Tikus itu kecil.

That rat is small.

Breakdown of Tikus itu kecil.

• itu: that
• kecil: small
• tikus: a rat

Questions & Answers about Tikus itu kecil.

What does itu mean here?

Itu usually means that. In Tikus itu kecil, it points to a specific mouse: that mouse or the mouse.

In natural English, this sentence is often translated as The mouse is small even though Malay uses itu, which literally feels closer to that.

Why is itu after tikus, not before it?

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

So:

• tikus itu = that mouse / the mouse
• buku ini = this book

This is different from English, where we say that mouse with that before the noun.

Why is kecil placed after tikus itu?

Malay adjectives usually come after the noun they describe.

So:

• tikus kecil = small mouse
• rumah besar = big house

In Tikus itu kecil, kecil comes after tikus itu because it describes the mouse.