Demonyms Used in Malaysia

Here is some Malaysia Traveller Trivia about demonyms used in Malaysia.

First of all what is a demonym? It is nothing to do with demons. It means the name given to people who live in a particular country, state or city.  Thus the demonym for Malaysia is Malaysians. The word was derived from the Greek word demos meaning populace together with the suffix onym meaning name.

The usual demonym for inhabitants of Kuala Lumpur is KL-ite, though I prefer to use Kuala Lumpan.

Elsewhere in Malaysia:

  • Kelantan – Kelantanese
  • Penang – Penangite
  • Perak – Perakian
  • Sarawak – Sarawakian
  • Labuan – Labuanin

What about new cities like Cyberjaya? Cybernauts perhaps?

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AUTHOR BIO

the author

David (the one on the left) is the writer behind Malaysia Traveller, sharing first-hand travel advice from over five decades of living and travelling across Asia and the Middle East. Based in Malaysia since 2009 and now in Kuching, he has published over 790 pages on this website, personally visited every place he covers, and uses only his own photos. Readers can learn more on his About Me page. He also shares updates on Facebook and YouTube. He loves uncovering overlooked places that even some Malaysians have never visited.