in a context more akin to "spend".)
berbual	to chat	to tell a lie
bercinta	in (the essence of) love	make love, have sexual intercourse
beredar	From the root word "edar" which can means; to oscillate (planets only), to leave, or to distribute	distributed
biji	seed	seed, testicles
bila	when	if, when
bisa	venom	can/able, venom
bontot/buntut	buttock	tail
budak	kid	slave
butoh/butuh	male genitals	need
cadangan	suggestion, opinion, proposal	reserve, spare
comel	cute, pretty	(to call) someone who can not keep a secret
daripada	A preposition that carries 5 meanings; 1. from (to explain the origin of something) 2.than (to do comparison) 3.from (to protect from, to avoid from ) 4. from (to state the sender of something) 5. from (to state the differences)	than (comparison)
doktor	doctor (paramedic); doctorate (educational title)	doctorate (educational title)
duduk	to sit, a place to live on (only used informally)	to sit
email	electronic mail	enamel
gampang	bastard	easy
getah	rubber, plant sap	plant sap
hemat	moral excellence	frugal, pennywise, save money or something e.g. electricity, gas or water usage
jabatan	department	position
jawatan	position	department
jemput	invite, pick up	pick up
jeruk	pickles/preserved fruits or vegetables	oranges
jimat	frugal, pennywise, save money or something e.g. electricity	amulet
kacak	handsome	ber-kacak pinggang
kakak	elder sister	elder sibling (either elder brother or sister)
kakitangan	employee	subordinate
kapan	or kafan: Muslim burial shroud	when
karya	work of art	work
kerajaan	government	kingdom
keranjang	'bola keranjang' = basketball	basket
kereta	car	train
khidmat	service	fully concentrate
koneksi	'konek' = dick	connection
konfeksi	A soft solid made by incorporating a medicinal substance or substances with sugar, sirup, or honey	clothing industry, any fancy or luxurious women's clothes
lucu	funny	funny, cute (slang)
mangsa	victim	prey
operasi	mathematic operational symbol, tactical operation	mathematic operational symbol, police operation, operation/surgery
pajak	to mortgage, pawn	tax
paket	packet	packet, package (normally used for promotion purposes,
pantas	speedily	appropriate, 'no wonder'
pantat	buttock, vagina/pussy	buttock
pelan	plan	slow
pejabat	office	high-rank officer/officials
pemerintah	ruler	government
pengajian	studies	mass recitation of Qur'an
percuma	free of charge	useless, not needed
peti sejuk	refrigerator	cold Coffin
piawai	standard; correct	expert; skillful (on something)
pijat	bugs	massage Javanese pijet
pohon	tree, to plea or to beg	tree
pokok	tree	essential, basic, main
polis	police	(insurance) policy
polisi	policy	police
punggung	buttock	back
pupuk	to nurture	fertilizer
pusing	to go around a place, circular in motion, to spin/rotate	dizzy, confused, headache
putera	prince	son
rambut	hair (for head only)	hair
rayuan	appeal (neutral)	flattery, seduction (emotional or sexual connotation)
tambang	fare	mine, rope, passenger, fare
tandas	toilet	to explain, to finish
senang	easy	happy, relax
seronok	good, enjoyable	impolite, pornography-related
sulit	confidential, difficult	difficult
wakil	representative	vice (for example, 'vice chancellor' and 'vice president'), representative