Dia memukul bulu tangkis.

It follows the very common Malay pattern Subject + Verb + Object:

• Dia = subject
• memukul = verb
• bulu tangkis = object

So the sentence is built very straightforwardly: He/She hits the shuttlecock or He/She is hitting the shuttlecock, depending on context.

Because dia is gender-neutral in Malay. It can mean either he or she.

Malay usually does not force you to specify gender the way English does. If gender matters, it is normally understood from context, or the speaker adds extra information.

So:

• Dia datang. = He came / She came
• Dia memukul bulu tangkis. = He hit... / She hit...

Pukul is the base word, meaning hit or strike.

memukul is the verb with the active prefix meN-, which is very common in standard Malay for transitive verbs, especially when they take a direct object.

So:

• pukul = the root
• memukul = to hit / hits / is hitting

In careful, standard Malay, memukul is the expected form in a sentence like this because there is a direct object: bulu tangkis.

This is due to a common sound change with the meN- prefix.

The root is pukul. When meN- attaches to a root beginning with p, the p usually drops, and the nasal part of the prefix becomes m.

So:

• meN- + pukul
• becomes memukul

This is a normal pattern in Malay word formation. You do not need to think of it as a completely new word; it is still the same root pukul underneath.

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

So memukul by itself does not tell you whether the action is:

• present
• past
• ongoing
• habitual

The time is usually understood from context or added with time words, for example:

• Dia sedang memukul bulu tangkis. = He/She is hitting the shuttlecock.
• Dia tadi memukul bulu tangkis. = He/She hit the shuttlecock earlier.
• Dia selalu memukul bulu tangkis. = He/She always hits the shuttlecock.

Malay generally does not use articles like English a/an and the.

That means a noun can often stand on its own:

• buku = a book / the book
• bola = a ball / the ball
• bulu tangkis = a shuttlecock / the shuttlecock, depending on context

Malay relies much more on situation and context to show whether something is specific or not.

You should treat bulu tangkis as a fixed expression here, not as something to translate word by word.

Even if the parts have meanings on their own, together they function as a single unit in the sentence. Grammatically, it is the direct object of memukul.

A good habit in Malay is this: when you see a common compound expression, learn it as a whole rather than forcing a word-for-word English breakdown.

Yes, in colloquial Malay, speakers often use the bare verb pukul without the meN- prefix.

So in everyday speech, you may hear:

• Dia pukul bulu tangkis.

However, in standard or more careful Malay, especially in teaching materials and writing, Dia memukul bulu tangkis is the more grammatical form.

So a useful rule is:

• formal / standard: memukul
• casual speech: pukul may occur

No. memukul means to hit / strike, and it does not have to mean using the hand only.

It can be used for striking something with an object too, depending on context. So in a sports context, it can describe hitting something with a racket, bat, stick, and so on.

That is similar to English hit, which also does not have to mean with the hand.

Malay nouns usually do not change form for singular vs. plural.

So bulu tangkis could in principle be understood from context as singular or plural, though in a sentence like this it will usually be interpreted as a single item unless something else suggests otherwise.

If Malay speakers want to make plurality very clear, they can do so with context, numbers, or reduplication in some cases, but very often they simply leave the noun unchanged.

A simple approximate pronunciation is:

• Dia = dee-ah
• memukul = muh-moo-kool
• bulu tangkis = boo-loo tahng-kiss

A slightly more careful breakdown:

• Dia = di-a
• me-mu-kul
• bu-lu tang-kis

Malay pronunciation is usually fairly regular, and each syllable is typically pronounced clearly.

Sometimes, yes, but they are not identical in all situations.

Both dia and ia can mean he/she, but:

• dia is very common in everyday Malay
• ia is more formal and is mostly used as a subject, not an object

So in this sentence, Dia memukul bulu tangkis is the most natural everyday choice.

For a learner, dia is usually the safer and more useful form to learn first.