Tukang jahit menjahit jahitan itu.

Because Malay often builds several related words from a single root.

Here the root is jahit, and each form has a different job:

• tukang jahit = a person whose job is sewing
• menjahit = the action of sewing
• jahitan = the sewing/stitching/sewn item

So even though the forms look similar, they are not doing the same grammatical work.

Tukang usually refers to a skilled worker, craftsperson, or tradesperson.

So tukang jahit is an occupation phrase: a person who sews for a living, such as a tailor.
This expression is also gender-neutral. It does not automatically mean male or female.

After tukang, Malay normally uses the base word, not the active meN- verb form.

So:

• tukang jahit = tailor
• not usually tukang menjahit

This is similar to how job titles in many languages use a basic noun or root form rather than a fully marked finite verb.

In standard Malay, when the subject actively does something to an object, the verb often takes the meN- prefix.

So jahit becomes menjahit when it means to sew in an active transitive sentence.

That is why the sentence uses:

• menjahit jahitan itu

instead of just jahit jahitan itu in standard usage.

In casual speech, speakers may sometimes use a bare root more freely, but menjahit is the standard form here.

The meN- prefix usually forms an active verb.

With the root jahit, it becomes menjahit.
The N in meN- changes shape depending on the first sound of the root. Before j, the form is men-.

So:

• meN-
  • jahit → menjahit

This sound change is very common in Malay word formation.

The suffix -an often turns a root into a noun connected with the action, often the result, product, or thing associated with it.

So jahitan can mean something like:

• stitching
• a seam
• sewn work
• a sewn item

The exact meaning depends on context.
It is not simply the same as the verb menjahit. It is a noun, not an action verb.

In Malay, demonstratives usually come after the noun.

So Malay says:

• jahitan itu = that stitching / that sewn item

not itu jahitan in normal noun phrases.

This is a very common pattern:

• buku itu = that book
• rumah itu = that house
• jahitan itu = that stitching / that sewn item

Its basic meaning is that, but in many contexts it also helps make the noun definite, which can sometimes feel a bit like English the.

So jahitan itu clearly refers to a specific, identifiable piece of stitching or sewn item.

However, itu is still not exactly the same as English the. Malay does not have articles that match English perfectly.

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

So menjahit by itself does not tell you whether the action is present, past, or ongoing. You understand that from:

• context
• time words
• aspect markers such as sedang, sudah, or akan

For example:

• sedang menjahit = is sewing
• sudah menjahit = has sewn / already sewed
• akan menjahit = will sew

Without extra context, menjahit is tense-neutral.

It is grammatically possible, but it sounds quite repetitive and somewhat textbook-like because all three forms come from the same root.

A native speaker would more often use a less repetitive sentence in everyday conversation.
This kind of sentence is especially useful for showing how Malay builds related words from one root:

• jahit
• menjahit
• jahitan
• tukang jahit

So it is good for learning word formation, even if it is not the most natural everyday sentence.

Yes, penjahit exists, but tukang jahit is usually the more common and natural expression for tailor.

Very roughly:

• tukang jahit = a tailor, someone in that trade
• penjahit = a sewer / one who sews, often sounding a bit more formal or derivational

Both are understandable, but tukang jahit is the safer everyday choice.

Yes, the basic structure is similar:

• subject: tukang jahit
• verb: menjahit
• object: jahitan itu

So the sentence follows a straightforward Subject–Verb–Object pattern, which is one reason Malay word order often feels approachable to English speakers.