Say hi like a friend, not a textbook
Apa khabar is fine. Nobody under sixty opens with it.
The one line to remember
Eh, lama tak nampak!
Hey, long time no see!
Textbooks open with Selamat pagi, apa khabar? Friends text Eh, apa cerita? Both are Malay. Only one sounds like you have friends.
This is the version between people who know each other: short, warm, and mostly questions.
How it sounds
You and Farah
Read it, then hide the English and play it through. Tap a bubble for the word map.
You run into a colleague, Farah, at the MRT station.
Malay
Eh Farah! Lama tak nampak.
English
Hey Farah! Long time no see.
Note
Eh is the opener. It does the job of hey and oh, it’s you at the same time.
Malay
Eh! Apa cerita?
English
Hey! What’s up?
Note
Literally what’s the story. This is the how are you between friends.
Malay
Okay je. Kau macam mana?
English
Fine. How about you?
Note
Kau is you between friends. With someone older or a stranger, use their name or awak.
Malay
Sama la. Sibuk sikit.
English
Same. A bit busy.
Malay
Nak pergi mana ni?
English
Where are you off to?
Note
Ni (short for ini, this) at the end adds a right now feel.
Malay
Balik rumah. Kau?
English
Heading home. You?
Malay
Pergi makan. Jom sekali?
English
Going to eat. Join me?
Note
Jom is let’s. Jom makan, jom balik — or just jom on its own.
Malay
Boleh! Jom.
English
Sure! Let’s go.
Lines to keep
Pocket these
The ones worth saying out loud on the way there.
- casual
Apa cerita?
What’s up?
- casual
Okay je.
Just fine.
- casual
Lama tak nampak.
Long time no see.
- casual
Kau macam mana?
How about you?
- casual
Jom!
Let’s go!
- casual
Jumpa nanti.
See you later.
- neutral
Jaga diri.
Take care.
Same question, three registers
How are you?
- Apa cerita? · casual — friends
- Apa khabar? · neutral — fine with anyone
- Awak sihat? · polite — older or unfamiliar
Watch out
Three things to know
The small things that give a beginner away.
Aku and kau are for friends
Chats with Aiman use aku (I) and kau (you) because they’re between friends. Say kau to an uncle at a stall and it lands rude. Use saya and awak, or just their title.
Selamat pagi is for signs
You’ll see it on posters and hear it on the radio. Between people, Malays in Singapore mostly say morning, or skip it and go straight to Eh.
La is the same lah
Sama la = yeah, same. It’s the Singlish lah, and it does the same work: softening, agreeing, nudging.
Quick check
Three questions
No account, no score kept. Just see if it stuck.
Question 1
A friend asks Apa cerita? You’re fine.
Question 2
Which one should you not say to a stall uncle?
Question 3
Jom sekali? means…
Try it with Aiman
Reading is the easy part. Now say it.
You bump into Aiman outside the office. Start the conversation without using apa khabar.
Paste this as your first message. Aiman sets the scene, replies in Malay, and keeps English on the side.