The Malay language has many loanwords from Sanskrit, Persian, Tamil, Greek, Latin, Portuguese, Dutch, Siam (Old Thailand), Korean, Deutsch (Germany) and Chinese languages such as Hokkien, Mandarin, Cantonese, Hakka. More recently, loans have come from Arabic, English and Malay's sister languages, Javanese and Sundanese. English loans are mostly related to trade, science and technology while Arabic loans are mostly religious as Arabic is the liturgical language of Islam, the religion of the majority of Malay speakers. However, many key words such as surga/syurga (heaven) and the word for "religion" itself (agama) have origins in Sanskrit. Javanese elements are incorporated from the variant of Malay used in Indonesia due to the influence of the Indonesian media.
While it is based on Malay, Indonesian has been strongly influenced by Javanese, as the Javanese are the largest ethnic group in Indonesia. Dutch influence over Indonesian vocabulary is highly significant, as Malay was adopted due to usefulness as a trading language during the Dutch East India Company's rule over the archipelago. This has led to approximately 10,000 Dutch words being borrowed into Indonesian. Malay as spoken in Malaysia (Bahasa Melayu) and Singapore, meanwhile, have more borrowings from English. [1]
There are some words in Malay which are spelled exactly the same as the loan language, e.g. in English – museum (Indonesian), hospital (Malaysian), format, hotel, transit etc. By contrast, some Malay words have been loaned into other languages, e.g. in English – rice paddy ("padi"), orangutan, rattan, babirusa, [2] cockatoo, [3] compound, [4] gong, tuak, sago, [5] [6] cootie, [7] amok, durian, agar, rambutan, keris, Pantoum/pantun, [8] "so long", [9] angrecum (anggrek/ anggrik), cassowary, [10] gingham, caddie, camphor (kapur), Gutta-percha (getah perca), launch, parang, sarong, dammar, and gambir.
Malay has also heavily influenced the forms of colloquial English spoken in Malaysia, also known as Manglish.
Some examples are as follows:
| Word | English translation | From language | Word |
|---|---|---|---|
| sebab | reason | Arabic | السبب / alsabab |
| syarikat | company | Arabic | شركة / sharika |
| abjad | alphabet/alefbet | Arabic | أبجد / abjad |
| abolisi | abolition | Dutch | abolitie |
| akta | act (law) | Latin | actus |
| aktiviti | activity | English | activity |
| aktivitas | activity | Latin | āctīvitās |
| ad interim | temporarily | Latin | ad interim |
| Ahad | Sunday | Arabic | الأحد / al-Aḥad |
| ahli | community, expert | Arabic | أهل / ahl |
| agama | religion | Sanskrit | आगम / āgama |
| akhbar | news | Arabic | أخبار / akhbār |
| aksara | alphabetic letter, key | Sanskrit | अक्षर / akṣara |
| almari (Indonesian: "lemari") | cupboard | Portuguese | armário |
| almamater | revered name for one's university | Latin | alma mater: wise and nurturing mother |
| amnesti | amnesty, state-granted pardon | Latin | amnestia |
| anggur | grape | Persian | انگور / angūr |
| angkasa | outer space, sky (literary) | Sanskrit | आकाश ākāśa "sky" |
