Anak itu kini dewasa.

Malay often leaves out the verb to be in simple statements.

So instead of saying something like The child is now adult, Malay simply says:

• Anak itu = that child / the child
• kini = now
• dewasa = adult / grown up

A very natural pattern in Malay is:

• X + adjective / noun
• meaning X is ...

So Anak itu kini dewasa means That child is now grown up / an adult without needing a separate word for is.

Itu usually means that, but in many sentences it also works a bit like the, especially when referring to a specific person or thing already known in context.

So:

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

In this sentence, itu helps specify which child you mean.

In Malay, demonstratives such as ini (this) and itu (that) normally come after the noun.

So Malay says:

• anak itu = that child
• buku ini = this book

This is different from English, where this and that come before the noun.

Kini means now or at present.

It is correct and common, but it can sound a little more formal or written than sekarang, which is another very common word for now.

So these are both possible:

• Anak itu kini dewasa
• Anak itu sekarang dewasa

Both mean essentially the same thing.

Dewasa can function as an adjective meaning adult, mature, or grown up.

In Anak itu kini dewasa, it describes the child’s current state, so it works like the predicate:

• The child is now grown up
• The child is now an adult

Malay adjectives can come directly after the subject without a verb like is.

It can mean either, depending on context.

Common meanings include:

• adult
• grown up
• mature

In Anak itu kini dewasa, the most natural meaning is usually grown up or an adult.
If the context is about behavior rather than age, it could suggest mature.

It is not the most natural choice for a basic statement.

The usual order is:

• Anak itu kini dewasa

This places kini before the adjective dewasa, which sounds natural and clear.

Malay word order can sometimes be flexible for style or emphasis, but for learners, subject + kini/sekarang + adjective is a good pattern to follow.

Yes. Anak has a broad meaning.

Depending on context, it can mean:

• child
• son
• daughter
• young one / offspring

So anak itu could refer to that child, that son, or that daughter.
Without more context, child is often the safest general translation.

It is generally neutral, with a slightly more polished tone because of kini.

• kini sounds a bit more formal or literary than sekarang
• dewasa is standard and neutral

So the sentence is perfectly normal, especially in writing or careful speech.

A more everyday spoken version might be:

• Anak itu sekarang dah dewasa in colloquial Malay

But Anak itu kini dewasa is fully standard.

Yes, very often.

This is a very common Malay sentence pattern:

• Rumah itu besar = The house is big
• Dia sakit = He/She is sick
• Mereka gembira = They are happy
• Anak itu kini dewasa = That child is now grown up

So this sentence is a good example of a basic and important Malay structure.

Without kini, you get:

• Anak itu dewasa

That means The child is an adult / grown up.

Adding kini emphasizes that this is the child’s current state, often implying a change over time:

• before: not yet grown up
• now: grown up

So kini adds the sense of now or by now.

A simple guide is:

• dewasa ≈ duh-WAH-sah

Roughly:

• de as in a soft duh
• wa like wah
• sa like sah

Malay pronunciation is generally quite regular, and each syllable is usually pronounced clearly:

• de-wa-sa