Dokumen sokongan itu diperlukan.

Itu usually means that or those, but in many contexts it also works a bit like the, marking something as specific and already identifiable.

In Malay, demonstratives like ini and itu normally come after the noun phrase, not before it. So:

• dokumen itu = that document / those documents
• dokumen sokongan itu = that/those supporting document(s)

So the word order is normal Malay word order, even though it feels reversed compared with English.

Malay usually puts the main noun first and the describing word after it.

So:

• dokumen sokongan = literally something like document support
• natural English meaning: supporting document(s)

Here, dokumen is the head noun, and sokongan describes what kind of document it is. This is very common in Malay:

• kad pengenalan = identity card
• surat rasmi = official letter
• rumah sewa = rental house

So if you are thinking in English order, just remember that Malay often goes noun + modifier.

Sokongan comes from sokong, meaning support.
With the ending -an, it becomes a noun meaning support or supporting material/context.

In dokumen sokongan, it functions as a noun modifying another noun. So it is not literally an adjective in the way English supporting is, but the overall phrase means supporting document(s).

This kind of noun-as-modifier structure is very normal in Malay.

Both are possible, but they are not exactly the same in style and structure.

• Dokumen sokongan itu perlu.
  = The supporting documents are necessary / needed.

• Dokumen sokongan itu diperlukan.
  = The supporting documents are required / are needed.

Diperlukan sounds more formal and more typical of official or administrative language. It has a more explicit passive feel: the documents are required.

So in forms, notices, and official instructions, diperlukan is very common.

Yes. Diperlukan is a passive form.

A useful way to connect the forms is:

• perlu = necessary / need
• memerlukan = to require / to need
• diperlukan = to be required / to be needed

So:

• Pihak sekolah memerlukan dokumen itu.
  = The school requires that document.

• Dokumen itu diperlukan.
  = That document is required.

The prefix di- is a common marker of the passive in Malay.

You can think of it as:

• di-
  • perlu
    • -kan

Very roughly:

• perlu gives the idea of need / necessity
• -kan helps form a verb meaning to require
• di- makes it passive: to be required

So diperlukan means is required / is needed.

For a learner, the most useful takeaway is not the full morphology, but this practical pattern:

• memerlukan = active: requires
• diperlukan = passive: is required

There is no separate word for is here.

Malay often does not use a separate equivalent of English to be in sentences like this. The predicate itself carries the meaning you need.

So:

• Dokumen sokongan itu diperlukan.

does not need a separate word for is.
The English translation includes is/are because English grammar requires it, not because Malay has a matching word in this sentence.

It could be singular or plural. Malay nouns often do not show number unless the context makes it clear.

So dokumen can mean:

• document
• documents

That means Dokumen sokongan itu diperlukan could mean:

• That supporting document is required
• Those supporting documents are required
• The supporting document(s) are required

In real-life contexts, the situation usually tells you which meaning is intended. In official contexts, English translators often choose the plural because requests for documentation often involve more than one document.

You can make plurality clearer in several ways, depending on style and context.

For example:

• dokumen-dokumen sokongan itu = those supporting documents
• semua dokumen sokongan itu = all those supporting documents
• beberapa dokumen sokongan = several supporting documents

However, Malay often avoids marking plural if the meaning is already obvious from context. So the original sentence is perfectly natural.

Yes, you can.

Without itu, the sentence sounds more general and less specific:

• Dokumen sokongan itu diperlukan.
  = Those / the supporting documents are required.

• Dokumen sokongan diperlukan.
  = Supporting documents are required.

So itu helps point to specific documents already known in the conversation or situation.

It is natural, but it sounds formal and administrative.

You are very likely to see this kind of wording in:

• application forms
• government notices
• school or university instructions
• visa or registration requirements

In casual conversation, people might say something simpler, such as:

• Dokumen sokongan itu perlu.
• Kena bawa dokumen sokongan.
  = You need to bring supporting documents.

So the original sentence is correct and natural, but it belongs more to formal written Malay.

The structure is:

• Dokumen sokongan itu = noun phrase / subject
• diperlukan = predicate

So the sentence is basically:

• [The supporting documents] [are required].

A very literal breakdown would be:

• dokumen = document(s)
• sokongan = support / supporting
• itu = that / those / the
• diperlukan = are required / are needed

That is why the whole sentence feels compact in Malay but needs a slightly fuller translation in English.

It can mean both, depending on context.

• needed is a broad translation
• required is often the best choice in official contexts

In this sentence, because dokumen sokongan often appears in bureaucratic or formal situations, required is usually the most natural English rendering.

So although both are possible, required is probably the best default here.