Harapan saya masih tinggi.

Harapan is a noun, meaning hope or expectation.

• harap = to hope / hope for
• harapan = hope, expectation

The ending -an often turns a root into a noun in Malay. So harap becomes harapan.

For example:

• Saya harap... = I hope...
• Harapan saya... = My hope / My expectation...

In Malay, possession is usually shown by putting the possessor after the noun.

So:

• harapan saya = my hope
• literally: hope my

This is very normal in Malay:

• buku saya = my book
• rumah saya = my house
• nama saya = my name

So harapan saya follows the usual Malay pattern for possession.

Malay often omits the verb "to be" in simple sentences like this.

So instead of saying something equivalent to Harapan saya adalah masih tinggi, Malay normally just says:

• Harapan saya masih tinggi.

This is a very common pattern. Compare:

• Dia guru. = He/She is a teacher.
• Rumah itu besar. = That house is big.
• Harapan saya masih tinggi. = My hope is still high.

Malay does have words like ialah and adalah, but they are not usually needed in everyday sentences like this one.

Masih means still.

In this sentence, it comes before the adjective:

• masih tinggi = still high

This placement is very common in Malay:

• masih ada = still there / still exists
• masih hidup = still alive
• masih kuat = still strong

So Harapan saya masih tinggi has the structure:

• Harapan saya = subject
• masih tinggi = predicate

Yes, tinggi literally means high or tall, but it is also used metaphorically, just like in English.

So harapan ... tinggi is similar to saying:

• high hopes
• great expectations

Malay often uses tinggi for things that are not physically high:

• cita-cita tinggi = high ambitions
• semangat yang tinggi = high spirits / strong enthusiasm
• harga tinggi = high price

So here, tinggi describes the level or strength of the hope.

It can be understood as singular or plural depending on context, because Malay nouns usually do not change form for singular/plural.

So harapan saya could mean:

• my hope
• my hopes
• my expectation
• my expectations

Usually the context tells you which one is meant.

If a speaker really wants to emphasize plurality, they might use reduplication:

• harapan-harapan saya

But in natural speech, that is often unnecessary.

Yes, you could, but the tone changes.

• saya = neutral, polite, standard
• aku = more informal, personal, and only appropriate in certain relationships/settings

So:

• Harapan saya masih tinggi sounds neutral or formal.
• Harapan aku masih tinggi sounds more casual and personal.

A learner should generally use saya first, unless they are comfortable with the social nuance of aku.

It is related, but not exactly the same.

• Harapan saya masih tinggi. focuses on the state of your hope/expectation.
• Saya masih berharap. focuses on the action or feeling of hoping.

So the first is more like describing your level of hope, while the second means you still hope.

They are similar in meaning, but the grammar is different:

• harapan = noun
• berharap = verb

The structure is:

• Harapan saya = subject noun phrase
• masih tinggi = predicate

More specifically:

• harapan = noun
• saya = possessor
• masih = adverb
• tinggi = adjective

So the pattern is roughly:

[Noun + possessor] + [adverb + adjective]

This kind of structure is very common in Malay.

Yes, tinggi can mean both high and tall.

The meaning depends on what it describes:

• bangunan tinggi = tall/high building
• orang itu tinggi = that person is tall
• harapan tinggi = high hopes
• harga tinggi = high price

So in Harapan saya masih tinggi, it clearly means high, not tall, because harapan is not a physical object or person.

Yes, it is natural and idiomatic.

It sounds like standard Malay and expresses the idea clearly. A native speaker would understand it easily.

Depending on context, other natural alternatives might include:

• Saya masih menaruh harapan yang tinggi.
• Saya masih berharap.
• Harapan saya tetap tinggi.

But Harapan saya masih tinggi is perfectly good Malay.