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AIResearchMalaysia

ChatGPT vs Gemini: which one searches in Malay? (Malaysia)

EasyFound · · 9 min read

TL;DR

Gemini searched in Malay far more than ChatGPT in our Malaysian test, run through each company's developer API. About nine in ten of ChatGPT's search queries for Malay questions were in English. Gemini split its search queries about half and half, usually pairing an English search with a Malay one. So keep a clear English page, add a Malay page for your main service, and check each AI tool separately.

Gemini does, far more than ChatGPT. In our Malaysian test through each company's developer API, about 9 in 10 of ChatGPT's search queries for Malay questions were in English. Gemini split its search queries about half and half, and usually ran a Malay search next to an English one.

Picture a parent typing "pusat tuisyen terbaik di Subang Jaya" (best tuition centre in Subang Jaya). Before it answers, an AI tool turns that question into its own short web searches. The language of those searches decides which pages it can find, and whether yours is one of them.

How often did ChatGPT and Gemini search in English when asked in Malay?

ChatGPT searched in English far more often than Gemini when the question was in Malay. We asked both tools the same 30 Malaysian buying questions in English, Bahasa Malaysia and Mandarin, three times each. Then we read the language of every search query they wrote (all 540 answers, CSV).

The language of ChatGPT's and Gemini's search queries for Malay and Mandarin questions (EasyFound test through each company's developer API, 1 and 9–10 October 2026; CSV)
ChatGPT Gemini
Search queries in English, Malay questions 225 of 249 (90%) 58 of 126 (46%)
Search queries in English, Mandarin questions 215 of 242 (89%) 65 of 99 (66%)
Malay answers where it searched the web 83 of 90 55 of 90
Of those, every search query in English 65 of 83 (78%) 3 of 55 (5%)
Of those, at least one Malay search query 18 of 83 (22%) 52 of 55 (95%)

These shares count search queries, not questions. One answer usually ran more than one search.

Both companies' official pages say their tools write these searches themselves. OpenAI says ChatGPT search "typically rewrites your query into one or more targeted queries"1. Google says that, if a search is needed, Gemini "automatically generates one or multiple search queries and executes them"2. Neither page says which language those searches are written in.

Does ChatGPT search in English when a customer asks in Malay?

ChatGPT mostly searched in English when a customer asked in Malay. In 65 of the 83 Malay answers where it searched, every search query was in English (CSV). Asked "klinik gigi terbaik di JB" (best dental clinic in JB), one answer began with the search "best dental clinic Johor Bahru 2026 reviews", and none of its searches used a Malay word.

Two checks on that result:

  • ChatGPT's English share varied by industry. It was lowest for renovation questions, at 69% of search queries. It reached 100% in four industries.
  • English words in the question don't explain it. Some of our Malay questions held an English word such as "wifi" or "renovate". On the questions with no English word, 95% of ChatGPT's search queries were in English. On those with one, 85% were.

ChatGPT's sources followed its searches: about 9 in 10 of the pages it cited for Malay and Mandarin questions were in English. What that means for your English page is in our earlier ChatGPT-only test, Do I need Malay or Chinese content? That test was smaller, so its percentages differ from these. The English words to use are in our Malay guide.

Does Gemini search in Malay when a customer asks in Malay?

Gemini searched in Malay in nearly every Malay answer where it searched, usually alongside English. For the same dental question, one Gemini answer ran two searches: "best dental clinic in johor bahru" and "klinik gigi terbaik di jb". It ran at least one Malay search in 52 of the 55 Malay answers where it searched.

So Gemini tended to ask the web twice, once in each language.

Gemini also reported no web search more often than ChatGPT. It searched in 55 of its 90 Malay answers. The two tools also rarely name the same businesses.

Do ChatGPT and Gemini search in Chinese when customers ask in Mandarin?

ChatGPT and Gemini both searched mostly in English for Mandarin questions in our test. For ChatGPT, 89% of its search queries were in English. For Gemini, 66% were, and it searched in fewer than half of its Mandarin answers.

