Austronesian · ISO 639-3 meo
Kedah Malay Language Pelat Utagha
Kedah Malay is an Austronesian language spoken by about 2.6 million people in 1 country. It is written in the Latin script.
Where Kedah Malay is spoken
- Official language
- Regional official
- Spoken by 10%+
- 1–10%
- Smaller communities
Countries that speak Kedah Malay
Language family
- Austronesian
- Malayo-Polynesian
- Malayo-Chamic
- Malayic
- Nuclear Malayic
- Greater Riau-Johoric
- Northeastern Peninsular Malay
- Kedah Malay
Writing system
Latin script
Related languages
About the Kedah Malay language
Kedah Malay (Pelat Utagha) is spoken by about 2.6 million people, which makes it the 271st most spoken language in the world — just behind Gusii (2.6 million) and ahead of Bouyei (2.6 million). It belongs to the Austronesian language family and, more precisely, to the Northeastern Peninsular Malay group within the Malayo-Chamic branch.
Where is Kedah Malay spoken?
Kedah Malay is used in 1 country. The largest communities live in Malaysia (2.6 million).
Kedah Malay is not a national official language anywhere.
Writing system and status
Kedah Malay is written in the Latin script. It is a safe, widely transmitted language: children still learn it at home as their first language.
Its closest relatives in the same branch of the family are Pattani Malay, Indonesian, Minangkabau, Betawi, Bukit Malay, Banjar and 2 more.
ISO codes: ISO 639-3 meo.
Frequently asked questions about Kedah Malay
How many people speak Kedah Malay?
Where is Kedah Malay spoken?
What language family does Kedah Malay belong to?
What is Kedah Malay called in Kedah Malay?
Is Kedah Malay an endangered language?
Data: Languages of the World dataset (MIT) — ISO 639-3, Glottolog (CC BY 4.0), Unicode CLDR, Google LinguaMeta (CC BY 4.0) and Wikidata; country lists: samayo/country-json (MIT). Speaker numbers include first- and second-language speakers where sources report them.