Semai

Semai (also written semai) is a term that can refer to an indigenous group in Peninsular Malaysia and to the language they speak. The Semai are among the Orang Asli, the indigenous peoples of Malaysia, concentrated in the central region of the peninsula. They traditionally live in small villages and engage in subsistence farming and foraging.

The Semai language is part of the Austroasiatic language family, within the Mon–Khmer branch. It comprises several dialects and is used in daily life, while Malay serves as the language of education and wider communication.

Semai communities are often described as having relatively egalitarian social norms, with leadership roles typically based on consensus and personal merit rather than formal hierarchy. Traditional livelihoods emphasize cultivation of staples, forest gathering, and horticulture, complemented by crafts such as basketry and weaving.

In Malay and Indonesian, semai means sowing seeds or a seedbed; menyemai means to sow or germinate seeds. The lowercase form "semai" may appear in nonstandard usage or transliteration, but standard Malay uses "semai" for the noun and verb.