Kerahsiaan sangat penting.

Kerahsiaan means confidentiality, secrecy, or the state of being secret/confidential.

It comes from the root word rahsia, which means secret.
By adding ke- ... -an, Malay forms an abstract noun:

• rahsia = secret
• kerahsiaan = secrecy / confidentiality

So kerahsiaan is not just a secret, but the broader idea of keeping something secret.

Malay often leaves out the verb to be when linking a subject to an adjective or description.

So:

• Kerahsiaan sangat penting = Confidentiality is very important

There is no need to add a separate word for is here. This is completely normal in Malay.

English:

• Confidentiality is important

Malay:

• Kerahsiaan penting

This is one of the most common differences English speakers notice.

In Malay, sangat means very, and it usually comes before the adjective it modifies.

So:

• sangat penting = very important

This is the normal word order in Malay.

Compare:

• besar = big

• sangat besar = very big

• penting = important
• sangat penting = very important

The sentence breaks down like this:

• Kerahsiaan = subject / topic of the sentence
• sangat penting = predicate describing the subject

More specifically:

• sangat = intensifier, meaning very
• penting = adjective, meaning important

So the structure is basically:

• [Noun] + [very + adjective]

That pattern is very common in Malay.

Not quite.

• rahsia usually means secret
• kerahsiaan means secrecy or confidentiality

So:

• Ini rahsia. = This is a secret.
• Kerahsiaan sangat penting. = Confidentiality is very important.

A useful way to think about it:

• rahsia = the thing itself
• kerahsiaan = the quality, condition, or principle of being secret

Yes, but it is slightly different in feel.

• sangat penting is the more standard and neutral way to say very important
• penting sangat is also common, especially in speech, and can sound more emphatic or conversational

So:

• Kerahsiaan sangat penting. = standard, neutral
• Kerahsiaan penting sangat. = possible, more spoken/emphatic

For learners, sangat penting is the safest default.

A simple approximate pronunciation is:

• ke-rah-si-a-an sa-ngat pen-ting

Roughly:

• kuh-RAH-see-ah-ahn SAH-ngat pen-TING

A few helpful notes:

• ke- is often a weak kuh sound
• rahsia is pronounced in clear parts: rah-si-a
• -an at the end is pronounced, so kerahsiaan has several syllables
• ng in sangat is like the ng in sing
• t in Malay is usually a clean, unaspirated t, not a strongly puffed English t

Malay pronunciation is generally quite regular, so once you know the spelling, the pronunciation is usually predictable.

Yes, it is natural, and it sounds slightly formal or official because of the word kerahsiaan.

You might see or hear it in contexts like:

• workplace rules
• legal or medical settings
• privacy policies
• school or office notices

In casual conversation, people might also use other phrasings depending on context, such as:

• Ini rahsia.
• Jangan beritahu orang lain.
• Kita perlu menjaga kerahsiaan.

But Kerahsiaan sangat penting is perfectly natural, especially in formal or professional situations.

No. Malay does not use articles the same way English does.

So kerahsiaan by itself can mean something like:

• confidentiality
• the confidentiality
• confidentiality in general

The exact meaning depends on context.

That is why Kerahsiaan sangat penting works as a complete sentence without any word corresponding to the or a.

Yes. Depending on context, kerahsiaan can be translated as:

• confidentiality
• secrecy
• privacy in some contexts

The best English word depends on the situation.

For example:

• in law, medicine, or business: confidentiality is often best
• in a general hidden-information sense: secrecy may fit better

So the Malay sentence stays the same, but the most natural English translation can change depending on context.