What animals live in Malaysia?

Malaysia is packed with wild creatures! The rainforests there are home to orangutans, which are large red-furred apes that spend most of their lives up in the trees. You can also find pygmy elephants — the smallest elephants in Asia — splashing through rivers in the island of Borneo. The waters and forests of Malaysia hide even more surprises. Proboscis monkeys have enormous droopy noses that make them look quite unusual. Saltwater crocodiles lurk in coastal rivers, and the clouded leopard — a spotted wild cat — prowls quietly through the jungle at night. God packed an enormous variety of creatures into this corner of the world, and it makes Malaysia a place unlike almost anywhere else on earth.

What do kids eat in Malaysia?

Herman here, with Rusty nodding along! Kids in Malaysia grow up eating some of the most flavorful food you can imagine. One favorite is nasi lemak — rice cooked in coconut milk and served with a spicy sauce called sambal, crispy anchovies, peanuts, and a hard-boiled egg. It smells incredible and many kids eat it for breakfast! Rusty wants to tell you about the snacks! Malaysian kids love mee goreng, which is fried noodles tossed with egg and vegetables, and roti canai, a soft flatbread cooked on a hot griddle and dipped in curry sauce. Because Malaysia has Malay, Chinese, and Indian communities all living together, the food is a real mix of all three traditions — so a kid's lunchbox there might look very different from one family to the next.

How do people say hello in Malaysia?

Herman here, with Rusty nodding along! In Malaysia, the greeting you hear most often is 'Selamat datang,' which means 'welcome,' or simply 'Selamat pagi' for 'good morning.' Malaysia has three main people groups — Malay, Chinese, and Tamil Indian — so you might also hear 'Ni hao' in Mandarin or 'Vanakkam' in Tamil depending on who you meet. Rusty loves this part: Malay greetings often come with a gentle gesture where a person places their hand over their heart after a handshake. It is a way of showing respect and sincerity. With so many languages and people groups living close together in Malaysia, it is a place where knowing even one word of someone's language can open a door — and missionaries there know that sharing the gospel starts with exactly that kind of small, respectful step.

What sports or games do kids play in Malaysia?

Herman here, with Rusty peering over my shoulder! Kids in Malaysia love football — what you might call soccer — and it is by far the most popular sport. You will find kids kicking a ball around on school fields, empty lots, and even narrow side streets in the cities. Badminton is huge too, and Malaysia has produced some of the world's best badminton players. Rusty wants to tell you about a traditional game called 'sepak takraw,' which is one of the most jaw-dropping things to watch. Players use their feet, knees, chest, and head — but never their hands — to keep a small rattan ball in the air over a net. It looks a little like volleyball mixed with martial arts. Kids also play congkak, a quieter counting game using a carved wooden board and small stones or seeds, which families have enjoyed together for hundreds of years.

What's the weather like in Malaysia?

Herman here, with Rusty nodding along! Malaysia sits close to the equator, which means it is warm and humid almost every single day of the year. Temperatures usually stay between 77 and 95 degrees Fahrenheit, so pack light clothes if you ever visit. Malaysia also gets a lot of rain — two monsoon seasons bring heavy downpours each year, one hitting the east coast and one hitting the west. All that rain is why Malaysia is covered in thick green rainforests full of orangutans, hornbills, and pitcher plants. The people there have learned to live with the heat and the rain, and it shapes everything from the food they cook to the open-air markets where they shop.

Tell me a fun fact about Malaysia.

Herman here, with Rusty nodding along! Malaysia is home to one of the oldest rainforests on Earth — scientists say it has been growing for around 130 million years. That means trees were standing there long before dinosaurs disappeared. Rusty wants you to know that Malaysia also has the world's largest flower, called the Rafflesia. It can grow wider than a bicycle wheel, and it smells like rotting meat to attract insects. God packed some truly wild creativity into His creation!

What is school like for kids in Malaysia?

Herman here, with Rusty nodding along! In Malaysia, most kids start primary school around age seven and study subjects like math, science, and the Malay language, called Bahasa Malaysia. Schools are often busy and serious about learning — students wear uniforms, and teachers are shown a lot of respect. Many kids also attend extra tutoring classes after school to help them prepare for important national exams. Rusty wants to add that Malaysia has three main groups of people — Malay, Chinese, and Indian — and some families send their children to schools that teach in Mandarin or Tamil instead of Malay. That means a child in Kuala Lumpur and a child in a small jungle village might have very different school experiences. Some kids in remote areas, especially among people groups deep in the rainforest, have very little access to schooling at all. Missionaries have sometimes helped start schools in those villages, and while they teach, they also share the good news about Jesus.

