One thing is for sure, foreigners LOVE Malaysia. This could be due to either our world class hospitality or our award winning food, it could even be both!
And some foreigners love Malaysia so much that they’ve even learned our national language before coming here.
Chinese national, Manyu in Malaysia, took to her TikTok page to showcase how Malaysians have been reacting to her use of Bahasa Malaysia, which she learned while she was back home in China!
In one of her videos, she wrote, “When foreigners hear a Chinese speak their language, what’s their reaction?”
In the video, she had gone to a courier service to settle an errand in regards to her passport. After showing her the price for her transaction, she said, “Oh, mahal (expensive)”.
That’s when one of the staff members took notice of her use of Bahasa Malaysia.
“Oh, you can talk Malay?” the staff member asked.
Manyu then responded completely in Bahasa Malaysia, albeit in short sentences but still fluently!
“Uhh, saya belajar (I learned),” she said.
Thinking that her proficiency in Malay came from her time in Malaysia, the staff then asked how long she had been in our country. Though, funny enough, she had only arrived in Malaysia the night before.
“Saya datang semalam (I arrived last night).”
Now full of curiosity, the staff responded, “Macam mana you boleh belajar? (How did you learn?)”
“Are you serious or are you joking?” the other staff member asked.
It turns out that she had been learning Bahasa Malaysia while she was still in China.
“Yes, (I’m) serious. Saya belajar di China (I learned in China). Saya faham sikit (I understand a little), tapi kalau cakap laju, saya tak boleh faham (but if you speak quickly, I cannot understand),” Manyu said.
You can check out the incredibly adorable video here:
Here’s to Manyu honing her Bahasa Malaysia skills in Malaysia!
