# Bahasa Melayu: Malaysia's National Language and Its Journey from Jawi to Rumi

> Bahasa Melayu is Malaysia's national language under Article 152 of the Federal Constitution. This article explains its constitutional position, the legal framework that supports it, and the history of its script — from Arabic-based Jawi to the Rumi script standardised through joint Malaysia–Indonesia spelling cooperation in 1972 — descriptively and neutrally.

- Category: arts-culture
- Language: en
- Status: published
- Updated: 2026-07-24
- Canonical: https://negaraku.md/en/arts-culture/bahasa-melayu

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In Kuala Berang, Terengganu, a stone inscription was found bearing Malay words — not in the letters we know today, but in Arabic script adapted for Malay sounds. According to Arkib Negara Malaysia (the National Archives of Malaysia), the inscription is dated 1303 CE.

That Terengganu Inscribed Stone, according to UNESCO, is the earliest evidence of Jawi script in the Malay Islamic world of Southeast Asia, and it was inscribed on the UNESCO Memory of the World Register in 2009. It is a sign that the language which is now Malaysia's national language was already being written, read and used for matters of government more than seven centuries ago.

This article explains two closely related matters: what the position of Bahasa Melayu is under the Constitution and the law, and how its script changed from Jawi to Rumi. Both are explained descriptively — what is provided, by whom, and when.

## What Article 152 provides

The position of Bahasa Melayu is set out in Article 152 of the Federal Constitution. Its basic provision is simple: the national language is Bahasa Melayu.

The same Article contains several provisos that must be read together:

- **Article 152(1)(a)** provides that no one may be prohibited or prevented, other than for official purposes, from using, or from teaching or learning, any other language.
- **Article 152(1)(b)** provides that nothing in that Clause shall prejudice the right of the Federal Government or the right of any State Government to preserve and sustain the use and study of the language of any other community.
- **Article 152(6)** defines "official purpose" as any purpose of the Federal Government or a State Government, including any purpose of a public authority.

In other words, the provision sets a single national language for official matters, and at the same time expressly provides protection for the use, teaching and study of other languages outside official purposes. The official portal of the Government of Malaysia (MyGovernment) also states that the country's multi-ethnic communities are free to use other languages among themselves.

## How the law implements Article 152

Article 152 states that the national language shall be written in the script provided by law by Parliament. That law is the **National Language Act 1963/67 (Act 32)**.

Section 2 of the Act provides that, except as provided in the Act and subject to the protection in Article 152(1) of the Constitution, the national language shall be used for official purposes. The same Act contains further provisions, including:

| Provision | Content |
| --- | --- |
| Section 3 | The Government may use translations of documents or official communications in another language in the public interest |
| Section 4 | The Yang di-Pertuan Agong may permit the continued use of the English language for such official purposes as thought fit |
| Section 6 | Relates to the authoritative text of written law |
| Section 8 | Relates to the language of court proceedings |
| Section 9 | Sets the script for the national language |

In the education sector, the Government's official portal states that education law — now the Education Act 1996 (Act 550) — provides for the position of the national language as the medium of instruction in teaching and learning.

## Rumi script, with Jawi not prohibited

The part that most directly addresses the question of script is **Section 9 of the National Language Act 1963/67**. It provides:

> The script of the national language shall be the Rumi script: provided that this shall not prohibit the use of the Malay script, otherwise known as Jawi script, for the national language.

This provision establishes two things at once: the official script of the national language is Rumi, and the use of Jawi script is not prohibited. Legally, the two scripts exist side by side.

## From Jawi to Rumi: a timeline

Jawi script — Arabic letters adapted for Malay sounds — was the primary script of Bahasa Melayu for centuries, as evidenced by the Terengganu Inscribed Stone dated 1303 CE. It developed alongside the spread of Islam in the Malay Archipelago, and became the script of administration, correspondence and religion in the Malay courts, including during the era of the [Melaka Sultanate](/en/malaysia/melaka-sultanate).

Rumi script — the Latin alphabet — began to be used widely for Bahasa Melayu during the colonial period, when various Rumi spelling systems were devised. By the mid-20th century, standardising Rumi spelling had become a focus of the Malay language movement.

**1956** — Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka (DBP), originally named Balai Pustaka, was established on 22 June 1956 in Johor Bahru to develop Bahasa Melayu as the national and official language of the soon-to-be-independent country. Following the Third Malay Language and Literature Congress (Kongres Bahasa dan Persuratan Melayu Ketiga), held in Singapore and Johor Bahru from 16 to 21 September 1956, its name was changed to Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka.

**1957** — When the Federation of Malaya achieved [independence](/en/malaysia/independence-1957), the position of Bahasa Melayu as the national language was enshrined in Article 152 of the Federal Constitution, as recorded by Arkib Negara Malaysia.

**1959** — DBP was upgraded to a statutory body through the Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka Ordinance 1959 (now the Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka Act 1959, Act 213), with the power to organise programmes for the development and cultivation of language and literature.

