If you’re traveling to, working in or moving to Malaysia, then you may find yourself looking into learning Malay.
Podcasts are one of the best complements to any course. Podcasts are available any time, anywhere, and you can find podcast episodes that address just about every language-learning problem you might have.
Want to learn new vocabulary words? You’ll find a podcast for that. Want to learn the history and culture surrounding a language? You’ll also find podcasts for that. Want to test your comprehension skills by listening to the same content a native Malay speaker might? You can also find advanced podcasts for that.
So, interested in using podcasts to complement your Malay language-learning course? Check out these five options. (And if you’re looking for extra resources, from apps and courses to movies and novels, check out our detailed guide to learning the Malay language from scratch.)
Podcasts for Beginners
When you have absolutely no knowledge of a language like Malay, you’ll want to start with beginner-level podcasts like these.
Colloquial Malay
Colloquial Malay is a complete course for beginners given in audio files that can easily be downloaded to any device, for listening and use anywhere. The way the colloquial Malay language is presented was developed by a language teacher with years of experience, so you know you’re in good hands when it comes to learning the type of Malay that’s written and spoken in common use today.
The language concepts are given in a methodical and thorough manner. You don’t need any knowledge of Malay whatsoever in order to learn from the audio files. You’ll learn how to communicate on a basic level confidently and effectively, with lots covered in every single episode.
Intermediate
If you know a bit of Malay, enough to get you through a conversation that’s a mix of Malay and English, then you may be interested in the following podcast.
Excuse My Malayness
This Malay entertainment podcast is given in a mix of Malay and English. The podcast hosts are native Malay speakers and so the language is in a broken English that some refer to as Manglish. The topics really vary, as it is an entertainment podcast, and you will want to note that some of the content is explicit.
There are only a few episodes to listen to, but the episodes are about 20 minutes in length each, giving you a good bit to listen to while you’re driving in the car, cleaning the house or doing some other task that frees up your mind to listen and learn.
Advanced
If you’re looking for something that native Malay speakers would listen to, then keep reading.
Bahasa Melayu Alkitab
If you’re familiar with religious texts, then you might find this podcast spoken entirely in Malay to be a good fit for your language-learning journey. Bahasa Melayu Alkitab gives the New Testament text in a dramatized version, for an entertaining story, but while still covering topics you might know from your past familiarization with the text. While the podcast is no longer being updated, you can find tons of episodes available right now.
BFM 89.9: The Business Station
BFM 89.9: The Business Station was Malaysia’s first business radio station and presents programming focused on business (obviously), the stock market, news, corporate personalities and more. You can find all kinds of programming available for listening via the app, which also includes podcasts available at just the touch of a button.
Do note that you will have to sign up for a free account in order to access the various audio files. If you want to listen to live Malay programming, you can sign in to the app daily between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. local times.
eFM Podcasts
Similarly, the eFM Podcasts series focuses on Malaysian business concerns, with content for entrepreneurs, by entrepreneurs. While episodes aren’t uploaded on a too regular basis, you can find more than 200 episodes available currently for listening. Each episode ranges from 10 to 30 minutes in length and there is a mix of episodes in Malay and English, so you’ll have to pick through them to find the ones that are fully in Malay.
Final Thoughts
Do you know a Malay podcast that deserves some recognition in our list above? Tell us about it!
Learning Malay? Take a look at our article on Learning the Malay Language from Scratch.