| anugerah | award, blessing | Sanskrit | anugraha अनुग्रह "favour" |
| apam | kind of cake or hopper | Tamil | appam அப்பம் |
| arnab | rabbit | Arabic | أرنب / ʻarnab |
| askar | soldier | Persian | عسكرى / ʻaskarī / asker |
| asmara | love, passion | Sanskrit | स्मर / smara "memory, sexual love" |
| badam | almond | Persian | بادام / bādām |
| bahasa | language | Sanskrit | भाषा / bhāṣā, Tamil பாஷை / pācai |
| bahaya | danger | Sanskrit | भय / bhaya "risk, peril" |
| baju | shirt | Persian | بازو / bâzu "arm" |
| baki | remainder, leftover | Arabic | باقي / bāqī |
| bakti | homage, devotion, service | Sanskrit | भक्ति / bhakti |
| baldi | bucket | Portuguese | balde |
| bandar | port/town | Persian | بندر / bandar |
| bangku | stool/chairs | Portuguese | banco / bank |
| bangsa | nation, race | Sanskrit | वंश / vaṃśa "lineage, race" - cf. "wangsa" |
| bus | bas | bus | English | bus, from Latin "omnibus" |
| basikal | bicycle | English | bicycle |
| baru | new | Hokkien/Teochew (Chinese) | 麻汝 |
| bayu (lit.) | wind | Sanskrit | वायु / vāyu |
| bendera | flag | Portuguese | bandeira |
| bendi (in Indonesian, it means "gig", different with "bhendi" in Hindi) | okra/lady's finger | Hindi | भेंडी bhēṇḍī, Tamil veṇṭi / வெண்டி |
| becak | beca | trishaw | Hokkien (Chinese) | 馬車,马车 / bé-tshia "horse-cart" |
| beda | beza | difference | Sanskrit | भेद / bheda "cleft, partition, contrast, division" |
| biara | monastery | Sanskrit | विहार / vihāra |
| bidadari | fairy, angel | Sanskrit | विद्याधरी / vidyādharī "fay, sprite" |
| bina | to build | Arabic | بناء / bināʼ / bina 'construction' |
| bihun | rice vermicelli | Hokkien (Chinese) | 米粉 / bí-hún |
| biola | violin | Portuguese | viola |
| biskuit | biskut | biscuit | English | biscuit |
| bohsia | sexually active girl | Hokkien (Chinese) | 無聲 bô siaⁿ 'without voice' |
| bomba | fire brigade | Portuguese | bomba, "pump", or bombeiro, "fireman", lit. "pumper" |
| boneka | doll | Portuguese | boneca |
| bola | ball | Portuguese | bola |
| budi | reason, virtue | Sanskrit | बुद्धि / buddhi "intelligence, mind, reason" [11] |
| buku | book | Dutch | boek |
| bumi | earth | Sanskrit | भूमि / bhūmi "land" |
| cadar | bed linen | Persian | چادر / chādar "cloak" |
| cakoi | youtiao | Cantonese (Chinese) | 油炸鬼 / jau4 zaa3gwai2 |
| cawan | cup | Mandarin (Chinese) | 茶碗 / cháwǎn '“tea bowl” |
| cendana | sandalwood | Sanskrit | चन्दन / candana |
| cuai | careless, negligent | Mandarin (Chinese) | 居癌 / jūái "home"+"cancer" |
| cukup | enough | Mandarin (Chinese) | 足够 / zúgòu |
| dacin | dacing | scales | Mandarin (Chinese) | 台秤 / táichèng |
| dakwah | sermon | Arabic | دعوة / daʻwah |
| degil | headstrong, stubborn | Sinhala | ඩීගිල් / ḍīgil |
| delima | pomegranate, ruby | Sanskrit | दालिम / dālima or दाडिम / dāḍima "pomegranate" |
| demokrasi | democracy | Greek | δημοκρατία / dēmokratía |
| dekan | dean | Portuguese | decano |
| denda | fine, punishment | Sanskrit | दण्ड / daṇḍa "rod" |
| desa | countryside, village | Sanskrit | देश / deśa "country" |
| dewan | hall | Persian | دیوان / dīvān "administration" |
