Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Burung hantu itu kelihatan tenang di malam hari.

In Indonesian, this is the normal word for owl, not something poetic or unusual. The “ghost” idea likely comes from owls being active at night, their silent flight, and their eerie calls. But in everyday use, burung hantu simply means owl, with no spooky nuance unless you specifically emphasize it in context.

Why is itu placed after burung hantu instead of before it?

In Indonesian, demonstratives like ini (this) and itu (that/the) usually come after the noun:

burung itu = that bird / the bird
rumah ini = this house

So:

burung hantu itu = that owl / the owl

Putting itu before the noun (itu burung hantu) is possible but has a different feel; it’s more like:

Itu burung hantu. = That is an owl. (a full sentence, with itu as the subject “that”)

In your sentence, burung hantu itu is a noun phrase meaning that owl (or the owl), so itu correctly comes after the noun.

Does itu here mean “that” or “the”?

It can be understood as either, depending on context:

If the context contrasts with something else or points to a specific one:
→ that owl (more like “that one over there”)
If we’re just talking about a known owl, like in a story:
→ the owl

Indonesian doesn’t have separate words for the and that; itu can cover both functions. English speakers have to decide which sounds more natural in English context: that owl or the owl.

Could I leave out itu? What would change?

Yes, you can say:

Burung hantu kelihatan tenang di malam hari.

Differences:

With itu (burung hantu itu):
Refers to a specific owl, already known or visible to both speaker and listener (that/the particular owl).
Without itu (burung hantu):
More general: owls in general, or an owl (depending on context).

So:

Burung hantu itu kelihatan tenang di malam hari.
= That/The owl looks calm at night.
Burung hantu kelihatan tenang di malam hari.
= Owls look calm at night. or An owl looks calm at night.

How do I say “owls” (plural)? Does burung hantu itu mean one owl or many owls?

Indonesian usually does not mark plural explicitly. Burung hantu itu can mean:

that owl (one)
those owls (more than one)

Context tells you which.

If you really want to emphasize plural, you can:

Use para for people, but not for animals, so not used here.
Use repetition: burung-burung hantu (sounds a bit odd, because the compound is usually treated as a single unit).
Use a number: tiga burung hantu itu = those three owls.

In natural speech, people often just say burung hantu itu and let context decide whether it’s one or more.

What exactly does kelihatan mean, and how is it different from terlihat or nampak?

Kelihatan comes from lihat (to see) and roughly means to look / to seem / to appear (visibly).

In this sentence:

kelihatan tenang = looks calm / appears calm

Comparison:

kelihatan – very common, informal–neutral, everyday speech.
terlihat – a bit more formal or neutral, often used in writing or reports.
Burung hantu itu terlihat tenang… = also fine.
nampak – similar to terlihat, often slightly literary or formal in some dialects.

In casual spoken Indonesian, kelihatan is extremely common and sounds natural.

Why is there no word like “is” before tenang? Why not kelihatan adalah tenang?

Indonesian does not need a verb like to be in this type of sentence.

Structure here:

burung hantu itu = subject
kelihatan = verb (“looks / appears”)
tenang = complement (adjective: calm)

So:

Burung hantu itu kelihatan tenang.
literally: That owl looks calm.

There is no place for adalah here. Adalah is mainly used to link a subject to a noun phrase, especially in more formal sentences, for example:

Burung hantu itu adalah hewan nokturnal.
= The owl is a nocturnal animal.

But before adjectives like tenang, you don’t use adalah.

What part of speech is tenang in this sentence?

Tenang is an adjective meaning calm / peaceful / serene.

In Indonesian, adjectives can often function as predicates by themselves (no “is” needed), or as complements after verbs like kelihatan / terlihat / nampak:

Dia tenang. = He/She is calm.
Dia kelihatan tenang. = He/She looks calm.

So in your sentence, tenang is describing the state or appearance of the owl.

Is di malam hari the same as pada malam hari or just malam hari? Why use di?

All of these can be used, with small nuance differences:

di malam hari – very common in everyday usage. Literally “at/in the night time”.
pada malam hari – more formal, often used in writing, speeches, or news. Also “at night”.
malam hari (without any preposition) – can work as a time expression on its own in some contexts, but often you’ll see di or pada added.

Between di and pada for time:

di is more informal and extremely common in speech.
pada is more formal, more “proper” in written Indonesian, especially with exact dates/times or official writing.

In everyday conversation, di malam hari is perfectly natural.

Why malam hari and not just malam?

Both are correct, but with slightly different style:

malam = night
malam hari = literally “night day” (but means “the nighttime”)

Malam hari often feels:

a bit more complete or descriptive,
slightly more formal or careful speech.

You could also say:

Burung hantu itu kelihatan tenang di malam.
This is understandable but less common; people usually say di malam hari or just malam hari in some constructions.

So di malam hari is a very natural and common way to say at night.

What is the typical word order in this sentence, and is it flexible?

The sentence uses standard Indonesian word order:

Subject: burung hantu itu
Verb: kelihatan
Complement/Adjective: tenang
Time phrase: di malam hari

So: S – V – C – Time

You could move di malam hari to the front:

Di malam hari, burung hantu itu kelihatan tenang.

This is still correct and simply emphasizes the time. But you generally keep:

subject before verb,
adjective after kelihatan / terlihat / nampak.

Is this sentence formal, informal, or neutral in tone?

The sentence is neutral and suitable for most situations:

Vocabulary is standard: burung hantu, kelihatan, tenang, di malam hari.
No slang, no very formal words.

You can use it in conversation, storytelling, or simple written texts (like beginner textbooks, children’s books, or casual articles). For very formal scientific writing, someone might prefer terlihat and pada malam hari, but your version is completely correct and natural.

How do you pronounce burung hantu itu kelihatan tenang di malam hari?

Approximate pronunciation (using English-like hints):

burung → “boo-roong”
- u like oo in book (but a bit closer to food).
- ng as in sing.
hantu → “hahn-too”
- a like a in father
- u like oo in food
- h is pronounced clearly.
itu → “ee-too”
- i like ee in see.
kelihatan → “kuh-lee-hah-tan”
- each vowel is clear and separate: e–i–a–a.
tenang → “tuh-nung” (with ng as in sing)
di → “dee”
malam → “mah-lum”
hari → “hah-ree”

Stress in Indonesian is relatively even, but often slightly stronger on the second-to-last syllable of words (HA in hantu, HA in kelihatan, MA in malam).