Anekdot itu menggunakan ironi.

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

So:

• anekdot itu = that anecdote / the anecdote
• buku ini = this book
• rumah itu = that house

For English speakers, this feels reversed, because English puts this/that before the noun.

In many contexts, itu can also make the noun feel more definite, so anekdot itu may be understood as the anecdote as well as that anecdote.

Menggunakan means to use / uses / is using, depending on context.

It comes from the root word guna, which means use or benefit.
When Malay adds the prefix meng- and the suffix -kan, it forms the verb menggunakan, meaning to use something.

So:

• guna = use / usefulness / benefit
• menggunakan = to use

In everyday speech, people also often say:

• Anekdot itu guna ironi.

This is more casual or conversational.
Menggunakan sounds more standard and formal in careful writing.

Malay often does not need a verb like is / am / are in places where English does.

In this sentence, though, the main verb is already menggunakan (uses), so there is no need for is anyway.

English:

• The anecdote uses irony.

Malay:

• Anekdot itu menggunakan ironi.

Malay does not mark tense in the same way English does, so the sentence can mean uses or sometimes is using, depending on context.

Yes, the basic word order is very similar:

• Anekdot itu = subject
• menggunakan = verb
• ironi = object

So the pattern is:

Subject + Verb + Object

That makes this sentence fairly easy for English speakers to follow.

The main difference is inside the subject phrase:

• English: that anecdote
• Malay: anekdot itu

So overall sentence order is similar, but noun phrases work a little differently.

Ironi usually means irony in general, including literary or rhetorical irony depending on context.

In a sentence like Anekdot itu menggunakan ironi, it most naturally means the anecdote uses irony as a stylistic or humorous device.

Malay also has related expressions such as:

• secara ironik = ironically
• unsur ironi = an element of irony

So ironi is a normal noun meaning irony.

Yes.

Anekdot itu can often mean either:

• that anecdote
• the anecdote

Which one sounds best depends on context.

Malay itu is a demonstrative meaning that, but it is also often used in ways that make the noun definite, closer to English the.

So without more context, both translations may be reasonable.

Malay verbs usually do not change form for tense the way English verbs do.

So menggunakan by itself does not specifically mark:

• present: uses
• past: used
• future: will use

The time is usually understood from context or shown with time words such as:

• semalam = yesterday
• sekarang = now
• esok = tomorrow
• telah / sudah = already
• akan = will

Examples:

• Anekdot itu menggunakan ironi. = The anecdote uses irony.
• Anekdot itu telah menggunakan ironi. = The anecdote used irony / has used irony.
• Anekdot itu akan menggunakan ironi. = The anecdote will use irony.

Yes, anekdot is a standard Malay word, and it is a loanword ultimately related to anecdote.

Many formal or academic Malay words are borrowed or adapted from other languages, including English, Arabic, Sanskrit, Dutch, and others.

Because anekdot looks similar to anecdote, it is easy for English speakers to recognize.
Its pronunciation, however, follows Malay sound patterns rather than English ones.

Grammatically, yes, but it may sound less natural unless you mean anecdotes in general or you are using a headline-like style.

Compare:

• Anekdot itu menggunakan ironi. = The/That anecdote uses irony.
• Anekdot menggunakan ironi. = Anecdotes use irony / An anecdote uses irony / Anecdote uses irony, depending on context.

Without itu, the noun is less clearly definite.
If you are talking about one specific anecdote already known in the conversation, anekdot itu is usually better.

Malay nouns usually do not have to change form for singular or plural.

So anekdot can mean:

• anecdote
• anecdotes

Context tells you which one is meant.

In your sentence, anekdot itu strongly suggests a specific single anecdote, so the anecdote / that anecdote is the most natural reading.

If Malay wants to make plurality very clear, it can use reduplication:

• anekdot-anekdot = anecdotes

But this is only used when needed. Very often, Malay leaves number unstated if context already makes it clear.