Anak itu melukis puteri.

Anak most commonly means child. Depending on context, it can also mean son or daughter.

So anak itu could mean:

• that child
• the child
• sometimes that son/daughter, if the context is clearly about a family relationship

In this sentence, without extra context, the child or that child is the most natural understanding.

In Malay, words like ini (this) and itu (that) usually come after the noun.

So:

• anak itu = that child / the child
• puteri itu = that princess / the princess

This is different from English, where that comes before the noun.

It can mean either, depending on context.

Malay itu often literally means that, but in normal sentences it can also function a lot like the when the speaker is referring to a specific, known thing.

So anak itu melukis puteri could be understood as:

• That child is drawing a princess
• The child is drawing a princess

Context tells you which English translation sounds best.

Melukis means to draw or to paint.

The base word is lukis, which is related to drawing/painting.
The prefix meN- makes it an active verb, and here it appears as me-, giving melukis.

So:

• lukis = drawing/paint; also a dictionary base form
• melukis = to draw / to paint in an active sentence

This is very common in Malay:

• baca → membaca = read
• tulis → menulis = write
• lukis → melukis = draw/paint

Because Malay usually uses Subject–Verb–Object, just like English.

So the structure is:

• Anak itu = subject
• melukis = verb
• puteri = object

That makes the sentence very straightforward: The child / that child + draws / is drawing + a princess

Puteri means princess.

In some contexts it can also appear in names, titles, or literary language, but in this sentence the normal meaning is simply princess.

So melukis puteri means drawing a princess.

Malay does not normally use articles like a, an, or the the way English does.

So:

• puteri can mean a princess
• in some contexts, it could also mean the princess, if the context makes that clear

If you want to make it clearly specific, you could say:

• puteri itu = that princess / the princess

But in the given sentence, puteri by itself is naturally understood as a princess.

Malay verbs usually do not change form to show tense.

So melukis by itself can mean:

• draws
• is drawing
• drew

The time is normally understood from context or from time words such as:

• sekarang = now
• semalam = yesterday
• esok = tomorrow

So without context, Anak itu melukis puteri is often translated as something like:

• The child is drawing a princess or
• The child draws a princess

Yes. That is the normal meaning.

Melukis puteri means to draw/paint a princess, in the sense of making an image of one.

English works the same way:

• draw a princess does not mean drawing on the actual princess
• it means making a picture of a princess

So the Malay sentence naturally means that the child is making a drawing or painting whose subject is a princess.

Yes, it is complete and natural.

It has everything needed:

• a subject: anak itu
• a verb: melukis
• an object: puteri

It is a simple, standard Malay sentence. Because Malay often leaves tense and articles unstated, a short sentence like this is perfectly normal.

Yes. That would be more specifically The child is drawing a princess right now.

The word sedang marks an ongoing action:

• Anak itu melukis puteri = the child draws / is drawing / drew a princess
• Anak itu sedang melukis puteri = the child is in the middle of drawing a princess

So sedang is useful when you want to make the progressive meaning clearer.