No course on Duolingo's list teaches Malay, as of our check on October 14, 2026. The name Malay (Malaysia) does appear, as the base of an unlaunched English course with zero learners.
The apps below teach Malay, or Bahasa Melayu. They're grouped into two kinds: courses that pick your next lesson, and apps for words and phrases. Tutors, plus Malay news and radio, are in our Malay app comparison.
Custom Lessons Made for You
Bubblegum
For serious learners, Bubblegum is the best app to learn Malay. You learn from Malay you can mostly understand, which is called comprehensible input.
Poppy, your AI tutor in Bubblegum, writes Malay lessons on the topics you choose. Before a trip to Kuala Lumpur, she can write the back-and-forth of ordering nasi lemak at a hawker stall, sized to your level and read aloud. If a word ending like -kan puzzles you, ask her what it does.
Bubblegum is not a tutor who listens to you speak. Our comparison page lists tutors who do.
- Every lesson is set at your level, around topics you choose.
- Read Malay news and stories, or play them aloud.
- Poppy is there to explain any sentence.
- Regenerative Review™ reuses your saved Malay words in later lessons, so reading is your review.
- Clear, expressive AI voices read every lesson aloud, with a different voice for each speaker.
- There's no way to add your own books or articles.
- A new custom lesson costs us real money to make, so your first one is free, and Bubblegum Pro gives you unlimited custom lessons. The lesson library is free for everyone, because we believe everyone should be able to learn.
- Regenerative Review™
Mobile
Courses That Pick Your Next Lesson
Each of these apps gives you a path through Malay, one lesson after another.
Ling
Ling's Malay lessons are short and run from beginner to advanced. Game fans will feel at home.
- Lessons built and checked by people who speak Malay.
- Pick the right reply in practice dialogs, and play mini-games between them.
- Flashcards
Mobile
LingoDeer
LingoDeer moves you from beginner to intermediate Malay in short lessons. You can download the whole course and study offline.
- Grammar comes in small steps as you move from A1 toward B1.
- Malay speakers record all the words and sentences.
MobileWeb
Mango Languages
Mango teaches Malay through everyday talk, and memory exercises inside each lesson help new words stay. Your library's website will say if it has Mango.
- Each lesson grows from a real conversation, with notes on culture.
- Many public libraries give members free access.
- Flashcards
MobileWeb
Words and Phrases
uTalk
uTalk teaches Malay words through games and recordings, in topics such as greetings and travel. You can save lessons to use offline.
- Over 2,500 useful words and phrases across 60+ topics.
- Every recording is a real person from the region.
MobileWeb
Memrise
On the Memrise website and phone app, Malay study runs through word lists. Look for one that matches your goal, or make one with your own words.
- Search Malay lists that other learners built.
- Build a list of the words you want to learn.
MobileWeb
How Each App Lets You Start Free
You can try all five apps before you pay.
| App | How You Can Start Free |
|---|---|
| Ling | Ling Pro comes with a free first week. |
| LingoDeer | Unit One is free, as in every LingoDeer course. |
| Mango Languages | The first lesson costs nothing, personal plans start with a trial, and libraries may offer it free. |
| uTalk | Use the free Starter Words topic. |
| Memrise | A free plan, with word lists made by other learners. |
Bubblegum's free plan is in the last question below.
Common Questions
Which Malay app should a beginner choose?
If you are serious about learning Malay, start with Bubblegum. Poppy writes lessons at your level about things you like. Or start with LingoDeer if you want grammar explained step by step, or uTalk if you'd like everyday phrases first. Malay is written in the Latin alphabet, and an Arabic-based script called Jawi is also used.
Can I use Duolingo's Indonesian course to learn Malay?
Duolingo does teach Indonesian from English. Indonesian and Malay are two standard forms of one language, and their speakers can generally understand each other. Spelling, grammar, pronunciation, and many words differ, though, so if Malaysia, Singapore, or Brunei is your goal, the apps above teach the Malay used there.
Is Bubblegum free?
Yes. The lesson library is free for everyone, because we believe everyone should be able to learn. It holds lessons that other learners asked Poppy for. A new custom lesson costs us real money to make, so your first one is free, and Bubblegum Pro gives you unlimited custom lessons.
Sources
- Duolingo: course list (read October 14, 2026)
- Mango Languages: pricing
- Ling: Ling Pro plans and free trial
- LingoDeer: Learn Malay
- LingoDeer: free lessons and membership
- Mango Languages: Learn Malay
- Mango Languages for libraries
- uTalk: Malay course
- Memrise: Learn Malay
- Wikipedia: Malay language
- Wikipedia: Comparison of Indonesian and Standard Malay
- Ling: Learn Malaysian
- uTalk: Malay plans
- Bubblegum
Checked on October 14, 2026 against each app's own pages.
