Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad is used to getting things done his way.

In a lighthearted interview with radio station Hot FM, Mahathir revealed that he was not always the strong man he is known to be.

Instead, Mahathir said he actually used to get bullied as a young boy.

"I used to be bullied. I would sell balloons, buy three of them for two sen, and sell it back for one sen each.

"So my friend would then take me to the canteen, and I'd have to buy rice for him.

"I was afraid of him because he was strong. So in the past, sometimes I'd get bullied," he added.

Mahathir said his bully was one of his neighbours, Husin.

The 94-year-old shared the anecdote when asked if he was a naughty child.

Other stories Mahathir shared of his youth, included how he used to sell banana fritters and firewood to help support his family during the Japanese occupation of Malaya.

But not many of his contemporaries from his schooling days are still around.

"All my old friends have passed away except for two," he said.

He said the two, Khalid and Osman, are both in their 90s, and he would occasionally visit them whenever he goes back to Alor Setar, Kedah.

The other lighthearted insight the prime minister shared was that his favourite Nasi Kandar dish was beef - which was hard to get when he was young.

He also said that his favourite song was by P Ramlee, although he could not remember the title of the song.