Orang itu buta.

Indonesian often leaves out the verb to be when linking a subject to an adjective or noun.

So:

• Orang itu buta = That person is blind
• literally: person that blind

This is completely normal Indonesian. You do not need a separate word for is here.

Orang means person or people, depending on context.

In this sentence, orang itu means that person or the person.

A few examples:

• satu orang = one person
• dua orang = two people
• orang itu = that person / the person

By itself, orang does not tell you the person’s gender.

In Indonesian, words like ini and itu usually come after the noun.

So:

• orang itu = that person
• rumah itu = that house
• buku itu = that book

This is different from English, where that comes before the noun.

It can mean either, depending on context.

Itu literally points to something like that, but in real usage orang itu can also work like the person when the person is already known from context.

So Orang itu buta could be understood as:

• That person is blind
• The person is blind

Context decides which is more natural.

Here, buta is an adjective meaning blind.

It describes the subject:

• Orang itu buta = That person is blind

Indonesian adjectives can come directly after the subject without any verb like is.

Yes. Dia buta means He/She is blind.

The difference is:

• dia = he / she
• orang itu = that person / the person

So dia is a pronoun, while orang itu is a noun phrase.

Normally, no. The natural order is:

• Orang itu buta

Indonesian usually puts the subject first and the adjective after it in this kind of sentence.

Starting with buta would sound marked, poetic, or unnatural in ordinary speech.

Grammatically, yes: buta is the normal word for blind.

However, when talking about disability, people may choose more careful or respectful phrasing depending on context, such as:

• tunanetra = visually impaired / blind

So:

• Orang itu buta is grammatically correct
• but in some formal or sensitive contexts, another expression may be preferred

A simple pronunciation guide is:

• orang ≈ oh-rang
• itu ≈ ee-too
• buta ≈ boo-tah

A few notes:

• r in Indonesian is usually trilled or tapped
• u sounds like oo in food
• stress is usually not as strong as in English

So the whole sentence sounds roughly like:

• oh-rang ee-too boo-tah

No, orang is gender-neutral. It just means person.

If you want to specify gender, you would use another word, for example:

• pria or laki-laki = man
• wanita or perempuan = woman

So orang itu does not tell you whether the person is male or female.

Yes, but the meaning changes.

• Orang itu buta = That person is blind / The person is blind
• orang buta usually means a blind person or blind people, depending on context

So itu helps point to a specific person.

Because orang buta itu means something different.

Compare:

• Orang itu buta = That person is blind
• orang buta itu = that blind person

In the first sentence, buta is the main predicate of the sentence. In the second phrase, buta directly describes orang inside the noun phrase.

So the word order changes the structure:

• orang itu
  • buta = subject + predicate
• orang buta itu = noun phrase meaning that blind person