Learning Malay

Kupu-kupu
Di mana kamu
Kupu-kupu
Di mana kamu

Aku tidak tahu!

While searching for the Butterfly and Retile Farm along a highway outside the city of Malaka in Malaysia, my Australian friend Adelaide continued to teach me Malay words.

I had just finished viewing traditional Malay, Singaporean, Indonesian, Burmese, and Vietnamese houses in the park called Mini Malaysia.

The map Adelaide had made it seem as if the butterfly farm was only a few meters away down the road.

We could not have been more wrong.

Because the road was actually a highway, we decided to walk below the road beside some bushes so we would not get run over.

After walking for 15 minutes, I exited the quasi-pathway and found a tourist information center.

Closed. The office was shut down for Chinese New Year.

Adelaide spoke some Malay to two boys near by who told us the farm was just down the road. We decided to plod on.

At this point the highway narrowed, making it impossible to go further except by a thin stretch of land above a drainage ditch. We decided to jump the ditch and walk alongside until we reached the park. I survived the jump and continued on.

Until we reached a point that could not be crossed. We had reached a dead end. No walkway.
No butterfly farm.

It was time to turn back. The hike back was just as arduous. Sweat was rolling down our faces and backs in the 90 degree Fahrenheit heat. We finally made it to the bus stop to head back to Malaka.

Twenty minutes later we were picked up by the green bus that headed back to the city. While on the bus, Adelaide turned to me and asked if I would like to know the Malay word for butterfly. She told me, "It's kupu-kupu."

I tried to bore the word into my head. To lighten the mood (and help mysel remember the word), I decided to make up a song with the words I had been taught that day. The song "Kupu-Kupu" was born.

Kupu-kupu
(Butterfly)
By Jessica Davis
(with some help from Adelaide)

Kupu-kupu
Di mana kamu
Kupu-kupu
Di mana kamu

Aku tidak tahu!

Kupu-kupu
Di mana kamu
Kupu-kupu
Di mana kamu

Aku tidak tahu!

(To the tune of dreidle-dreidle)

The English translation:

Butterfly
Where are you?
Butterfly?
Where are you?

I don’t know!

(Repeats)

The official language of Malaysia is Bahasa Melayu, otherwise known as Malay. Adelaide learned Bahsa Indonesia while studying abroad in Indonesia last spring. The two languages are almost identical except for a few words. She has been my teacher while traveling in Malaysia for the past four days.

Malay is coming much easier to me than Cantonese in Hong Kong. The language is based on the Roman alphabet, making it very easy for me to read and understand.

Here are a few of the words I have learned:*

Selamat minum: Cheers, drink up
Tidak: No (verb)
Nama saya: My name is
Selamat datang: Welcome
Hati-hati: Careful
Selamat siang: Good morning (late morning)
Selamat sore: Good afternoon
Selamat malam: Good night.
Ayam: Chicken
Sapi: Cow
Ikan: Fish

I have been able to use most of these words. Sometimes my mind goes blank, while at other times the word flows from my tongue.

*All of the letter ‘c’s are pronounced as ‘ch’ as in chat, chicken, children.