Locale Ms Bn

Reference data for the Malay (Brunei) locale — endonym Bahasa Melayu (Brunei), written in the Latin script, left-to-right (LTR).

Identifiers

• BCP 47 tag: ms-BN
• ISO 639-1: ms
• ISO 639-3: msa
• Script: Latn (Latin)
• Region: BN (Brunei)
• Text direction: ltr — left-to-right (LTR)

Speakers (approximate)

• L1 (native): 280,000
• L2 (additional): 150,000
• L1+L2 (total): 430,000

Base locale

This is a regional variant of Locale Ms 001 (Malay), the base/macro locale for this language.

Pluralization

CLDR plural categories for this locale: other (1 form).

• other — everything else (e.g. 0~15, 100, 1000, 10000, …)

See Unicode Messageformat for writing plural messages using these categories.

Translating into this locale

Apply Locale Ms 001 with the conventions of Brunei Darussalam. Bahasa Melayu is the official language, and the standard is guided by Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka Brunei.

• Script: Rumi (Latin) and Jawi are both official; Jawi appears on signs and in official documents. Confirm which script the project needs.
• Formats: Brunei dollar (BND, B$); dates "17 Oktober 2026"; decimal point and comma thousands separator.
• Tone: formal and deferential; honorific titles for the Sultan and royal family follow protocol (for example "Kebawah Duli Yang Maha Mulia"); do not abbreviate or invent forms.
• Vocabulary: closely follows Malaysian Malay, with local terms for institutions and Islamic administration (the national philosophy is Melayu Islam Beraja, MIB).

Common pitfalls

• Using inaccurate royal titles.
• Omitting Jawi where it is expected.
• The general pitfalls in Locale Ms 001 also apply.

Learn more

• Locale for BCP 47 identifiers, locale-sensitive formatting, pluralization, and text-direction concepts that apply across all locales.
• Unicode Messageformat for writing plural/selection messages correctly for this locale's grammar.
• Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka Brunei
• Unicode CLDR locale data for ms-BN (https://cldr.unicode.org)