Malacca Story

This is a true story waiting for you to verify. You make your decision after reading this story. Is true or false.

Hundred years ago, there is a small busy jetty in a small village in peninsular Malaya. They call this small jetty village as Malacca 马六甲。

On that time, all businessman from difference country come to this village. And do exchanging their goods with each other and return back to their original country. As now we call this activity Business as what we understand.

This story begins from one of the Chinese man call Cheng Hoe. Who is from Hokkien China, lead a group of Chinese businessman and numbers of ships load with all type of Chinese products come to this small village and plan to exchange other goods back to China for their people need.

Somewhere some time. This man arrived at this small and busy jetty. Anchor their ship at this busy jetty near by the village. This is the first time they come to this small villages. 

After than some of the villages people come near to their ship and look for job to assist the Chinese businessman unload their goods from the ship to the near by market in the village.

These Chinese businessmen than saw the local people not wearing any shirts in this village expose their black sunburn skin. The Chinese businessman doesn’t know to speak their language and also don’t know their name. So they tries to use their own hokkien language call this group of people All Lang  黑人 (in Hokkien mean people with black skin. 黑人 ). The Malay words Orang in their Malay language mean People, In Hokkien All Lang 黑人 mean people with black skin

This group of Chinese man knew, they carry a lot of heavy goods in their ship. And need strong village people to transfer the good from the ship to the village. So they employ them as ku Li 苦力 in Hokkien language mean the people who sale their energy at the jetty to carry out heavy work or carry heavy goods. The Malay languages Kuli 苦力  also has the same meaning and same pronounce.

So this group of Chinese businessman employs the village people to unload all their goods from their ship. The first ship loads with all type of teacups. In hokkien teacup they call Ca Wan 茶碗 ,The businessman spoke to the village people be more careful when unloading this Ca Wan 茶碗 

The Malay words Ca wan also mean teacup with the same meaning and same pronounce in hokkien.

Because the Chinese businessman anchor their ship near by the jetty. So the village people needs to use a small boat, which is make from 3 piece of wood to transfer this entire teacup from the ship to the jetty.  Because this boat is making from 3 piece of wood so in Hokkien they call this Sam Pan 三板 (mean the boat with 3 piece of wood). The Malay words Sampan 三板 also means this kind of boat with the same meaning and same pronounce in hokkien.

After the village people complete unload the teacup. They start to unload another goods what the Hokkien call Tay ko  茶壶  mean a teapot that keep tea or coffee inside.The Malay words Teko 茶壶 and the Hokkien words Tay Ko is茶壶  with the same pronounce and the meaning.

Their work until the sun is in the middle of the sky, hot and hungry. So the village people start to prepare their foods. They poke 3 piece of meat to the coconut leaf stick and burn within the fire.  Than they eat the meat to fill up their stomach. The Hokkien call this Sa Tay 三块. Mean 3 piece of meat in one stick.The Malay words also call this burning meat Satay 三块   with the same pronounce same meaning.

Some time the goods are tie up for easy transport. So the village people need a small knife to cut and remove the packing for easy transfer from the ship to the jetty in small quantity. The Chinese businessman gives them a small knife to do the work. In Chinese they call its Pi Sau 匕首 Mean a small knife. Until now in Malay they also call a small knife Pi sau 匕首  with the same pronounce and same meaning.

When the time closed to 3 pm in the afternoon, is time for a rest and have tea, so the Chinese businessman having some Teh 茶 for their tea time (in Hokkien speaking Tea is Tay )

Now In Malay word they call tea as Teh 茶  with the same pronounce and same meaning.

The village people continue to unload and transfer the Yee Kan 鱼干  from the ship to the jetty (in Chinese speaking Yee Kan 鱼干 mean Dry Fish which is already drying up by heat of the sun).

Now the Malay also calls fish as Ikan 鱼干  with the same pronounce and same meaning.

This is not the end of the story. As what we found we have more Malay language pronounce just same as Hokkien direct also with the same meaning.

Let us find some of the name of the “ food “ with the same pronounce and same  meaning in Malay and Hokkien language.

Malay words Mee 糆  in Hokkien language also Mee 糆  ( a kind of food make by flour )

Malay words Mee Hoon 米粉  in Hokkien language also Mee Hoon 米粉  ( a kind of food make

By broken rice )

Malay words Kai Lan 芥兰  in Hokkien language also Kai Lan  芥兰  ( a kind of vegetable )

Malay Words Rambutan 红毛丹  in hokkien language Ang Bu Tan 红毛丹 ( a kind of fruit with red hair )

Malay words Tougey 豆芽  in Hokkien language also Tou Kay 豆芽   ( a kind of vegetable for fried mee or other )

Malay words Tahu 豆腐  in Hokkien language also Tao Hu  豆腐  ( a kind of food make by soya bean )

Let us find some of the things that with the same language in Malay and Hokkien with the same pronounce and same meaning.

Malay Words Lampu  ( it mean light ) in Hokkien language Lan Pu 烂布  mean hundred year ago there have no light so they put some oil on the broken cloth than burn the cloth and get the light from the burning. Lan Pu 烂布  means broken cloth. Both meaning also is Light。 same pronounce and same meaning.

Kayu in Malay language mean wood. That time the village people use wood to set up fire to cook or to get worm when the time is cool. So this Chinese businessman trying set up the fire by wood. Due to the wood is not really dried difficult to set up fire. So they call the village people to Ka Yu 加油 mean please add oil to the wood for easy setting up fire.May be the village people misunderstanding they tough that Kayu 加油  (adding oil) mean wood. So now in Malay language Kayu 加油  mean wood.

Tong 桶  in Malay Language mean the container that can contain water or other liquid form of thing inside. In Hokkien language they call the Tong 桶 as Tang 桶  but both of the words have the same meaning.

So do you believes all this Malay words is mixed with Chinese languages.