| dewi | Goddess | Sanskrit | देवी / devī "goddess" |
| dirgahayu | "long live" (Dirgahayu Tuanku! - Long live the King!) | Sanskrit | दिर्घायु / dirghāyu "long-lived" |
| deskriptif | descriptive | English | descriptive |
| dobi | laundry | Hindi | धोबी / dhobī "caste of laundrymen who used to wash people's clothes in bygone days" |
| duka | sadness | Sanskrit | दुःख / duḥkha "sorrow, distress, suffering" |
| dunia | world | Arabic | دنيا / dunyā / dünya |
| durjana | evil, wicked, malicious | Sanskrit | दुर्जन / durjana "bad man, villain" |
| email | emel | English | ||
| erti (Indonesian variant "arti") | meaning | Sanskrit | अर्थ / artha "aim, purpose" |
| falsafah | philosophy | Arabic | Arabic فلسفة / falsafah, from Ancient Greek φιλοσοφία / philosophía |
| fitnah | slander | Arabic | فتنة / fitnah "upheaval, scandal" |
| forum | forum | Latin | forum |
| gajah | elephant | Sanskrit | गज / gaja |
| gandum | wheat | Persian | گندم / gandom |
| ganja | cannabis, marijuana | Sanskrit | गञ्जा / gañjā |
| garaj | garage | English | garage |
| garasi | garage | Dutch | garage |
| garpu | fork | Portuguese | garfo |
| gereja | church | Portuguese | igreja |
| grafik | graph | Dutch | grafiek |
| grafik | graphic | English | graphic |
| gratis (mainly in Indonesian usage) | for free | Dutch | gratis |
| guru | teacher | Sanskrit | गुरु / guru "heavy, venerable" |
| had | limit | Arabic | حد / ḥadd |
| halal | permitted | Arabic | حلال / ḥalāl |
| haram | forbidden | Arabic | حرام / ḥarām |
| harta | asset, treasure | Sanskrit/Tamil | arttam/அர்த்தம், Sanskrit अर्थ / artha - cf "erti" |
| hartal | strike, civil disobedience | Gujarati | હડતાળ / haḍtāḷ, હડતાલ / haḍtāl (pronunciation with r via Hindustani ہڑتال) |
| haiwan | hewan | animal | Arabic | حيوان / ḥaywān |
| hasta | hasta (unit) | Sanskrit | हस्त / hásta |
| hina | lowly, inferior, mock | Sanskrit | हीन / hīna |
| hisab | counting/arithmetic | Arabic | حساب / ḥisāb |
| humaniora (mainly Indonesian) | humanities | Latin | humaniora |
| huruf | word character/letter | Arabic | حرف / ḥarf (plural حروف ḥurūf) |
| ilmu | knowledge | Arabic | علم / ʻilm |
| istana | palace | Sanskrit | आस्थान / āsthāna "assembly, audience hall" |
| jawab | jawap | to answer | Arabic | جواب / jawāb / Cevap |
| jelata | the masses | Sanskrit | जनता / janatā "folk, community" |
| jendela (mainly in Indonesian usage) | window | Portuguese | janela |
| Jepang | Japan | Hokkien (Chinese) | Ji̍tpún 日本 |
| Jepun | Japan | Hokkien (Chinese) | Ji̍tpún 日本 |
| jiran | neighbour | Arabic | jiran جيران |
| Jumat | Jumaat | Friday | Arabic | الجمعة / al-Jumʿah |
| Kamis | Khamis | Thursday | Arabic | الخميس / al-Khamīs |
| kaca | glass (material) | Sanskrit | काच / kāca "glass, crystal, lens" |
| kamus | dictionary | Arabic | قاموس / qāmūs / kamus |
| kantata (mainly Indonesian) | song | Latin | cantata |
| kapal | boat | Tamil | kappal கப்பல் |
| kauki/koki | goji berry | Cantonese (Chinese) | 枸杞 / gau2 gei2 |
| kaunter (Indonesian: konter (alternative of loket)) | counter, desk | English | counter |
