Rak kayu di gudang rusak karena rayap.

In Indonesian, the main noun usually comes first, and words that describe it usually come after it.

So:

• rak = shelf / rack
• kayu = wood

rak kayu literally looks like shelf wood, but it means wooden shelf or a shelf made of wood.

This is very common in Indonesian:

• rumah besar = big house
• meja kayu = wooden table
• pintu kaca = glass door

So rak kayu is normal Indonesian word order.

The most natural meaning is a shelf made of wood.

In combinations like this, the second noun often acts like a material or type label. So:

• meja kayu = wooden table
• kursi plastik = plastic chair
• lemari besi = metal cabinet / iron cabinet

If you wanted to say a shelf for storing wood, you would usually need a clearer structure, not just rak kayu by itself.

The most natural reading is that di gudang describes where the shelf is:

• Rak kayu di gudang = the wooden shelf in the warehouse

So the sentence is understood as:

• The wooden shelf in the warehouse is damaged because of termites.

Grammatically, di gudang is a prepositional phrase meaning in the warehouse.

Because here di is a preposition, meaning in / at / on depending on context.

Prepositions are written separately:

• di gudang = in the warehouse
• di rumah = at home
• di meja = on the table

This is different from the passive prefix di-, which is written attached to a verb:

• dibuka = opened
• ditulis = written
• dimakan = eaten

So:

• di gudang = correct, because di is a location word
• not digudang

Indonesian often does not use a copula like is / am / are in simple sentences.

So:

• Rak kayu di gudang rusak literally looks like wooden shelf in warehouse damaged
• but it means The wooden shelf in the warehouse is damaged

This is completely normal in Indonesian.

Compare:

• Dia guru = He/She is a teacher
• Rumah itu besar = That house is big
• Pintunya rusak = The door is broken

It behaves a lot like an adjective, but in English it often translates naturally with is damaged, is broken, or got damaged depending on context.

So in this sentence, rusak is a predicate describing the condition of the shelf:

• rak itu rusak = the shelf is damaged / broken

You can also see it used after a noun as a modifier:

• rak rusak = a damaged shelf

So for learners, it is often easiest to think of rusak as a state word meaning damaged / broken.

It means because of termites, and in natural English that often comes out as damaged by termites.

• karena = because of / because
• rayap = termite / termites

So rusak karena rayap means the damage happened as a result of termites.

A very natural English translation would be:

• The wooden shelf in the warehouse was damaged by termites.
• or ...is damaged because of termites.

Both capture the idea well.

Indonesian nouns usually do not change form for singular or plural. Number is often understood from context.

So:

• rayap can mean termite or termites
• here, the natural meaning is termites in general

If a speaker wants to make plurality explicit, Indonesian can use:

• rayap-rayap = termites
• a number word
• a context clue

But in many sentences, plain rayap is enough.

Because Indonesian does not have articles like English a/an/the.

So:

• rak can mean a shelf, the shelf, or just shelf/shelves
• context tells you which one makes sense

That is why Rak kayu di gudang rusak karena rayap can be translated in different natural ways, such as:

• The wooden shelf in the warehouse is damaged because of termites
• A wooden shelf in the warehouse was damaged by termites

English needs an article, but Indonesian does not.

Yes. Gudang often means warehouse, but depending on context it can also be understood as a storage area, storeroom, or storehouse.

So di gudang could be:

• in the warehouse
• in the storeroom
• in storage

The best English choice depends on the situation.

Yes. di gudang simply gives the location in this sentence. It does not by itself tell you whether the shelf is:

• permanently kept there
• temporarily there
• usually there

It just tells you where the shelf is in the situation being described.

Indonesian verbs and predicate words usually do not change for tense the way English does.

So rusak does not itself tell you whether it means:

• is damaged
• was damaged
• has become damaged

The time is usually understood from context, or shown with time words such as:

• sekarang = now
• kemarin = yesterday
• tadi = earlier
• sudah = already

So without extra context, the sentence is often translated in the present:

• The wooden shelf in the warehouse is damaged because of termites

But in the right context, a past translation could also make sense.

No. Indonesian word order here strongly supports this meaning:

• Rak kayu di gudang = the wooden shelf in the warehouse
• rusak = is damaged / broken

So rusak is describing the shelf, not acting on the warehouse.

To say the shelf damaged the warehouse, Indonesian would need a very different structure, because rusak by itself is not being used that way here.

Yes. This sentence is natural and correct, but there are other ways to express the idea more specifically.

For example:

• Rak kayu di gudang dimakan rayap. = The wooden shelf in the warehouse was eaten by termites.
• Rak kayu di gudang keropos karena rayap. = The wooden shelf in the warehouse is porous/crumbly from termite damage.
• Rak kayu di gudang rusak akibat rayap. = The wooden shelf in the warehouse is damaged due to termites.

Compared with these, rusak karena rayap is a straightforward, common way to say it.