Malay Nyah Levels 🏳️⚧️
This is a joke format made for queer folk who wish to learn Malay gender terminology in mind, but the definitions are both parts very real and fluid. This is also not a prescriptive guide. Many of these terms are reclaimed by the pelangi "queer" community and are only actively used as such by queer people.
Level 1
Pondan, also ponen. A non-masc AMAB. Lembut "soft" is the euphemism used to refer to a pondan. Also used by transfemmes and cis achillean men as a casual term of address, as an insider marker. Tomboy. A non-fem AFAB. Keras "tough" is the euphemism used to refer to a tomboy.
By default, neither terms assume the sexuality nor transness of the referred person, and thus occupy very large semantic ranges. However, when cishetness is assumed, these gender expressions tend to be considered "inherent" but "controllable natures" in Malay-speaking cultures.
Level 2 Dah makin berkelas kau, nok!
Nonok. A young AMAB who is exploring non-masculinity; specifically, a baby transfemme. Ultimately from the vulgar Javanese word for "vagina". Unfortunately, there is no transmasc equivalent. The derived casual term of address nok is used by queer people.
Level 3 Nilah baru taste mak!
Bapuk. An AMAB who explicitly expresses non-masculinity and is attracted to men. Disputably used to refer to drag queens. Pengkid. An AFAB who explicitly expresses non-femininity and is attracted to women. Disputably used to refer to drag kings.
These terms lack perfect English matches. Self-identified bapuk and pengkid Anglophones may describe their attraction to people of the same sex as either gay or straight.
Note that pondan and bapuk are used as slurs by outsiders to mean "faggot" or "fairy", and tomboy and pengkid are used to mean "dyke".
Level 4 Mak nampak ke nonok baru tu?
Nyah; collective noun kaum nyah. Transness, or a trans person. This (and related terms) is the "politically-correct" way to refer to a trans person. Ultimately from an interjection meaning "begone!"; as a prefix, used to translate prefixes like un- or de-. Note that this word implies disassociation with one's AGAB. Also used as a term of address among queer people. Mak nyah. A transfemme person. Literally "mother who left (one's AGAB)". The term of address and pronoun used for elder mak nyah is mak "mother". Pak nyah. A transmasc person. Literally "father who left (one's AGAB)". The term of address and pronoun used for elder pak nyah is abang "elder brother".
