Malay People of Malaysia

About the Malays

Malay is the major ethnic group in Malaysia. Known as Melayu in their own language, the Malays inhabit the Malay Peninsula as well as the coast of Borneo, the east coast of Sumatra, Singapore, and some of the smaller islands. The Malay ethnic group is different from the Malay race, which includes other peoples sharing similar characteristics living in the region, including those in Indonesia and the Philippines.

Origin of the Malays

There are three theories stating that the Malays originated from either Yunnan through the Mekong river migration, from New Guinea, and from Taiwan. Their ancestors are believed to be seafarers moving through the region from New Zealand to Madagascar. Eventually they began to settle at different places. Some historians suggested that the Malays originated from Taiwan, migrated to their present location through the Philippines.

Origin of the word Melayu

The word Melayu is said to have originated in a Melayu River located in Jambi province in Sumatra, and that there was a Melayu Kingdom in Jambi. The word has been in use during the Sultanate of Melaka, and have been in popular use since the 17th century. The English word Malay comes from the Dutch Malayo, which in turn was derived from the Portuguese word Malaio, which is derived from the Malay word Melayu.

The Malay People

The Malays as an ethnic group forms the majority in Malaysia and Brunei. They are also a sizable minority in Singapore and Indonesia, as well as being a majority in five southern provinces in Thailand. The Malays speak a variety of regional dialects. Standard Malay as taught in the schools in Malaysia is based on the dialect spoken in the states of Pahang, Selangor and Johor. Among the regional variations of the Malay language includes the Kedah dialect, the Melaka dialect, the Negri Sembilan dialect with its Minangkabau influences, the Perak dialect, the Terengganu dialect, and the most difficult to understand, the Kelantanese dialect.

Religion of the Malays

The Malays have been Muslims since the 15th century, when the Sultans of Malacca embraced Islam, and the subjects followed suit.

Malaysia Hotel Room Price Checker

Before booking a hotel room, make sure you are getting the lowest price for it. Different hotel booking websites offers the same room at different prices. If you stick with one site all the time, you could be paying more for the same room. Now why pay more?

The form below is a Research Engine. It doesn't take bookings. Instead it lets you find the hotel booking website that offers the room you want at the lowest price. You can see and compare what different sites are offering, and then click to choose the one with the best price. Do this, and you're guaranteed to save a whole lot of money on your room reservations!

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Flight Checker

Flying somewhere? Say you're going to fly from Kuala Lumpur to Penang or Kuching to Singapore, which airline gives you the best rate for the date and time of your trip? Instead of visiting each airline website one by one, use our Flight Checker on the right to find out.

Just enter you trip details: where you will be flying to, your departure date and return date. Select the number of passengers, and then click search.

Our engine will return you a list of possible flights that you can take. You can compare the fare of different airlines for your trip. Click on your selected airline, and we transfer you to the airline website.

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Exploring Malaysia is researched and written by Timothy Tye. Content and articles in Exploring Malaysia are provided in goodwill and are believed to be correct at time of writing. While every reasonable care is taken to check and verify the information shared, Exploring Malaysia disclaims responsibility for its use. All pages may be printed out for your own personal, non-commercial use. Photographs appearing in Exploring Malaysia are available according to the licensing terms specified in its caption. Photographs not credited to a third party belong to Timothy Tye and may not be reused in any form unless you are first given permission. Write in to inquire if interested. Third party photographs are governed by their respective licenses.

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