Suaranya sumbang tetapi tidak serak.

It is suara + -nya.

• suara = voice or sound
• -nya = a suffix that often means his, her, or its

So suaranya usually means his voice or her voice here. Depending on context, -nya can also make something sound more definite, like the voice.

Because -nya is attached directly to the noun as a suffix.

So:

• suara = voice
• suaranya = his/her voice

This is very common in Malay. You also see things like:

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

Malay often leaves out the verb to be when describing something with an adjective.

So:

• Suaranya sumbang literally looks like His/her voice off-key
• Natural English translation: His/her voice is off-key

This is normal Malay sentence structure.

They describe different problems with a voice.

• sumbang = off-key, out of tune, discordant
• serak = hoarse, rough, raspy

So the sentence says the voice is not melodious or not in tune, but it is not hoarse.

Because serak is an adjective, and tidak is the normal negator for adjectives and verbs.

• tidak serak = not hoarse

Bukan is usually used to negate nouns or to say something is not a particular thing.

For example:

• Dia bukan guru = He/She is not a teacher
• Suaranya tidak serak = His/Her voice is not hoarse

Tetapi means but.

Yes, tapi is a very common shorter form in everyday speech.

• tetapi = more standard, slightly more formal
• tapi = more casual and conversational

So this sentence could also be said as:

• Suaranya sumbang tapi tidak serak
• In very casual speech, even Suaranya sumbang tapi tak serak

Because the second part still refers to the same subject, so Malay does not need to repeat it.

• Suaranya sumbang tetapi tidak serak = natural
• Suaranya sumbang tetapi suaranya tidak serak = possible, but more repetitive

This works much like English: His voice is off-key but not hoarse. You do not need to repeat his voice in the second half.

It can mean either one. Malay does not mark gender the way English does.

So suaranya could mean:

• his voice
• her voice

You only know which one from context.

It can mean both.

• suara = voice
• suara = sound

In this sentence, voice is the natural meaning, because sumbang and serak are describing vocal quality.

The structure is:

• Suaranya = subject
• sumbang = first description
• tetapi = connector
• tidak serak = second description, negated

A very literal breakdown would be:

• His/Her voice — off-key — but — not hoarse

This is a common Malay pattern: subject + adjective + connector + adjective.

Yes, it is natural. It sounds neutral and correct.

If someone were speaking casually, they might say:

• Suaranya sumbang tapi tak serak

That is more conversational, while Suaranya sumbang tetapi tidak serak sounds a little more standard or careful.

Not only for singing, but it is very commonly used when talking about pitch or harmony.

With suara, it often suggests that the voice sounds off-key or unpleasant in a musical sense. So if someone sings badly or their pitch does not match, sumbang is a very natural word.

It is different from serak, which is about the throat or vocal texture rather than musical accuracy.