Who are the unreached people in Malaysia?

Great question! Malaysia is home to several people groups who have little to no access to the good news about Jesus. The Malay people are the largest unreached group — there are about 18 million of them, and most are Muslim. By law and by culture, it is very hard for a Malay person to become a Christian, and very few missionaries are allowed to share the gospel with them openly. There are also smaller groups like the Orang Asli, who are the original forest-dwelling peoples of the Malaysian peninsula, and various tribes in the states of Sabah and Sarawak on the island of Borneo. Some of these groups are animist, meaning they believe spirits live in the world around them rather than trusting the one true God. Pray that God would open doors for His Word to reach every one of these groups, that local Christians would be bold in sharing their faith, and that Malay and tribal believers would stand firm even when following Jesus costs them something.

How can I pray for the people of Malaysia?

Malaysia is a beautiful country in Southeast Asia where millions of people have never heard the good news about Jesus. Many Malaysians follow Islam, Hinduism, or Buddhism, and in some parts of the country it can be very hard for someone to become a Christian or tell others about Jesus. You can pray that God opens doors for the gospel to reach every corner of Malaysia. Here are some specific things to pray: Ask God to give Malaysian Christians courage to share their faith, even when it is difficult. Pray for missionaries working there to have safety and open doors. Pray that more of the Bible would be translated into the languages spoken by Malaysia's many people groups, like the Orang Asli tribes in the rainforest. And pray that God raises up strong Malaysian Christian leaders who will teach and care for the churches there for generations to come.

What is a holiday or celebration in Malaysia?

Herman here, with Rusty nodding along! One of the biggest celebrations in Malaysia is Hari Raya Aidilfitri, which marks the end of Ramadan — a month when Muslims fast from food and drink during daylight hours. Families dress in new clothes, visit relatives, and share special foods like ketupat, which are little rice cakes wrapped in woven palm leaves. Rusty wants to add that Malaysia is home to people from many different backgrounds — Malay, Chinese, Indian, and many indigenous groups — so the country actually has festivals from several different religions and traditions happening throughout the year. As explorers who follow Jesus, we think about how each of these people groups needs to hear the good news that Jesus came to save people from every nation and family on earth. That is something worth praying about!

What language do people speak in Malaysia?

Herman here, with Rusty nodding along! The main language of Malaysia is called Bahasa Malaysia, sometimes called Malay. It is the official language and is used in schools, government, and on signs all across the country. But here is something worth knowing — Malaysia is home to many different people groups, so you will also hear Mandarin Chinese, Tamil, and dozens of smaller tribal languages spoken there too. That means Bible translators have a big and important job in Malaysia, making sure people can read about Jesus in the language of their own hearts.

What's a famous place to visit in Malaysia?

Herman here, with Rusty peering over my shoulder at the map! One of the most famous places in Malaysia is the Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur. For many years they were the tallest buildings in the whole world, and they still light up the city skyline like two giant silver rockets standing side by side. But Malaysia has wild places too, not just shiny cities. The rainforests of Borneo, on the Malaysian side, are some of the oldest in the world — full of rivers, caves, and creatures you won't find anywhere else. People travel from far away just to trek through the Mulu Caves or climb Mount Kinabalu, the tallest peak in Southeast Asia. Malaysia is a place where ancient jungle and modern skyscrapers exist just a few hours apart.

Malaysia — Kids Missions Explorer

Proboscis Monkey

Found only on the island of Borneo, the proboscis monkey has an unusually large nose that helps amplify its loud warning calls through the rainforest.

Malayan Tapir

The Malayan tapir is a large, shy forest animal with a distinctive black-and-white pattern that helps break up its outline in the shadowy jungle at night.

Rajah Brooke's Birdwing

Named after a 19th-century adventurer, this striking butterfly with emerald-green wings is the national butterfly of Malaysia and glides through lowland rainforests.

Nasi Lemak

Nasi lemak is rice cooked in coconut milk and served with sambal chili paste, crispy anchovies, and a hard-boiled egg — a deeply savory dish eaten any time of day.

Roti Canai

Roti canai is a flaky, buttery flatbread stretched and folded by hand, then cooked on a griddle and served with lentil or curry dipping sauce.

Cendol

Cendol is a cold dessert made with shaved ice, green rice-flour jelly, coconut milk, and dark palm sugar syrup — sweet, creamy, and refreshing in Malaysia's tropical heat.

Malaysia

Things you should know about Malaysia

Wildlife you might meet

What’s on the table

Did you know?

Life in Malaysia

Missions in Malaysia

Pray for Malaysia