Malay travel expressions build a route from three simple relations: dari marks its source, ke its destination or direction, and di a location where something is. Verbs such as naik, turun, belok, and sampai then describe movement along that path. English speakers often complicate this elegant system by adding a location marker after motion or by searching for separate words corresponding to “on,” “off,” and “onto.”
This page gives the practical grammar for asking directions, following a route, boarding transport, discussing fares, and reporting arrival. It is not an inventory of place names, transport vocabulary, or regional direction formulas.
The route frame: dari, ke, and di
Use dari (neutral) for where movement begins, ke (neutral) for where it goes, and di (neutral) for a static location. The contrast is relational, not a matter of translating English at, in, or to one by one.
Kami bertolak dari Melaka ke Kuala Lumpur pada pukul tujuh pagi.
We leave from Melaka for Kuala Lumpur at seven in the morning.
Bas itu berhenti di hadapan stesen kereta api.
That bus stops in front of the railway station.
Saya sudah sampai di hotel; awak masih dalam perjalanan?
I’ve arrived at the hotel; are you still on the way?
With a motion verb, ke presents the goal: pergi ke lapangan terbang “go to the airport.” With a location verb or state, di locates: menunggu di lapangan terbang “wait at the airport.” Sampai can occur with di when arrival has been achieved and the destination is now treated as the point where the traveler is, while sampai ke highlights reaching as far as a goal.
Asking where to go
To ask for directions politely, begin with tumpang tanya (polite spoken) or maaf (neutral), then ask di mana for a location or bagaimana hendak ke ... for a route. Hendak is careful neutral Malay; conversational nak (informal) is common but does not belong in every context.
Tumpang tanya, bagaimana hendak ke Muzium Negara dari sini?
Excuse me, how do I get to the National Museum from here?
Maaf, stesen LRT yang paling dekat di mana?
Excuse me, where is the nearest LRT station?
Dekat means “near” and commonly takes dengan before the reference point: dekat dengan bank. Jauh means “far” and often takes dari: jauh dari sini. In casual speech, dengan may be omitted after dekat, but retaining it is clear standard usage.
Klinik itu dekat dengan terminal bas dan tidak jauh dari sini.
The clinic is near the bus terminal and not far from here.
Giving a route: straight ahead and turns
Jalan terus or terus (neutral) means “go straight/continue.” Lurus describes straightness and appears in route descriptions such as jalan lurus, but an instruction typically uses terus or jalan terus more naturally than a bare adjective. Use belok kiri and belok kanan for “turn left/right.” No preposition is required between belok and the direction.
Jalan terus hingga lampu isyarat, kemudian belok kiri.
Go straight as far as the traffic lights, then turn left.
Selepas jambatan, ikut jalan lurus itu kira-kira satu kilometer.
After the bridge, follow that straight road for about one kilometer.
Belok kanan di simpang kedua; pejabat itu di sebelah kedai buku.
Turn right at the second junction; the office is next to the bookshop.
Route instructions often form a sequence of bare or lightly marked action clauses. The understood traveler is “you,” so Malay need not repeat awak before every verb. Words such as hingga, selepas, and kemudian make the landmarks and order explicit.
Naik and turun with transport
Naik (neutral) means go up, board, or travel by a vehicle. Put the transport noun directly after it: naik bas, naik kereta api, naik feri. Malay does not need a separate equivalent of English on in “get on the bus.” Context distinguishes the act of boarding from traveling by that mode.
Kami naik bas dari terminal ini ke Putrajaya.
We’re taking the bus from this terminal to Putrajaya.
Naik tren Laluan Kelana Jaya, kemudian tukar tren di Masjid Jamek.
Take the Kelana Jaya Line train, then change trains at Masjid Jamek.
Turun (neutral) means go down or get off. With public transport, turun di + stop/place names the alighting point. The vehicle need not be repeated when it is already known.
Turun di perhentian ketiga, betul-betul di hadapan hospital.
Get off at the third stop, directly in front of the hospital.
Pintu akan dibuka di sebelah kiri; sila turun dengan berhati-hati.
The doors will open on the left; please alight carefully. (public announcement)
In careful transit announcements, sila and a full instruction sound natural. In a friend’s spontaneous directions, a bare turun di... is ordinary and not rude because the exchange already establishes that instructions are wanted.
Fares, tickets, and choosing transport
Tambang is the fare charged for a journey. Ask Tambangnya berapa? (neutral spoken) or the fuller Berapakah tambangnya? (formal/careful). The enclitic -nya points to the fare relevant in the current context. If several destinations are possible, specify the endpoint with ke.
Tambang teksi dari sini ke lapangan terbang berapa?
How much is the taxi fare from here to the airport?
Berapakah tambang feri ke Pulau Langkawi?
How much is the ferry fare to Langkawi Island? (careful)
For a ticket, satu tiket ke Ipoh means “one ticket to Ipoh.” A return ticket may be tiket pergi balik. These noun phrases combine naturally with mahu, hendak, or a polite request construction.
Saya hendak satu tiket pergi balik ke Ipoh untuk hari Sabtu.
I’d like one return ticket to Ipoh for Saturday.
Arrival with sampai
Sampai (neutral) means arrive, reach, or extend as far as. It can stand without a following place when the destination is already known. Add a time expression to report or estimate arrival.
Kereta api dijangka sampai pada pukul 6.45 petang.
The train is expected to arrive at 6:45 p.m.
Apabila sudah sampai, hantarkan mesej kepada saya.
When you’ve arrived, send me a message.
Contrast sampai di stesen “arrive at the station” with jalan sampai ke hujung “walk all the way to the end.” The first views the destination as the achieved location; the second emphasizes the limit reached.
Common Mistakes
Using di after a motion verb
❌ Kami pergi di lapangan terbang sekarang.
Incorrect — di marks location, not the destination of pergi.
✅ Kami pergi ke lapangan terbang sekarang.
We’re going to the airport now.
Combining ke di before one destination
❌ Bas ini pergi ke di pusat bandar.
Incorrect — choose ke for direction; do not stack it with di.
✅ Bas ini pergi ke pusat bandar.
This bus goes to the city center.
Translating “get on” with an extra preposition
❌ Naik di bas nombor sepuluh.
Incorrect for boarding/traveling by the bus — naik takes the transport noun directly.
✅ Naik bas nombor sepuluh.
Take bus number ten.
Using the destination marker for a static stop
❌ Teksi itu menunggu ke hadapan hotel.
Incorrect — the taxi is located there, not moving toward it.
✅ Teksi itu menunggu di hadapan hotel.
The taxi is waiting in front of the hotel.
Using the location marker for the direction of a turn
❌ Belok di kiri di simpang itu.
Incorrect — di kiri names a location; it does not give the direction after belok in this route command.
✅ Belok kiri di simpang itu.
Turn left at that junction.
Key Takeaways
Build routes as dari source, ke destination, and di location. Give directions with jalan terus, belok kiri/kanan, and a clear landmark. Say naik bas or naik tren with no separate “on,” and use turun di for the place where someone gets off. Sampai di presents an achieved location, while sampai ke can emphasize the endpoint reached. For a fully worked exchange, see the Annotated Directions Dialogue.
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