Malaysian

Officially, the name of our country is Federation of Malaysia (Malay = Persekutuan Malaysia), and commonly refer as Malaysia. The citizen of Malaysia is known as Malaysian. Because Malaysia is a multi-racial country, Malaysian today consists of various races and ethnics. For today, lets we see the Malaysian racial groups.


MALAY

Siti Nurhaliza is a good example of Malaysian Malay

Malay is known as Melayu in Bahasa Malaysia. Malay is one of the ingenious tribes in Malaysia and formed the majority of Malaysian population. Other tribes such as Siam, Jawa, Banjar, Minang and Bugis are known as “Rumpun Melayu” but usually simply refer to as Malay. The Malay Language is dubbed as the Malaysian National Language and known as Bahasa Malaysia. Bahasa Malaysia is taken from Johorean Malay Language ascent.


CHINESE

Michelle Yeoh is an example of Malaysian Chinese

Chinese is known as Cina or Tionghua in Bahasa Malaysia. Chinese is refers to Malaysians who are descended from Chinese tribes who migrate from the mainland China. The history of Chinese migration can be traced back since the age of Sultanate of Malacca. Cantonese and Hokkien are common in Malaysia. The state of Pulau Pinang is the only state in Malaysia where the Chinese form a plurality in the population.


INDIAN

Jaclyn Victor is an example of Malaysian Indian

Indian is simply known as India in Bahasa Malaysia. Indian refers to Malaysians who are descended from Indian tribes who migrate from Southern India. Tamil is common in Malaysia. There are no states in Malaysia where the Indian form the majority but there is some state district that has a huge number of Indian communities.


SARAWAKIAN

Camelia. A famous Sarawakian

Sarawakian refers to Malaysians who are descended from Sarawak. The population of Sarawak is unique because there exist more than 40 ingenious ethnics, each with its own language, culture and lifestyle but none of them form the majority in the state. Iban form the largest community in Sarawak. Other tribes include Melanau, Bidayuh, Dayak, Orang Ulu and others. There also exist Malay and Chinese community in Sarawak.


SABAHAN

Stacy is a good example of Sabahan

Sabahan refers to Malaysians who are descended from Sabah. Just like Sarawak, the Sabah population consist of many tribes and ethnics but none forms a clear majority in the state (28 ethics officially recognizes by the federal government). Kadazan is the largest tribes in Sabah. Other ethnics include Rungus, Bajau, Murut. There are also exist Malay, Chinese and Filipino population in the state. Filipino tribes in Malaysia (born as Malaysian) include Tagalog, Tausug, Suluk and others.