| kedai | foodstall, shop | Tamil | kaṭai கடை |
| keju | cheese | Portuguese | queijo |
| kelas | class | English | class |
| kemeja | shirt | Portuguese | camisa |
| kepala | head | Sanskrit | कपाल / kapāla "skull" |
| kerana (Indonesian: karena) | because | Sanskrit | कारण / kāraṇa |
| kuli | coolie / port worker | Hindustani | قُلى qulī (itself derived from a Turkic language) |
| karton | carton (classifier for packaging) | English | carton |
| kartun | cartoon (animated movie) | English | cartoon |
| kereta | carriage, car, (Indonesian: train) | Portuguese | carreta |
| kerusi | kursi | chair, stool | Arabic | كرسي kursii |
| kemah | khemah | tent | Arabic via Persian | خیمة / khaymah |
| kuil | temple/shrine | Tamil | kōyil கோயில் |
| kismis | raisin | Persian | کشمش / kishmish |
| kolam | pool | Tamil | kuḷam குளம் |
| koma-koma | saffron | Sanskrit / Arabic | कुङ्कुम / kuṅkuma |
| kompromi | compromise | The pronunciation (lack of the "s" phoneme) suggests that this was borrowed from French (perhaps via Dutch) | compromis |
| komputer | computer | English | computer |
| kurkuma | saffron, turmeric | Sanskrit / Arabic | कुङ्कुम kuṅkuma 'saffron', influenced by Arabic كركم kurkum 'turmeric' |
| kongsi | share, divide | Hokkien (Chinese) | 公司 / kong-si |
| korban | sacrifice | Arabic | قربان / qurbān |
| kota | city | Tamil | கோட்டை / kōṭṭai |
| kredo | creed | Latin | credō |
| kucai | chives | Hokkien (Chinese) | 韭菜 / kú-tshài |
| kuda | horse | Tamil | கோடை kōṭai < Sanskrit घोट ghoṭa |
| kue | kuih | kek | cake | Hokkien (Chinese) | kué 粿 |
| kualitas | quality | Latin | quālitās |
| kualiti | quality | English | quality |
| kurma | date | Persian | خرما / khormā |
| lancia | lanca | rickshaw | Hokkien (Chinese) | 人車,人车 / lâng-tshia "human drag cart" |
| lelong | auction | Portuguese | leilão (archaic) |
| lemari (Malaysian: "almari") | cupboard | Portuguese | armário |
| lirik | lyrics | English | lyrics |
| lobak | carrot | Cantonese (Chinese) | 蘿蔔,萝卜 / lo4 baak6 |
| longan | longan | Cantonese (Chinese) | 龍眼,龙眼/ long4 ngaan5 |
| lungkang | longkang | drain, sewer | Hokkien (Chinese) | 龍江,龙江 / liông-kang |
| lori | truck/lorry | English | lorry |
| maaf | sorry | Arabic | معاف / muʻāf 'pardoned' |
| maha | great | Sanskrit | महा / mahā |
| makmal | laboratory | Arabic | معمل / maʻmal |
| mangga | mango | Tamil | mangkāy மாங்காய் |
| mani | sperm, semen | Arabic / Sanskrit | مني / manī, Sanskrit मणि / maṇi "bead, jewel, gem" |
| manusia | human | Sanskrit | मनुष्य / manuṣyá |
| masjid | mosque | Arabic | مسجد / masjid |
| maya | illusion (religious), imaginary | Sanskrit | माया / māyā |
| mentega | butter | Portuguese | manteiga |
| mi | mee | mie | noodles | Hokkien (Chinese) | 麪 / mī |
| meja | table | Portuguese | mesa |
| melati | jasmine (jasminum grandiflorum) | Sanskrit | मालती / mālatī |
| merana | suffering, wasting away | Sanskrit | मारण / māraṇa "death" |
| merdeka | free, independent(Country) | Sanskrit | महर्द्धिक / mahārdhika |
| merdu | melodious, tuneful | Sanskrit | मृदु / mṛdu "soft" |
| mesej | message | English | message |
