Lengan baju itu singkat.

Lengan baju is the normal way to mean sleeve.

Literally, lengan can mean arm or sleeve, and baju means shirt or clothing/top. So lengan baju is basically the arm-part of a shirt, which English expresses as sleeve.

Malay often uses noun + noun combinations like this, where English might use a single word or an of phrase.

Here it means sleeve.

By itself, lengan usually means arm. But when it appears with baju, the meaning becomes shirt sleeve or simply sleeve.

So context matters:

• lengan = arm
• lengan baju = sleeve

In Malay, demonstratives such as ini and itu usually come after the noun phrase, not before it.

So:

• baju itu = that shirt / the shirt
• rumah itu = that house

In this sentence, itu comes after baju because that is the normal Malay word order.

Grammatically, itu means that, but in natural translation it can sometimes feel like the, depending on context.

So lengan baju itu could be understood as:

• the sleeve(s) of that shirt
• or more naturally in English, just the shirt’s sleeve(s)

Malay uses itu to point out something already known, visible, or previously mentioned.

Malay often leaves out the verb to be in simple descriptive sentences.

So instead of saying something like The sleeve of that shirt is short, Malay can simply say:

Lengan baju itu singkat.

This is completely normal. The adjective singkat works directly as the predicate.

That is a very good question. Both words can relate to shortness, but they are not used in exactly the same way.

• pendek is the general word for physical short in length or height
• singkat often means brief, short, or concise, and can also be used in some expressions about length, including clothing or sleeves

For many learners, pendek feels more familiar and often more general for physical length. So you may also hear:

• Lengan baju itu pendek
• Baju itu berlengan pendek

Those are very natural too.

Malay usually does not mark singular and plural as clearly as English does.

So lengan baju itu can refer to:

• a sleeve
• the sleeves
• the sleeve part of that shirt in general

Context tells you which is meant. If someone wants to be very explicit, they can add something like kedua-dua lengan for both sleeves.

Malay often expresses this kind of relationship just by putting nouns together.

So instead of saying sleeve of shirt, Malay says:

lengan baju

This is very common in Malay grammar. English often needs words like of, ’s, or a compound noun, but Malay can simply place the nouns together.

Baju can be broader than just shirt.

Depending on context, it can mean:

• shirt
• top
• clothes
• garment

In this sentence, because we are talking about sleeves, baju refers to some item of clothing with sleeves. In English, shirt is often the most natural translation, but the Malay word itself is a bit broader.

Yes. Some common alternatives are:

• Baju itu berlengan pendek.
• Lengan baju itu pendek.

These may sound more immediately natural to some learners because pendek is the most familiar word for physical short. But the original structure is still useful to study because it shows several important Malay patterns:

• noun + noun: lengan baju
• demonstrative after the noun: itu
• no to be verb
• adjective as predicate: singkat