Malaysia trivia: 45 questions and answers

Kuala Lumpur. Kuala Lumpur is the capital, and Parliament and the king sit there. Most ministries work from nearby Putrajaya, the administrative centre, but by law Kuala Lumpur is the capital.

Putrajaya. Putrajaya, built from 1995 about 25 km south of Kuala Lumpur, is Malaysia's administrative centre, while Kuala Lumpur remains the capital.

The ringgit. The ringgit, written RM, is Malaysia's currency. The rupiah is Indonesia's and the baht is Thailand's.

Borneo. Sabah and Sarawak cover the northern part of Borneo, which Malaysia shares with Indonesia and Brunei.

True. True. Malaysia drives on the left, like its neighbours Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia and Brunei.

False. False. Mount Kinabalu, 4,095 m, is in Sabah on the island of Borneo.

Independence. Merdeka means independence. The crowd chanted it after the declaration of independence was read at the Merdeka Stadium.

The Pangkor Treaty. The Pangkor Treaty, signed on a ship off Pangkor Island in 1874, opened the way to British control of the Malay states.

True. True. Singapore joined Malaysia on 16 September 1963 and separated on 9 August 1965, becoming an independent country.

False. False. Brunei took part in the talks but decided not to join, so Malaysia was formed from Malaya, Singapore, Sabah and Sarawak.

Coconut milk. Nasi lemak is rice cooked in coconut milk with pandan leaf, served with sambal, fried anchovies, peanuts, cucumber and egg.

Pulled tea. Teh tarik means pulled tea: it is poured back and forth between two cups from arm's length, which makes it frothy.

Butterfly pea flowers. The blue colour comes naturally from the petals of butterfly pea flowers.

The shoulder pole sellers used to carry the food. The shoulder pole sellers used to carry the food, a 'kandar', gave the dish its name: early sellers hung the rice and curries from it as they walked through George Town.

Lime juice. Hinava is raw fish, usually Spanish mackerel, mixed with lime juice, chilli, shallots and ginger.

False. False. Bak kut teh means 'meat bone tea', but the pork rib soup is made with herbs and spices, and the tea is drunk alongside it.

True. True. Ais kacang, also called ABC, is shaved ice over red beans, sweetcorn and jelly, with syrups and milk on top.

Muddy confluence. Kuala Lumpur means muddy confluence: 'kuala' is where two rivers meet and 'lumpur' is mud.

Miri. Miri grew up around the first oil well, drilled in 1910, and today it is the gateway to the caves of Mulu and Niah.

True. True. Johor Bahru is at the southern tip of the peninsula, linked to Singapore by a causeway, one of the busiest land border crossings in the world.

The tallest twin towers in the world. The Petronas Towers are the tallest twin towers in the world. They were the tallest buildings of any kind from 1998 to 2004.

Murugan. The statue of Murugan, about 43 m tall, stands at the foot of 272 steps. Batu Caves is the centre of Malaysia's Thaipusam festival.

Portugal. Portugal built A Famosa after capturing Malacca in 1511. Only a gateway, the Porta de Santiago, and a rebuilt bastion survive.

Gunung Mulu National Park. The Sarawak Chamber is in Gunung Mulu National Park in Sarawak, a UNESCO site since 2000.

True. True. The main trail needs no climbing gear, but every climber must go with an accredited guide, partly because of the risk of altitude sickness.

True. True. The 'Deep Skull' was found in the Niah Caves in 1958. The caves were listed by UNESCO in 2024.

True. True. The nine state rulers elect one of themselves as king for five years, and in practice the office rotates among them.

The southernmost point of mainland Asia. Tanjung Piai is the southernmost point of mainland Asia, and Singapore's skyline can be seen from it.

True. True. The 678.9 m Merdeka 118, renamed Merdeka Maybank Tower in July 2026, is second only to the Burj Khalifa in Dubai.

Durian. The durian smells so strong that many hotels ban it, and bringing one to your room can mean a large cleaning fee.

Borneo and Sumatra. Wild orangutans live only on Borneo and Sumatra. In Malaysia you can see them in Sabah and Sarawak, for example at Sepilok.

Delicious. Sedap means delicious. Saying 'Sedap!' after a meal always pleases the cook.

Cooked rice. Nasi is cooked rice, as in nasi lemak, nasi kandar and nasi kerabu.

Terima kasih. Terima kasih means thank you, and the answer is 'sama-sama', you're welcome.

True. True. 'Air' means water in Malay; it is pronounced 'AH-eer'.

How are you?. 'Apa khabar?' means How are you? (literally 'what news?'), and the usual answer is 'Khabar baik', fine.

Tolong. Tolong means help, and it is also the usual way to say 'please' when asking someone to do something for you.

The person staying, to the one who is leaving. The person staying, to the one who is leaving, says 'Selamat jalan', have a safe trip. The one leaving says 'Selamat tinggal', stay well.

True. True. 'Tak mahu pedas' means I don't want it spicy; pedas means spicy hot.

False. False. 'Minta bil' asks for the bill, when you are ready to pay.

999. 999 is the emergency number in Malaysia for police, ambulance and fire.

The Malaysia Digital Arrival Card. The Malaysia Digital Arrival Card (MDAC) is free and must be filled in online by almost all foreign visitors, Singaporeans being the main exception, at most three days before arrival.

Service charge and tax will be added to the bill. Service charge and tax will be added to the bill when a price is marked '++', so the total is higher than the menu price.

False. False. Take your shoes off before entering a home, a mosque or a temple.

True. True. Tipping is not customary, and many restaurants already add a service charge to the bill.