Ringgit
Sim Ewe Eong’s 1974 article in the Journal of the Malaysian Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society traces the etymology and numismatic history of the word ringgit, prompted by the termination of currency interchangeability between Malaysia and Singapore and the subsequent public curiosity about why the native term had supplanted “dollar” in official usage. The article argues that ringgit is not a recent coinage but a word with at least two centuries of documented use in the Malay language, rooted in the physical characteristics of the silver coins that circulated in the region.
Summary
The article addresses several questions that arose in the public sphere after Malaysia and Singapore ceased to share a common currency: the meaning and origin of ringgit, when it entered the language, and whether its use in commercial and legal contexts was proper. Sim Ewe Eong begins by establishing the etymology of “dollar” from the German thaler (itself an abbreviation of Joachimstaler, named after the silver mines at Joachimstal in Bohemia), before turning to the Malay term. The word ringgit derives from the root meaning “jagged” or “serrated,” cognate with gerigi (saw-teeth), and was originally applied to silver coins with milled or serrated edges that distinguished them from the earlier crude “cob” Spanish pieces of eight, which were called real batu (stone real) for their irregular shape.
The historical narrative then explains why European mints introduced serrated edges in the first place: to combat the widespread practices of clipping and sweating, which had degraded the metal content of hammered coins in circulation. As mechanical minting replaced hand-striking, various edge treatments—floral, incuse, beaded, and serrated—were adopted as anti-tampering measures. By the nineteenth century, the term ringgit had broadened to encompass all silver coins of equivalent size and fineness regardless of edge type, and Sim catalogues the rich local nomenclature that developed to distinguish them: ringgit meriam (Pillar Dollar, with the Pillars of Hercules mistaken for cannons), ringgit geroda (Mexican eagle coin), ringgit tongkat (British Trade Dollar with Britannia’s trident), ringgit tengkorak (Dutch 2½ guilder with William II’s bald head), and others.
A notable regional distinction is drawn between ringgit and rial: in Kedah, Kelantan, and Thailand, the Spanish Pillar Dollar was known as rial (a word introduced by early Arab traders), and when serrated-edge coins later arrived, they were labelled rial beringgit to differentiate them. Sim concludes by affirming the legitimacy of ringgit in Malaysian law and noting that the Jawi script for “Satu Ringgit” first appeared on coinage in 1895, while the Oriental Banking Corporation of Singapore had already used “Lima Ringgit” on its $5 notes as early as 1849.
Key Findings
- The word ringgit appears in Marsden’s Dictionary of the Malayan Language (1812) and in Abbot Favre’s Malais-Français Dictionnaire, confirming its use as a monetary term by the early nineteenth century (p. 58).
- The Oriental Banking Corporation of Singapore used “Lima Ringgit” on its $5 notes in 1849, providing documentary evidence of the term’s official assimilation by the mid-nineteenth century (p. 61).
- The Jawi script “Satu Ringgit” first appeared on the reverse of the British Trade Dollar in 1895, followed by the Straits Settlements dollar coin of King Edward VII in 1903 and King George V in 1919 (p. 61).
- The British Trade Dollar was struck between 1895 and 1935 for the Chartered Bank and the Hongkong & Shanghai Bank, making it the first coin to bear “Satu Ringgit” in Jawi alongside “One Dollar” in English (p. 60).
- In Kedah, Kelantan, and Thailand, the Spanish Pillar Dollar was called rial (not ringgit), and the 1934 Kellagher Edition of the Laws of the State of Kedah used “rial” to translate “dollar” in its Jawi version (p. 65).
- The dollar sign ($) is said to derive from the Pillars of Hercules and the scroll on the Spanish Pillar Dollar, the pillars forming the capital S with two vertical lines (p. 61).
Conclusion
Sim Ewe Eong’s definitive takeaway is that ringgit is a native, historically grounded term with at least two hundred years of continuous use in the Malaysian language, and its popularisation as the official unit of money following the separation of the Malaysian and Singapore currencies is both linguistically justified and legally sound. The article implicitly endorses the shift away from “dollar” as a more authentic and appropriate designation for the nation’s currency.
Context
- The article draws on numismatic illustrations (Plates 1–4) and references to early lexicographic sources (Marsden 1812, Abbot Favre) rather than archival collections; its contribution is primarily etymological and numismatic rather than historiographical.
- Written in the immediate aftermath of the 1973 termination of the Malaysia–Singapore currency interchangeability, the article serves a public-education function, addressing questions that had entered common discourse.