Kanak-kanak itu membaca cerita tentang wira.

Yes. In Malay, full reduplication often marks plurality or a general class of things. So kanak-kanak means children.

A single child is more commonly seorang kanak-kanak in careful speech, but in everyday Malay people often use budak for child/kid.

So here:

• kanak-kanak = children

Itu usually means that/those. In Malay, demonstratives normally come after the noun, not before it as in English.

So:

• kanak-kanak itu = those children / the children

This word order is very normal in Malay:

• buku itu = that book
• rumah itu = that house

Depending on context, itu can sometimes feel like the in English, not just that.

Baca is the root word meaning read.
Membaca is the verb form with the prefix mem- (part of the meN- active verb prefix system).

So:

• baca = root
• membaca = to read / read(s) / is reading, depending on context

In standard Malay, meN- verbs are very common in normal written sentences when the subject actively does something.

No. Malay verbs do not change for tense the way English verbs do.

So membaca could mean:

• read
• reads
• is reading
• was reading

The exact time usually comes from context or time words such as:

• semalam = yesterday
• sekarang = now
• esok = tomorrow

So this sentence by itself does not force one tense.

Here, cerita is a noun, meaning story.

So:

• membaca cerita = read a story / stories

Malay often allows the same root to function in more than one way depending on context. Cerita can also be connected with telling a story, but in this sentence it is clearly the thing being read, so it is a noun.

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

So cerita can mean:

• a story
• the story
• stories (depending on context)

Here, the sentence could naturally be understood as The children are reading a story about a hero or The children are reading the story about the hero, depending on the situation.

Malay often leaves this kind of information to context.

Tentang means about or concerning.

So:

• cerita tentang wira = a story about a hero

It introduces the topic of the story.

Examples:

• buku tentang sejarah = a book about history
• filem tentang perang = a film about war

Wira means hero. It is a somewhat formal or literary word.

So:

• cerita tentang wira = a story about a hero / heroes

Depending on context, Malay nouns often do not show singular vs. plural clearly unless something else makes it obvious.

Yes, mostly. The basic order here is:

• Kanak-kanak itu = subject
• membaca = verb
• cerita tentang wira = object + phrase describing it

So it follows a normal Subject–Verb–Object pattern:

• The children
  • read/are reading
    • a story about a hero

That makes this sentence fairly straightforward for English speakers, except for features like itu coming after the noun and the lack of articles.

In casual spoken Malay, yes, you may hear baca without the meN- prefix.

But in standard, careful Malay, especially in writing, membaca is better:

• Kanak-kanak itu membaca cerita tentang wira. = more standard

So for learners, membaca is the safer form to use in formal or neutral contexts.

Yes, both parts are pronounced because it is full reduplication: ka-nak ka-nak.

A simple guide:

• kanak-kanak ≈ kah-nak kah-nak
• stress is generally not as strong or contrastive as in English

Malay spelling is fairly regular, so words are usually pronounced close to how they are written.

It can do both, depending on context.

Literally, itu is often that/those, so:

• kanak-kanak itu = those children

But in real usage, it can also simply point out a specific known group, which English may translate as:

• the children

So both are possible translations, and context decides which sounds best.