Jangan tulis nombor PIN pada kad debit.

Jangan is the usual Malay word for a negative command, equivalent to don’t in English.

So:

• Tulis nombor PIN pada kad debit. = Write the PIN number on the debit card.
• Jangan tulis nombor PIN pada kad debit. = Don’t write the PIN number on the debit card.

A very common pattern in Malay is:

• jangan + verb

For example:

• Jangan makan. = Don’t eat.
• Jangan pergi. = Don’t go.
• Jangan cakap begitu. = Don’t say that.

Malay usually uses jangan for negative instructions or prohibitions, while tidak is used to negate statements.

Compare:

• Dia tidak tulis nombor itu. = He/She does not write that number.
• Jangan tulis nombor itu. = Don’t write that number.

So for telling someone not to do something, jangan is the correct choice.

Tulis is the basic verb meaning write / to write.

Malay verbs do not change form the way English verbs do. So tulis can work in different contexts depending on the sentence:

• Saya tulis surat. = I write / am writing a letter.
• Dia tulis nama dia. = He/She writes his/her name.
• Jangan tulis nombor PIN... = Don’t write the PIN number...

Malay does not need a separate to form like English to write.

Malay generally does not use articles like a, an, or the.

So:

• nombor PIN can mean a PIN number or the PIN number
• kad debit can mean a debit card or the debit card

The exact meaning usually comes from context.

If needed, Malay can make things more specific in other ways, but very often no article is used at all.

This is normal in both Malay and many varieties of English. It is similar to saying PIN number in English, even though PIN already stands for Personal Identification Number.

In Malay:

• nombor = number
• PIN = PIN

So nombor PIN is a very natural phrase and simply means PIN number.

In Malay, the main noun usually comes first, and a word that describes or specifies it comes after.

So:

• nombor PIN = PIN number
• kad debit = debit card

This is a very common Malay noun pattern:

• buku teks = textbook
• kereta polis = police car
• kad kredit = credit card

English often puts the describing noun first, but Malay usually puts it after the main noun.

Pada here means something like on or on the surface of, especially with writing or attachment to an object.

So:

• pada kad debit = on the debit card

This is natural because the sentence is about writing something on the card.

About the alternatives:

• di usually means at / in / on for location in a general sense
• atas means above / on top of

Why not atas kad debit?
Because atas often emphasizes physical top position, while pada is more natural for something written on an object.

Why not di kad debit?
It may sound less natural here. Pada kad debit is the standard choice for writing something on the card itself.

Pada is a preposition. It introduces the location or target where the writing would appear.

The structure is:

• Jangan = don’t
• tulis = write
• nombor PIN = PIN number
• pada kad debit = on the debit card

So the sentence is basically:

• Don’t write
  • the PIN number
    • on the debit card

Yes, both words are borrowed or adapted from English:

• kad from card
• debit from debit

This is very common in modern Malay, especially for banking, technology, and official terms.

Other similar examples:

• kad kredit = credit card
• bank = bank
• telefon = telephone / phone

Even though the words come from English, their pronunciation in Malay is usually more regular and follows Malay sound patterns.

A rough guide:

• nombor ≈ nom-bor
• kad ≈ kahd with a short, clear vowel
• debit in Malay is often pronounced more like de-bit
• tulis ≈ too-lis
• jangan ≈ jah-ngan

A few helpful points:

• Malay spelling is generally quite phonetic.
• Each vowel is usually pronounced clearly.
• Words are not heavily reduced the way they often are in English.

Yes. A very literal word-for-word breakdown would be:

• Jangan = don’t
• tulis = write
• nombor PIN = PIN number
• pada = on
• kad debit = debit card

Malay often omits articles, so a literal translation can sound a bit bare in English. Natural English usually adds them:

• Don’t write your PIN number on your debit card.
• Don’t write the PIN number on the debit card.

The exact English version depends on context, but the Malay sentence itself is perfectly natural without article words.

Sometimes, yes, but tulis is the most direct and natural choice here.

Possible alternatives depend on meaning:

• catat = note down / record
• salin = copy
• tandakan = mark

But for physically writing the PIN on the card, tulis is the clearest and most ordinary verb.

So:

• Jangan tulis nombor PIN pada kad debit. = the most natural version

It is neutral and very natural. It would work well in:

• safety instructions
• bank warnings
• notices
• spoken advice

It is not slangy, and it is not overly formal either. That makes it a very useful everyday model sentence.