Kakinya patah.

In this sentence, -nya is a possessive ending. So kakinya means his leg, her leg, their leg, or sometimes the leg, depending on context.

Indonesian often attaches possession directly to the noun:

• kaki = leg / foot
• kakinya = his/her/their leg, or the leg

Unlike English, -nya does not tell you gender.

Because -nya is a suffix, not a separate word in standard spelling. It is attached directly to the noun:

• kaki
  • -nya → kakinya

This is normal in Indonesian. You will also see:

• rumahnya = his/her house
• namanya = his/her name
• matanya = his/her eye

It can mean either one. Indonesian does not normally distinguish his and her.

So kakinya patah could mean:

• his leg is broken
• her leg is broken
• their leg is broken
• sometimes the leg is broken

You need context to know which one is meant.

Because Indonesian usually does not need a verb like is/are in simple statements of condition or description.

So:

• Kakinya patah. literally looks like His/her leg broken
• natural English: His/her leg is broken

This is very common in Indonesian:

• Rumahnya besar. = His/her house is big.
• Dia sakit. = He/she is sick.
• Pintunya terbuka. = The door is open.

It can be understood as a stative predicate, which is one reason this may feel different from English.

In practice, patah means broken or to break/snap, depending on context. In Kakinya patah, it describes the condition of the leg, so in English it is usually translated with an adjective-like form: is broken.

So learners often think of it as:

• kakinya = his/her leg
• patah = broken

But Indonesian does not always divide things into parts of speech in exactly the same way English does.

It can mean either leg or foot, depending on context.

That is important because kaki covers a wider area than English leg. If the situation is about a fracture, English will often translate it as leg or foot, depending on what is meant in context.

If you want to be more specific, Indonesian can use other words, for example:

• telapak kaki = sole of the foot
• pergelangan kaki = ankle
• tungkai = limb / leg area, more specific or formal in some contexts

But in everyday speech, kaki is very common.

By itself, it does not clearly mark singular or plural. Indonesian nouns often do not change form for singular vs. plural.

So kakinya patah usually means his/her leg is broken, but context decides whether one leg or more than one is meant.

If you want to be clearer, you could say:

• salah satu kakinya patah = one of his/her legs is broken
• kedua kakinya patah = both his/her legs are broken

That is a very natural Indonesian structure. The topic or thing being described often comes first, followed by its condition.

So the pattern is roughly:

• [thing] + [condition]

Examples:

• Tangannya dingin. = His/her hand is cold.
• Matanya merah. = His/her eyes are red.
• Kakinya patah. = His/her leg is broken.

This is one of the most common ways to describe states in Indonesian.

Yes. Kaki dia patah is understandable and common in conversation.

Compare:

• kakinya patah
• kaki dia patah

Both can mean the same thing. The version with -nya is often more compact and feels very natural. The version with dia may sound a bit more explicit or colloquial, depending on context.

In many everyday situations, native speakers use both patterns.

Yes, and that is also very common. It means roughly He/she has a broken leg or He/she broke a leg.

Compare the focus:

• Kakinya patah. = The focus is on the leg and its condition.
• Dia patah kaki. = The focus is more on the person.

Both are natural, but they are framed differently.

It is neutral and natural. It works in everyday speech and in writing.

It is not slang, and it is not especially formal either. It is just a normal Indonesian sentence.

If you needed a medical or more formal style, you might use more specific vocabulary, but Kakinya patah is perfectly standard.

Yes, sometimes -nya can be more definite than possessive, especially when the owner is already obvious from context.

So kakinya patah can sometimes feel like the leg is broken if everyone already knows whose leg is being discussed.

This is one reason -nya can be tricky for English speakers: it does not map neatly to only one English word. It often combines ideas like:

• his/her/their
• the
• something already known from context

Since -nya does not show gender, you usually add context or name the person.

For example:

• Kaki Siti patah. = Siti’s leg is broken.
• Perempuan itu kakinya patah. = That woman’s leg is broken.

In many situations, Indonesian simply leaves gender unspecified unless it matters.