Guru itu kejam.

Indonesian often does not use a copula (a verb like is/am/are) in simple statements.

So:

• Guru itu kejam = That teacher is cruel / The teacher is cruel

There is no need to insert a word for is here. This is completely normal Indonesian.

You may sometimes see adalah, but that is usually used in more formal or specific situations, and it would sound less natural in a simple sentence like this.

In this sentence, itu marks guru as something specific:

• guru = teacher
• guru itu = that teacher or the teacher

So itu can often be translated as either:

• that
• or the, depending on context

In Indonesian, itu comes after the noun:

• guru itu = that teacher
• literally something like teacher that

This is very common in Indonesian.

Because Indonesian usually places demonstratives like ini and itu after the noun.

Examples:

• rumah itu = that house
• buku ini = this book
• guru itu = that teacher

This is different from English, where we say that teacher.

So the word order is normal Indonesian:

• guru itu = teacher + that

Kejam is an adjective. It means cruel, harsh, or merciless, depending on context.

In Guru itu kejam, it describes guru itu:

• guru itu = the/that teacher
• kejam = cruel

So the whole sentence means that the teacher has the quality of being cruel.

In Indonesian, adjectives used in sentences like this typically come after the noun phrase they describe.

So:

• Guru itu kejam = That teacher is cruel

The structure is roughly:

• subject: guru itu
• description: kejam

This is normal. English uses is cruel, but Indonesian simply places the adjective after the subject.

Yes. Guru is not gender-specific.

It can mean:

• male teacher
• female teacher

If the gender matters, Indonesian can specify it:

• guru laki-laki = male teacher
• guru perempuan = female teacher

But by itself, guru just means teacher.

It can mean either one, depending on context.

Itu often literally means that, but in many sentences it also helps make the noun definite, so English may translate it naturally as the.

So possible translations are:

• That teacher is cruel
• The teacher is cruel

Context decides which sounds best.

Yes, but it means something a bit different.

• Guru itu kejam = That/The teacher is cruel
• Guru kejam = Cruel teacher(s) or teachers who are cruel, depending on context

Without itu, the noun is less specific. It may sound more general or descriptive rather than pointing to one particular teacher.

So if you mean a specific teacher already known in the conversation, guru itu kejam is the better choice.

A simple approximation is:

• goo-roo ee-too kuh-jahm

More roughly in IPA:

• /ˈɡuru ˈitu kəˈdʒam/

A few notes:

• g in guru is like English g in go
• u is like oo in food
• e in kejam is a schwa, like the a in about
• j in kejam sounds like English j in jam

Indonesian pronunciation is usually quite regular, so once you know the sounds, spelling is very helpful.

Yes, it is completely natural.

Guru itu kejam is a normal, straightforward Indonesian sentence with a very common pattern:

• noun + itu for a specific noun
• no verb to be
• adjective at the end

So it is a good example of basic Indonesian sentence structure.

No, that would sound unnatural.

Even though adalah can sometimes correspond to is, it is generally not used directly before an adjective in a simple sentence like this.

So:

• Guru itu kejam = natural
• Guru itu adalah kejam = unnatural

Adalah is more commonly used in formal definitions or classifications, especially before noun phrases, for example:

• Dia adalah guru saya = He/She is my teacher

But with a plain adjective like kejam, you normally just say:

• Guru itu kejam

No. It depends on what you want to say.

Compare:

• Guru itu kejam = That/The teacher is cruel
• Guru kejam = A cruel teacher / Cruel teachers / Teachers are cruel in some contexts

So itu is useful when you want to identify a specific teacher.

If the teacher has already been mentioned, or you are pointing at one, itu is very natural. If you are speaking more generally, you may leave it out.