Questions about one business by name are a separate case: in an earlier ChatGPT test, it searched in Chinese for those.

Should a Malaysian business focus on ChatGPT or Gemini?

A Malaysian business should prepare for both ChatGPT and Gemini, starting with ChatGPT. StatCounter, which tracks the website visits AI chatbots send, put ChatGPT at 81.46% of AI chatbot market share in Malaysia in September 20263. Gemini was second, at 13.56%.

Our reading is that your English page does most of the work for ChatGPT. A Malay page has a better chance with Gemini, because Gemini searched in Malay. We measured the language of the searches, not which businesses got recommended.

What can't this test tell me about how ChatGPT and Gemini search in Malay?

  • The apps. We used each company's developer API, and the ChatGPT and Gemini apps may search differently. A larger study of ChatGPT's web interface in other languages found a lower English share, about 43% of searches4.
  • Every question. These were 30 short buying questions in ten industries, and the English share varied by industry.
  • What happened when Gemini reported no web search. That record is the API's own report.

What should I do if my customers ask ChatGPT or Gemini in Malay?

If your customers ask ChatGPT or Gemini in Malay, a page in only one language leaves a gap, because the two tools searched in different languages.

  1. Request EasyFound's free check. It shows what ChatGPT tells customers about your business today, and we walk you through it on a free call.
  2. State your service, town and prices on an English page. That is where most of ChatGPT's searches pointed.
  3. Give your main service a Malay page in your customers' own words, such as "klinik gigi di JB" or "pusat tuisyen di Subang Jaya". Gemini searched in words like these.
  4. Ask both tools your customers' questions, in each language, more than once. Keep the ChatGPT and Gemini results apart.

EasyFound is an AI search visibility (GEO) tool built for Malaysian businesses. It shows what ChatGPT, Gemini and four other AI engines say about your business, in English, Malay, Mandarin and Manglish, and our team can run it for you. The free check below is the first step.

Which language does AI look for your business in?

Find out what ChatGPT tells customers about your business today, then talk it through with us on a free call.

Frequently asked questions

Does ChatGPT search in English when I ask in Malay?

Mostly, in EasyFound's Malaysian test through OpenAI's API (gpt-5.4-mini, web search on, location Malaysia) on 1 and 9–10 October 2026. For Malay buying questions, 225 of ChatGPT's 249 search queries were in English. Counted per answer, every search query was in English in 65 of the 83 Malay answers where it searched. This is the developer API, not the ChatGPT app, and the share varied by industry.

Does Gemini search the web in Bahasa Malaysia?

Yes, when it searched, in EasyFound's October 2026 test through Google's Gemini API with Google Search turned on. Gemini ran at least one Malay search in 52 of the 55 Malay answers where it searched, usually next to an English search. But it reported no web search more often than ChatGPT: it searched in 55 of its 90 Malay answers. The test used the developer API, not the Gemini app.

Does ChatGPT search in English because Malaysians mix English words into Malay?

Not in EasyFound's Malaysian test through OpenAI's API in October 2026. The Malay questions were everyday Malay, and some contained an English word such as 'wifi' or 'renovate'. On the Malay questions with no English word, 95% of ChatGPT's search queries were in English. On the questions with an English word, 85% were. So English words in the question do not explain the result.

Does ChatGPT read Malay websites when someone asks in Malay?

It rarely cited them in EasyFound's October 2026 test through OpenAI's API. About 9 in 10 of the pages ChatGPT cited for Malay and Mandarin questions were in English. It still wrote some search queries in Malay, most often for renovation and dental questions. The test shows which pages ChatGPT cited through the developer API. Pages we could not open are left out of that share. It cannot show every page it read, or what the ChatGPT app does.

Do I need an English website for ChatGPT if my customers speak Malay or Chinese?

