Sambas Malay is a Malayic language spoken by about 600,000 people in the northwest of West Kalimantan Province in Indonesia. In particular, it is spoken in the Sambas Regency, and also in the neighbouring Bengkayang Regency and the city of Singkawang, both of which were formerly parts of the Sambas Regency. It is spoken by the Sambas Malay people, and used by other ethnic groups in the area as a local lingua franca. Sambas Malay tends to be used in informal situations, while Indonesian is used in more formal settings.
Sambas Malay is also known as Basè Sambas. It is closely related to Sarawak Malay, which is spoken on the nearby island of Sarawak, and is more distantly related to other Malayic languages spoken in the region, such as Banjarese, Kutainese, Berau Malay and Brunei Malay.
Sambas Malay is written with the Latin alphabet using a spelling system based on Indonesian. It was traditionally written with the Jawi (Arabic) script, also known as Arab-Melayu, and the Jawi script still appears on street signs in Sambas city. In an effort to revive use of the Jawi script, it is taught in some schools.
Download an alphabet chart for Sambas Malay (Excel)
Information about Sambas Malay | Numbers
Information about Sambas Malay
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sambas_Malay
https://www.misterpangalayo.com/2012/03/bahasa-melayu-sambas.html
Kamus Mini Bahasa Melayu Sambas (Sambas Malay Mini Dictionary)
https://www.misterpangalayo.com/2012/02/kamus-mini-bahasa-melayu-sambas.html
Banjarese, Bengkulu, Brunei Malay, Indonesian, Kerinci, Malay, Minangkabau, Sambas Malay, Urak Lawoi’
Languages written with the Latin alphabet
Page created: 06.12.25. Last modified: 07.01.25
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