DID you know that there are a total of 137 languages spoken in Malaysia? All would of course know Bahasa Malaysia, but English, Mandarin and Tamil are widely spoken all over the country, too.

But there are also many native languages that are found in Peninsular Malaysia (such as the Temuan and Jah Hut languages), in Sabah and Sarawak (like Kadazandusun and Iban), and Creole languages (Manglish and Kristang) – not to mention the many colloquial dialects spoken in each state. Even as locals ourselves, we might encounter unfamiliar words when conversing with fellow Malaysians.