Malaisien
/ma.lɛ.zjɛ̃/masculine
In French, the English phrase "malaysian" (referring to a person) is translated as Malaisien.
The term is used to refer to a native of Malaysia.
Meaning: a native of Malaysia (noun)
Which one should you use?
When referring to a person, the word is capitalized (e.g., Malaisien). However, when the word is used as an adjective to describe something pertaining to Malaysia, such as la cuisine malaisienne (Malaysian cuisine), it is written in lowercase: malaisien.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The word changes based on gender and number. The masculine singular noun or adjective is Malaisien, while the feminine form is Malaisienne. For the masculine plural, use Malaisiens.
How do you pronounce it?
/ma.lɛ.zjɛ̃/
Did you know?
- In French, there is a critical distinction between Malaisien and malais. The first refers to a citizen of the country Malaysia, while the second refers specifically to an ethnic Malay person or a speaker of the Malay language.
- Unlike English, where 'Malaysian' is always capitalized, the French adjective malaisien must be lowercase when describing things like 'cuisine' or 'culture'.
- Because Malaisien is derived from the country name Malaisie, it follows a gender pattern shared with words for residents of cities, such as Parisien for someone from Paris.
Examples in context
- Il est malaisien ?Is he Malaysian?This sentence is useful for asking about someone's nationality using Malaisien.Tatoeba #8731390 by Julien_PDC, translation #1098185 by cntrational
- Le représentant malaisien va présenter un discours aujourd'hui.The Malaysian representative is going to give a speech today.
- La chercheuse malaisienne a fait d'importantes découvertes.The Malaysian researcher has made significant discoveries.
- J'ai rencontré un Malais dans un café aujourd'hui.I met a Malaysian guy in a café today.
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Hugo and Chloé are talking about a new colleague.
- HugoTu connais le nouveau collègue ?Do you know the new colleague?
- ChloéOui, c'est un Malaisien.Yes, he is a Malaysian.
- HugoIl vient de quelle ville ?Which city is he from?
- ChloéIl vient de Kuala Lumpur.He comes from Kuala Lumpur.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “malaysian” translations and entries Malaisien, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Pronunciation from the Wiktionary entry malaisien.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
