{"id":60662,"date":"2026-06-14T15:13:03","date_gmt":"2026-06-14T07:13:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/?p=60662"},"modified":"2026-06-14T15:13:03","modified_gmt":"2026-06-14T07:13:03","slug":"cartoonist-explains-why-chinese-msians-cannot-speak-good-malay-draws-comments-about-sporeans-language-abilities","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/?p=60662","title":{"rendered":"Cartoonist explains why Chinese M\u2019sians cannot speak good Malay, draws comments about S\u2019poreans\u2019 language abilities"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Cartoonist shares challenges in learning Malay as Chinese Malaysian<\/h2>\n

In multicultural societies such as Malaysia and Singapore, it is not uncommon to be multilingual. However, it is fair to say that proficiency levels in these languages may vary.<\/p>\n

On Friday (12 June), illustrator Rachel Wan shared a series of cartoons she drew in an attempt to answer: \u201cWhy can\u2019t Malaysian Chinese speak good Malay?\u201d<\/p>\n

The post is a part of a series covering Malaysian culture<\/a>, with many of them focused around language.<\/p>\n

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Source: @rachelwan.art on Instagram<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

She shared the drawings on Reddit<\/a> and other social media platforms, which instantly got discussions going from Malaysians and Singaporeans alike.<\/p>\n

Language as a product of upbringing<\/h3>\n

In her post, Rachel shared multiple factors that contribute to why Malaysian Chinese often struggle with speaking Malay.<\/p>\n

First is that the language is often taught differently depending on where you went to school.<\/p>\n

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Source: @rachelwan.art on Instagram<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Next, even if you did learn it in school, did you use it consistently? If the answer is no, then chances are that you will not be as fluent.<\/p>\n

\u201cUnless you grew up in Malay-majority areas, your changes of using the language are slim,\u201d Rachel wrote.<\/p>\n

She even added that most will only use Malay to order food from vendors.<\/p>\n

For the illustrator, this point hits close to home as she grew up in a neighbourhood where most spoke English.<\/p>\n

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