| minggu | week, Sunday (Indonesian) | Portuguese | domingo (domingo means Sunday, "dominus" meaning "Lord" in Latin and "die dominicu" meaning "day of the Lord") |
| miskin | poor | Arabic | مسكين / miskīn |
| misi | mission | Latin (via English) | missiō |
| mitos | myth | Greek | μύθος / mýthos |
| motosikal | motorcycle | English | motorcycle |
| muhibah | goodwill | Arabic | muhibbah موهبه "loving" |
| muflis | bankrupt | Arabic | مفلس / muflis |
| mula | mulai | to start, to begin | Sanskrit | मूल / mūla "root, origin" |
| munafik | hypocrite | Arabic | منافق / munāfiq |
| mungkin | maybe, perhaps, possibly | Arabic | ممكن / mumkin "possible" |
| mustahil | impossible | Arabic | مستحيل / mustaḥīl 'impossible, absurd' |
| museum | museum | Dutch | museum |
| muzium | museum | English | museum |
| nadi | pulse, artery | Sanskrit | नाडी / nāḍī |
| najis | excrement | Arabic | نجس / najis |
| nama | name | Sanskrit | नामन् / nāman |
| naratif | narrative | English | narrative |
| negara | country | Sanskrit | नगर / nagara "town, city" |
| nanas | nenas | pineapple | Portuguese (itself from the Tupi language) | ananás |
| neraka | hell | Sanskrit | नरक / naraka |
| ngam | appropriate | Cantonese (Chinese) | 啱 / ngaam1 |
| nihil | nil, nothing, zero | Latin | nihil |
| nisbah | ratio | Arabic | نِسْبَة / nisba |
| nota bene | actually, after look carefully, also | Latin | nota bene: note well, examine closely |
| nujum (in the compound ahli nujum) | astrologer | Arabic | نجوم nujūm 'stars' |
| nila | indigo dye | Sanskrit | नील / nīla "dark blue" |
| nilam | sapphire | Sanskrit | नीलं / nīlam "blue" |
| nobat | royal ensemble music | Arabic | نَوبة nawbah 'turn; changing of guards; bugle call; troupe of musicians' |
| Nusantara | archipelago (esp. the Malay Archipelago) | Javanese / Sanskrit | Nusantara |
| oknum | authority figure (police, soldier, prosecutor, judge) that perform unlawful or corrupted deed | Arabic | أقنوم uqnūm < Syriac ܩܢܘܡܐ qnoma 'person' |
| paderi | priest (Christian) | Portuguese | padre |
| pahala | divine reward | Sanskrit | फल / phala "fruit" |
| pahlawan | hero/warrior | Persian | پهلوان / pahlavān |
| pancaragam | musical band | Sanskrit | pañca पञ्च "five" + rāga राग "melody/tune/musical note" |
| paracut | parasut | parachute | English | parachute |
| pau | pao | steamed bun | Chinese | "bāo" 包. False etymology ascribes the origin of the word to Portuguese pão (bread), but this is incorrect;[ citation needed ] a form of the word "bāo" was already present in Middle Chinese to refer to steamed dumplings. |
| perkasa | mighty | Sanskrit | प्रकाश / prakāśa "enlightened" |
| permaisuri | supreme lady, queen | Sanskrit | परम parama 'supreme' + ईश्वरी īśvarī 'female ruler', via Tamil பரமேஸ்வரி paramēsvari |
| perpustakaan | library | Sanskrit | base word pustaka / पुस्तक "book, manuscript" |
| pesta | party | Portuguese | festa |
| pasar | market, bazaar | Persian | بازار / bāzār / pazar |
| peta | map | Tamil | paṭam படம் 'cloth; picture' |
| perdana menteri | prime minister | Sanskrit | pradhānamantri प्रधानमन्त्रिन् |
