Cover image via New Straits Times
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Several everyday Malaysian terms have been added to the Oxford English Dictionary (OED), reflecting the region's linguistic influence on global English
The OED is updated quarterly with new words and revised entries.
In its March 2026 update, the dictionary added more than 500 new words, phrases, and definitions, including doomscrolling, fumblerooski, and tradwife, alongside entries from Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, South Africa, and Ireland.
Oxford Languages said the update includes several terms from Malaysian and Singaporean English, which also highlight the region's multilingual roots
Among the new additions is agak-agak, which appears as both a noun and verb referring to estimation or approximation, commonly used in cooking contexts. Also included is boleh, an intransitive verb from Malay meaning to have the ability or capacity to do something successfully.
Other entries include jialat, a Hokkien-derived term describing a difficult or troublesome situation, and kaypoh, also from Hokkien, referring to a busybody and used as a noun, adjective, or verb.
The update also introduced lap sap, derived from Cantonese, which is commonly used to describe something as nonsense.
Here are the Malaysian words added in the latest OED update:
