Malay words with seekor, sebuah, and the root they grow from,
not just a word list
For beginners and anyone coming back to Malay. Every card has audio, a transcription, a full example sentence, and, right under the word, the counter word of a noun or the forms of a verb.
Preparing your cardFinding a useful word for this language pair.
A real card from My Lingua Cards – tap it, hear it, remember it.
Description
Mnemonic
Synonyms
Antonyms
Practice
Use the words you just saw
Why Malay feels hard
Malay has no tenses and no genders – and still catches you out, in its own ways.
Here is what trips learners up and what the cards do about each.
One root, many words
Ajar gives belajar, mengajar, pelajar, pelajaran. A dictionary lists them apart; a learner needs to see the root. The card names it under every word built from one – seorang pelajar (dari ajar) – and shows the forms of every verb: membaca, dibaca.
Seekor, sebuah, seorang
You do not say two cats, you say dua ekor kucing, and each kind of thing has its own counter word. On a card it stands right under the noun – seekor kucing, sebuah kereta – and when a noun takes none, the card says so.
Malaysian, not Indonesian
Kereta, bilik, percuma, pejabat: in Indonesia they say mobil, kamar, gratis, kantor. The headwords and the examples use the words of Malaysia, and the Indonesian ones are not mixed in as synonyms.
Two e’s and the final k
Emas and enam do not start with the same sound, and budak ends in a catch of the throat, not a k. Every card plays the word and the example and shows a transcription that marks both.
No tenses, but sudah, sedang, akan
The verb never changes, so time is carried by small words: sudah makan, sedang makan, akan makan. Every example sentence marks the time with a word – sudah, akan, semalam – so you pick up the pattern with the vocabulary.
Saya, awak, kita, kami
Two words for we, several for you, and the choice says how polite you are. The examples use the standard forms of Malaysia, so you learn the ones that work with strangers, colleagues, and friends.
Where it pays off
Where you will need your Malay words
The cards are the same, but different words come first depending on what you need Malay for.
Living and working in Malaysia
Tenancy agreement, clinic, bank, a delivery at the door, a chat with the guard: life in Kuala Lumpur or Penang has its own everyday words.
Travel in Malaysia, Brunei, and Singapore
Ordering at a mamak, asking the way, bargaining at the pasar malam: words you need to recognize by ear and say back without thinking.
Family and friends
In-laws, a partner’s parents, neighbors, Hari Raya at someone’s house: the everyday words of home, food, and plans, so a conversation does not stop at apa khabar.
School and university
Bahasa Melayu classes, children in a Malaysian school, a university course: the vocabulary is organized by level, from beginner to advanced, so you work through it in order, not at random.
Getting started
From sign-up to your first card in a couple of minutes
No word lists to hunt for, no cards to make, no review schedule to plan – the app takes care of all that.
1
Answer a couple of questions
Tell us your language, your level, what you're learning for, and the topics you care about. It takes under a minute.
Done for you2
You get 300 ready cards
From your answers the app picks words for your level and goals and groups them into sets, one for each topic you chose.
3
Straight to the words
After setup you land on a card, not on an empty dashboard. Your first session has as many words as you chose per day: 10, 20, or 30.
4
The next day
Your dashboard has one main button. It opens a session where new words come together with the ones that are due for review, so you never have to decide what to study today.
Behind the calm pace is spaced repetition: each review lands just as the memory starts to fade, so words settle into your active vocabulary.
Malay, as spoken and written in Malaysia. The words, the spelling, the pronunciation in the audio and the examples follow the Malaysian standard. There is a separate Indonesian track if that is what you need.
For a noun, its counter word – seekor kucing, sebuah kereta – or a note that it takes none, and the root when the noun is built from one: sebuah perjanjian (dari janji). For a verb, its forms with prefixes and the root when the verb is built from one: membaca, dibaca; ditulis (dari tulis). For an adjective, its noun when it has one: mudah, kemudahan.
Yes. You choose your level at the start, and the first 300 words are picked for it. Each card gives you the sound, the transcription, and a full example sentence, so you are not left guessing how a new word behaves.
It helps with what speaking depends on: having the word ready, with its counter word or its form, when you need it. Reverse cards make you recall the Malay word from its translation, and short exercises make you use it in a sentence, by voice or typing.
Yes. Learning now lets you add a list of words, or paste a text and let the app pick the words out of it. You study them in a separate focused session.
No. It is a vocabulary trainer: ready cards, spaced repetition, reverse cards, and short exercises. It works well next to a class, a tutor, or a textbook, because it takes care of the words.
Yes. The first month is free: your first 300 ready Malay vocabulary cards, no credit card. After that nothing is charged unless you choose a plan, and your words and progress stay saved.
Unlike Anki, there is nothing to set up: no building decks or importing shared files – ready-made Malay cards come with audio, images, and example sentences. And unlike gamified apps, there are no streaks or lives to protect: just a calm daily review queue powered by spaced repetition.
Start Malay the way you will say it: seekor kucing, membaca, dibaca
The first month is free: 300 ready Malay vocabulary cards with audio, the counter word under every noun, the forms of every verb, and full example sentences. No credit card required.
