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A Chinese tourist was allegedly called “bodoh” (stupid in Malay) by a coffee shop employee at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) after struggling with English during her order last Thursday (18 September).
The incident occurred at a well-known coffee chain outlet when the tourist attempted to communicate in simple English.
The counter staff allegedly displayed impatience and was heard muttering “bodoh” under their breath.
However, the tourist initially did not understand what was said and shared her experience on social media as an amusing anecdote.
Malaysian Xiaohongshu users later informed her of what the word meant, leading to widespread outrage online.
The video footage was shared by social media user @小邱 (Xiao Qiu).
Social Media Outcry Prompts Complaint Wave
The incident quickly gained widespread attention online; the public were divided over what was actually said.
While some users questioned whether the employee said “bodoh” or simply “don’t have,” several others confirmed they could clearly hear the Malay insult being used, particularly at the end of the interaction.
One user suggested the employee might have said “bo” – Hokkien for “no” or “don’t have” – rather than the Malay insult; another commenter noted hearing only “doh” without the “bo” part.
Despite the linguistic debate, the public overwhelmingly condemned the employee’s unprofessional attitude and poor tone.
The original poster confirmed that Malaysians had already helped file complaints about the staff member’s behavior.
“Which branch is this? My friend works at headquarters, I can help you complain,” offered one Malaysian.
Parts of this story have been sourced from Oriental Daily.
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