Our reading is yes, keep an English page, because that is where ChatGPT mostly looked in EasyFound's Malaysian test through the developer APIs in October 2026. About 9 in 10 of ChatGPT's search queries for Malay questions were in English, and about 9 in 10 of the pages it cited were too. Gemini is different: it ran a Malay search in nearly every Malay answer where it searched. Keep an English page and a Malay or Chinese page, each stating your service, town and prices. The test measured search language, not which businesses got recommended.

Sources

Our data: EasyFound, Language study: the search queries ChatGPT and Gemini wrote for English, Bahasa Malaysia and Mandarin questions. 540 answers: 30 Malaysian buying questions in ten industries (hotels, renovation, solar installers, company secretaries, accounting firms, dental clinics, cafés, tuition centres, baby products and IT support), each asked in English, Bahasa Malaysia and Mandarin, three times of each tool. The first 15 questions ran on 1 October 2026 and the other 15 on 9–10 October 2026 (Malaysia time). ChatGPT: OpenAI's Responses API, pinned to gpt-5.4-mini-2026-03-17, web search available, user location Malaysia. Gemini: Google's Gemini API, model alias gemini-3.8-flash (undated, so we can't confirm the same build served both dates), Google Search grounding available, no location setting, run from a Malaysian connection. These are the developer APIs, not the consumer apps, and each tool decided whether to search. No run failed after retries (some Gemini calls were retried after a busy-server error).

Search language is read from the search queries each tool wrote. Any query containing a Malay word counts as Malay, and any with a Chinese character as Chinese. An independent hand read of all 716 search queries for the Malay and Mandarin questions found no Malay or Chinese query counted as English, and 31 mixed-language ones, which are counted as non-English. The Malay questions are everyday Malay as Malaysians type it; 13 of the 30 contain an English word. The test questions were short keyword forms (for example "klinik gigi terbaik di JB"), not long chatty sentences. ChatGPT's English share for Malay questions held in both halves of the test (89% and 91%) and with any one industry removed (89–93%); by industry it ranged from 69% (renovation) to 100% (hotels, solar, cafés and baby products). Because the 249 search queries sit inside 30 questions, a fair range for that figure is roughly 83–96%. Gemini reported no web search for any hotel or baby-product question in Malay or Mandarin. Our earlier ChatGPT-only test (24 September 2026, 135 answers, the first five industries) found 87% of searches in English for Malay questions and 96% for Chinese ones; in this larger test the Mandarin share was lower in the five added industries (82%), which pulled the overall figure down. Page language is read from each cited page's visible text, pages re-fetched on 12 October 2026; unreadable pages are left out, and we give the ChatGPT figure only as "about 9 in 10". We also put the headline itself to ChatGPT twice through the same API setup on 13 October 2026. One answer began "Both can search in Malay in Malaysia", and both cited only OpenAI and Google help pages and answered about which languages the tools support, not which language they search in. Download the per-answer data (CSV). Business names in the search queries are replaced with labels, because one test isn't a ranking.

Other sources (read 13 October 2026):

  1. OpenAI, Searching the web with ChatGPT, Help Center (link)
  2. Google, Grounding with Google Search, Gemini API documentation (link)
  3. StatCounter Global Stats, AI Chatbot Market Share in Malaysia, September 2026 (link). StatCounter describes these figures as AI chatbot referrals to websites (its April 2026 release), so they show which chatbots send visitors to websites, not how many questions each is asked.
  4. Search Engine Journal, ChatGPT Search Often Switches To English In Fan-Out Queries: Report, 18 February 2026 (link). It reports an AI-tracking company's analysis of prompts run through ChatGPT's web interface, not the API, where the prompt language matched the user's country (Polish, German, Spanish and Turkish are the languages named; Malay is not). 43% of the search steps for non-English prompts were in English, and 78% of those prompt runs included at least one English search. So the size of the English share in our test should not be read as a rule for other languages or for the app.

The data is shared under CC BY 4.0: you're free to reuse it, with credit to EasyFound.

ChatGPT and Gemini change often; treat these figures as a dated measurement.

Research by Janice Pang, EasyFound.