| pertama | first | Sanskrit | प्रथम / prathama |
| pertiwi | native soil, motherland | Sanskrit | पृथिवी / pṛthivī or पृथ्वी / pṛthvī "mother goddess of the earth" |
| piala | cup (in the sense of a trophy) | Persian | پیاله / piyālah |
| pita | tape, knot | Portuguese | fita |
| puasa | fasting | Sanskrit | उपवास / upavāsa |
| puja | idolize, worship | Sanskrit | पूजा / pūjā |
| punya | (possessive verb) | Sanskrit | पुण्य / puṇya "merit, deserving" |
| pura | Hindu temple, city | Sanskrit | पुर / pura "city, walled enclosure" |
| purnama | (of the moon) full | Sanskrit | पूर्णमा / pūrṇamā - cf. "sempurṇa" |
| putra | putera | prince, male child | Sanskrit | पुत्र / putra |
| purba | ancient | Sanskrit | पूर्व / purva |
| rahasia | rahsia | secret | Sanskrit | रहस्य / rahasya "private, mystery" |
| raja | king | Sanskrit | राजन् / rā́jan |
| Rabu | Wednesday | Arabic | الأربعاء / al-Arbaʻāʼ |
| raksasa | monster | Sanskrit | राक्षस / rākṣasa "demon, demoniacal" |
| rasa | taste, feeling | Sanskrit | रस / rasa |
| ratna | jewel, gemstone | Sanskrit | रत्न / ratna |
| renda | lace | Portuguese | renda |
| risiko | risk | Dutch | risico |
| roda | wheel | Portuguese | roda |
| ronda | verb, to patrol | Portuguese | verb rondar or noun ronda |
| rokok | cigarette | Dutch | roken "to smoke" |
| roti | bread | Sanskrit/Hindi | रोटी roṭī 'bread' |
| rupa | shape, form, appearance | Sanskrit | रूप / rūpa |
| sabda | quote, say | Sanskrit | शब्द / śabda "sound, word" |
| Sabtu | Saturday | Arabic | السبت / al-Sabt |
| sabun | soap | Arabic to Portuguese | Portuguese sabão < صابون ṣābūn < Late Latin sapo < Proto-Germanic saipon |
| sahaja (Indonesian: "saja") | only, casual, relaxed (e.g. duduk bersahaja "seated casually"), (something) alone | Sanskrit | सहज / sahaja "simple, natural, sudden" |
| sains | science | English | science |
| sama | same | Sanskrit | सम / sama |
| samseng | gangster | Hokkien (Chinese) | 三牲 / sam-sing |
| sakti | miraculous power, powerful | Sanskrit | शक्ति / śakti "strength, ability" |
| salju | salji | snow | Arabic | ثلج thalj |
| sekolah | school | Portuguese | escola |
| seks | sex | English | sex, from Latin |
| selamat | safe, well-being | Arabic | سلامات salāmāt, used for greeting phrases as 'selamat pagi', etc. |
| Selasa | Tuesday | Arabic | الثلاثاء / al-Thulāthāʼ |
| sempurna | perfect, complete | Sanskrit | संपूर्ण / sampūrṇa "complete, whole" - cf. "purnama" |
| sengsara | Suffering | Sanskrit | संसार / saṃsāra "wandering through" |
| Senin (Malaysian: "Isnin") | Monday | Arabic | الإثنين / al-Ithnayn |
| spanduk | sepanduk | banner | Dutch | spandoek |
| sekolah | school | Greek | σχολή skholē |
| sepatu (mainly in Indonesian usage) | shoe | Portuguese | sapato |
| serigala | wolf | Sanskrit | शृगाल / śṛgāla "jackal" |
| seteru | adversary, enemy | Sanskrit | शत्रु / śatru "foe, rival" |
| singa | lion | Tamil, Sanskrit | ciṅgam சிங்கம், siṁha सिंह |
| sejarah | history | Arabic | شجرة shajarah 'tree' |
