Comparing Things in Malay: Lebih, Paling and Ter-

Malay makes comparison simple. The adjective never changes, and a small word does the work.

Bigger: lebih

Put lebih before the adjective, and daripada ("than") before what you compare against:

• Rumah ini lebih besar daripada rumah itu. — This house is bigger than that house.
• Dia lebih tinggi daripada saya. — He is taller than me.

Biggest: paling and ter-

For the superlative, use paling before the adjective, or attach the prefix ter-:

• paling besar or terbesar — the biggest
• paling cantik or tercantik — the most beautiful
• paling murah or termurah — the cheapest

Examples:

• Ini rumah yang terbesar di kampung. — This is the biggest house in the village.
• Dia pelajar yang paling pandai. — He is the smartest student.

As ... as: se-

The prefix se- on an adjective means "as ... as":

• Dia setinggi saya. — He is as tall as me.
• Kereta ini semahal itu. — This car is as expensive as that.

Less: kurang

Kurang means "less":

• Dia kurang tinggi. — He is less tall.
• Ini kurang manis. — This is less sweet.

Very

• sangat — very: sangat besar (very big)
• amat — extremely (formal)
• terlalu — too: terlalu mahal (too expensive)
• agak — rather: agak sejuk (rather cold)

Adjectives to practise

Adjective	Meaning
besar	big
kecil	small
tinggi	tall, high
rendah	low
murah	cheap
mahal	expensive
cepat	fast
lambat	slow

Common mistakes

1. Changing the adjective. It never changes.
2. Forgetting daripada with lebih.

Tips

1. Learn lebih, paling and ter-.
2. Use daripada for "than".
3. Use the dictionary to check adjectives.

Look up any word with English Malay Dictionary →