All the words
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- hantuMalay for ghost.
- heatyDescribes food believed to make your body too 'hot', like durian or fried stuff. The opposite is 'cooling'.
- Hek elehSlang expression used to show mild disbelief, eye-rolling annoyance, sarcasm, or dismissal—similar to saying "Yeah, right," "Oh, please," o…
- helloManglish for 'excuse me?!', used to protest or snap someone back to reality.
- hensemMalay spelling of handsome.
- hiaoHokkien for flirty or showing off in a flashy way.
- ho jiakHokkien for delicious, beloved in Penang. Also ho chiak.
- ho say liaoPenang Hokkien for 'great, well done', very often said sarcastically when things go wrong. Also ho seh liao.
- ho seh boHokkien greeting for 'how are you?'.
- hok alohIt translates roughly to "alahai", "aduhai", or English expressions of mild surprise, exasperation, disbelief, or annoyance like "oh man", …
- horAsks for agreement, like 'right?' or 'you know?', or adds a warning tone.
- hou sikCantonese for delicious. Also spelt ho sek.
- huatHokkien for 'prosper!', shouted at Chinese New Year and whenever money might be coming.
- I belanja youManglish for 'my treat'. Music to every Malaysian's ears.
- ishA Malay sound of annoyance or disapproval, like 'ugh'. Also ishh, eee.
- izzitManglish 'is it?', said to show interest or mild disbelief.
- jagaA security guard, from Malay 'jaga', to guard.
- jalan-jalanMalay for strolling, going out, or travelling for fun.
- jambanMalay for toilet, especially an old-school squat one.
- jeMalay for 'only' or 'just'. Also spelt jer, aje, saja.
- jiakHokkien for eat. 'Jiak pa buay?' means 'eaten yet?', the Penang way of saying hi. Also chiak.
- jialatHokkien for terrible, hopeless, a really bad situation.
- jiwangMushy, overly romantic or sentimental. 'Jiwang karat' is the extra-cheesy kind.
- jomMalay for 'let's go!', the universal invite. Also spelt jum.
- kacauTo disturb or annoy someone. 'Kacau daun' means butting in where you're not wanted.
- kacipBorak kacip or sembang kacip generally means yapping, talking nonsense, rambling, making disconnected or erratic conversation.
- kahkahkahMalaysian internet laughter, the local version of LOL. Type more kahs for more laughing.
- kakakMalay for older sister, used to address young women politely. Often shortened to kak.
- kakiMalay for leg, but slang for someone who's really into something: kaki bola, kaki gaduh, kaki karaoke.
- kaki bangkuSomeone who's terrible at football. Literally 'bench legs'.