**1972** — On 23 May 1972, the Minister of Education of Malaysia and the Minister of Education and Culture of the Republic of Indonesia signed a Joint Declaration in Jakarta on language cooperation between the two countries. On 16 August 1972, the New Rumi Spelling System was launched in Malaysia; in Indonesia, the corresponding system — the Ejaan Yang Disempurnakan (Perfected Spelling System) — was officially established on the same day through an announcement by the President of the Republic of Indonesia.

**1972 and after** — The Majlis Bahasa Indonesia-Malaysia (MBIM, Indonesia-Malaysia Language Council) was established on 29 December 1972, and the Jawatankuasa Tetap Bahasa Melayu (Malay Language Standing Committee) was established on 23 December 1972 as the coordinating body on the Malaysian side. When Brunei Darussalam joined the council as a permanent member on 4 November 1985, MBIM became **MABBIM** (Majlis Bahasa Brunei Darussalam-Indonesia-Malaysia, the Brunei Darussalam-Indonesia-Malaysia Language Council), the body that continues to coordinate the development of terminology and spelling for Malay/Indonesian to this day, with Singapore participating as an observer.

The shift in official focus to Rumi script did not erase Jawi script. As provided in Section 9 of Act 32, Jawi script remains not prohibited, and continues to be used in various religious, cultural and certain official contexts.

## Common misconceptions

**"Bahasa Malaysia and Bahasa Melayu are two different languages."** Both terms refer to the same language. The Constitution uses the term Bahasa Melayu for the national language, while the Government's official portal refers to it as "Bahasa Melayu, also known as Bahasa Malaysia."

**"Article 152 prohibits the use of other languages."** Article 152(1)(a) and (b) in fact provide protection for the use, teaching and study of other languages outside official purposes, and for the preservation of the languages of other communities.

**"Jawi script is no longer legally recognised."** Section 9 of the National Language Act 1963/67 sets Rumi as the script of the national language but expressly states that this does not prohibit the use of Jawi script.

## What's next

To understand the wider framework, the [Federal Constitution](/en/law/federal-constitution) explains the structure of the document in which Article 152 sits. For the historical background of the Malay language and institutions, see the [Melaka Sultanate](/en/malaysia/melaka-sultanate), and for the context of nation formation, [Merdeka 1957](/en/malaysia/independence-1957).

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*This article is classified as sensitive content (3R+1: race) under NegaraKu.md's editorial
policy because its subject touches on the national language and Article 152 of the Federal
Constitution. It is written to remain descriptive — reporting what is provided, by whom and
when, without evaluating or interpreting policy — and is held as a provisional draft pending
human review.*

## Sources

- Perlembagaan Persekutuan — Perkara 152 (Bahasa kebangsaan) — https://lom.agc.gov.my/federal-constitution.php (Pejabat Peguam Negara (AGC))
- Akta Bahasa Kebangsaan 1963/67 (Akta 32) — https://lom.agc.gov.my/act-detail.php?act=32&lang=BM (Pejabat Peguam Negara (AGC))
- Bahasa Rasmi — Kenali Malaysia — https://www.malaysia.gov.my/my/government/kenali-malaysia/bahasa-rasmi (Kerajaan Malaysia (MyGovernment))
- Pengenalan Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka — https://dbp.gov.my/pengenalan/ (Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka)
- Akta Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka 1959 (Akta 213) — https://lom.agc.gov.my/act-detail.php?act=213&lang=BM (Pejabat Peguam Negara (AGC))
- Majlis Bahasa Brunei Darussalam-Indonesia-Malaysia (MABBIM) — https://dbp.gov.my/majlis-bahasa-brunei-darussalam-indonesia-malaysia-mabbim/ (Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka)
- Jawatankuasa Tetap Bahasa Melayu (JKTBM) — https://dbp.gov.my/jawatankuasa-tetap-bahasa-melayu-jktbm/ (Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka)
- Persada Kegemilangan Bahasa Melayu — Jendela Sejarah — https://pustakailmu.arkib.gov.my/index.php/ms/pustaka-ilmu/jendela-sejarah/persada-kegemilangan-bahasa-melayu (Arkib Negara Malaysia)
- Batu Bersurat Terengganu (Inscribed Stone of Terengganu) — Memory of the World — https://www.unesco.org/en/memory-world/batu-bersurat-terengganu-inscribed-stone-terengganu (UNESCO)
- EYD Berlaku Mulai 17 Agustus 1972 — https://kebudayaan.kemdikbud.go.id/dpk/eyd-berlaku-mulai-17-agustus-1972/ (Kementerian Pendidikan dan Kebudayaan Republik Indonesia)
- Akta Pendidikan 1996 (Akta 550) — https://lom.agc.gov.my/act-detail.php?act=550&lang=BM (Pejabat Peguam Negara (AGC))

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