Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Guru menjelaskan makna kata itu. - The teacher explains the meaning of that word.

The teacher explains the meaning of that word.
The teacher is explaining the meaning of that word.
The teacher explained the meaning of that word.
The teacher will explain the meaning of that word. (less common without a time word)

You know the time from context or from extra words, for example:

Tadi guru menjelaskan makna kata itu. = Earlier the teacher explained…
Sekarang guru menjelaskan makna kata itu. = Now the teacher is explaining…
Besok guru akan menjelaskan makna kata itu. = Tomorrow the teacher will explain…

What is the root of menjelaskan, and what do me- and -kan mean?

The root word is jelas, which means clear.

The verb menjelaskan is built like this:

jelas = clear
me- + jelas + -kan → menjelaskan = to make something clear, to explain something

Roughly:

me- marks an active verb.
-kan often has a causative meaning (to cause/make something become X) or marks the thing affected.

So menjelaskan sesuatu = to explain / clarify something (to make something clear).

Why is it menjelaskan and not menjelas?

Menjelas is not a standard verb in Indonesian; the common, correct form is menjelaskan.

With the adjective jelas, you normally:

use it as an adjective: Penjelasan itu sangat jelas. (The explanation is very clear.)
or use menjelaskan to mean to explain / to make clear: Guru menjelaskan pelajaran.

So in this sentence, menjelaskan is the only natural choice.

What is the difference between menjelaskan makna kata itu and menjelaskan kata itu?

Both are grammatically correct, but the nuance is slightly different.

Guru menjelaskan makna kata itu.
Literally: The teacher explains the meaning of that word.
Focus: explaining what the word means.
Guru menjelaskan kata itu.
Literally: The teacher explains that word.
More general: the teacher is explaining that word (could include meaning, usage, grammar, nuance, etc.).

In many contexts, people might still understand menjelaskan kata itu as “explain the meaning of that word”, but menjelaskan makna kata itu is more explicit about “meaning”.

What is the difference between makna and arti? Could I say Guru menjelaskan arti kata itu?

Yes, you can say:

Guru menjelaskan arti kata itu.

Makna and arti are very close in meaning and are often interchangeable. Both can mean meaning.

Nuance:

arti is more common in everyday speech and in dictionary-style definitions (e.g. Apa arti kata ini? – What is the meaning of this word?).
makna can sound a bit more formal or abstract (e.g. makna hidup – the meaning of life, makna filosofis – philosophical meaning).

In this sentence, both makna and arti are natural.

Is guru singular or plural here? Does it mean “the teacher” or “the teachers”?

By itself, guru is number-neutral:

guru can mean a teacher / the teacher or teachers, depending on context.

To make it clearly singular, you can say:

seorang guru = a teacher (one teacher)
guru itu = that teacher / the teacher
guru tersebut = that (aforementioned) teacher

To make it clearly plural, you can say:

para guru = the teachers
guru-guru = teachers (plural by reduplication)

So Guru menjelaskan makna kata itu. could be translated as either:

The teacher explains the meaning of that word, or
The teachers explain the meaning of that word, depending on context.

What exactly does itu add in kata itu? Is it like “that” or “the”? Can I drop it?

Itu is a demonstrative that usually means that, but it often works like the in English.

kata = a word
kata itu = that word / the word (specific, already known in the context)

You generally cannot drop itu if you want to show that the word is specific and already known. If you just say:

Guru menjelaskan makna kata.

it sounds incomplete or very unnatural, because kata (word) here would be too vague.

You can also contrast:

kata ini = this word
kata itu = that word
kata tersebut = that (aforementioned) word (more formal, often in writing)

Is makna kata itu the same as saying “the meaning of that word”? Can I also say makna dari kata itu?

Yes, makna kata itu corresponds to the meaning of that word.

The structure is:

makna (head noun)
kata itu (noun phrase modifying makna)
→ “the meaning (of) that word”

You can also say:

makna dari kata itu = the meaning of that word

Differences:

makna kata itu is a bit more compact and slightly more formal/literary.
makna dari kata itu is also correct and maybe feels a little more conversational or explicit because of dari (of/from).

Both are widely used and acceptable in standard Indonesian.

How would I say “The teacher explained the meaning of that word to us” using this sentence?

You can add an indirect object phrase, for example kepada kami (to us):

Guru menjelaskan makna kata itu kepada kami.
= The teacher explained the meaning of that word to us.

Other possibilities:

Guru menjelaskan makna kata itu kepada saya. (…to me)
Guru menjelaskan makna kata itu kepada murid-muridnya. (…to his/her students)

The typical pattern is:

[Subject] + [Verb] + [Direct object] + [kepada + Indirect object]
→ Guru menjelaskan makna kata itu kepada kami.

Can the word order be changed, like Makna kata itu dijelaskan guru? What is the difference?

Yes, you can change it to a passive sentence:

Makna kata itu dijelaskan guru.
= The meaning of that word is explained by the teacher.

Differences:

Guru menjelaskan makna kata itu.
- Active voice.
- Focus is on guru (who is doing the explaining).
Makna kata itu dijelaskan guru.
- Passive voice.
- Focus is more on makna kata itu (what is being explained).

Both are correct; which one you choose depends on what you want to emphasize.

Could I say Guru menjelaskan itu instead of Guru menjelaskan makna kata itu?

Grammatically, Guru menjelaskan itu is possible, but it is vague:

itu = that (thing / matter / issue)

So Guru menjelaskan itu. means:

The teacher explains that (thing/matter).

If the context is very clear (everyone knows what itu refers to), it can be fine. However, Guru menjelaskan makna kata itu. is much more precise and natural when you want to say the teacher explains the meaning of that word.

Is guru just “teacher”, or is it also a title? Would people usually say Pak Guru or Bu Guru instead?

Guru means teacher, and it can also be used like a role/title.

In real life, students often say:

Pak Guru = Mr. Teacher (male teacher)
Bu Guru = Mrs./Ms. Teacher (female teacher)

For example:

Pak Guru menjelaskan makna kata itu.
Bu Guru menjelaskan makna kata itu.

When you are describing a teacher more generally (not addressing them), using just guru is completely fine:

Guru menjelaskan makna kata itu. = The teacher explains the meaning of that word.