| sengkuang | Pachyrhizus erosus | Philippine from Nahuatl via Spanish | Philippine singkamás < Spanish jícama < Classical Nahuatl xīcama |
| seks | sex | English | Sexual intercourse |
| serdadu | soldadu (obsolete) | soldier | Portuguese | soldado |
| stadion | stadium | Dutch | stadion |
| stadium | stadium | English | stadium |
| status | status | Latin | status |
| stesen | station | English | station |
| sopir | supir (dialectal/Indonesian) | driver | French | chauffeur |
| syariah | Islamic law | Arabic | الشريعة / sharīʻah |
| syukur | thankful, grateful | Arabic | شكر / shukr / Şükür |
| syurga | surga | heaven | Sanskrit | स्वर्ग / svargá |
| sistem | system | English | system |
| suci | clean, pure, wise | Sanskrit | शुचि / śuci "shining, clear" |
| suka | like someone/something, happiness | Sanskrit | सुख / sukha "easy, pleasant, comfort" |
| sula | to impale | Sanskrit | शूल / śūla "stake, spear, pike" |
| syor | recommendation | Mandarin (Chinese) | 說,说 / shuō |
| suria | surya | sun | Sanskrit | सूर्य / sūrya |
| takhta | throne | Persian | تخت / takht 'platform' |
| tangki | tank | Portuguese | tanque |
| tanglung | lantern | Cantonese/Hokkien (Chinese) | 燈籠,灯笼 / tanglong |
| tapau | takeaway | Cantonese (Chinese) | 打包 / daa2 baau1 |
| topan | taufan | typhoon | Persian | طوفان |
| taoge | taugeh | bean sprouts | Hokkien (Chinese) | 豆芽 / tāu-gê |
| tahu | tauhu | bean curd, know | Hokkien | 豆腐 / tāu-hū |
| tarikh | date | Arabic | تاريخ / tārīkh |
| teh | black tea | Hokkien (Chinese) | 茶 / tê |
| taksi | teksi | taxi | English | taxi |
| teja (archaic) | magnificence, splendor, radiance | Sanskrit | तेजस् / tejas "sharp edge, glow, splendor" |
| teko | teapot | Hokkien (Chinese) | 茶壺,茶壶 / tê-ko |
| televisyen | television | English | television |
| tembaga | copper | possibly Sanskrit or Spanish | tāmra ताम्र (Sanskrit) or tumbaga (Spanish). The Spanish word rather refers to a copper-gold alloy. |
| tempo | tempoh | period | Portuguese | tempo "time" |
| terima | to receive | Sanskrit | तारिम / tārima "gratefulness" |
| topi | hat | Sanskrit/Hindi | टोपी ṭopī |
| tuala | towel | Portuguese | toalha |
| tukar | to exchange, switch | Portuguese | trocar |
| umur | age | Arabic | عمر / ʻumur |
| universitas | university | Latin | universitas |
| universiti | university | English | universiti |
| unta | camel | Hindi | ऊँट ūṇṭ < Sanskrit उष्ट्र uṣṭra |
| upacara | ritual, ceremony | Sanskrit | उपचार / upacāra "approach, service" |
| usia | age | Sanskrit | आयुष्य / āyuṣya |
| utama | main | Sanskrit | उत्तम / uttama "principal" (adj.) |
| utara | north | Sanskrit | उत्तर / uttara "upper, higher, better, later" |
| waham | delusion | Arabic | وهم/wahm [12] |
| waktu | time | Arabic | وقت / waqt |
| wangsa | dynasty | Sanskrit | वंश / vaṃśa "lineage, race" - cf. "bangsa" |
| wanita | woman | Sanskrit | वनिता / vanitā |
| wantan | wonton | Cantonese (Chinese) | 雲吞,云吞 / wan4 tan1 |
| warna | colour | Sanskrit | वर्ण / varṇa "form, shape, covering, race, species, kind" |
| warta | news | Sanskrit | वार्त्ता / vārttā |
| zarafah | zirafah | jerapah | giraffe | Arabic | زرافة / zarāfah |