Dia bukan pengecut.

Dia is a third-person singular pronoun that can mean he, she, or sometimes it, depending on context.

Malay does not usually mark gender in pronouns the way English does. So:

• Dia bukan pengecut. = He is not a coward.
• Dia bukan pengecut. = She is not a coward.

You only know which one is meant from the wider context.

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

So English:

• He is not a coward

becomes Malay:

• Dia bukan pengecut

There is no need to insert a separate word for is here. This is very normal in Malay.

This is one of the most important grammar points in Malay.

Use bukan to negate:

• nouns
• noun phrases
• sometimes phrases of identification or classification

Use tidak to negate:

• verbs
• adjectives

Here, pengecut means coward, which is a noun, so bukan is correct:

• Dia bukan pengecut. = He/She is not a coward.

Compare:

• Dia tidak berani. = He/She is not brave.

Here berani is an adjective, so tidak is used.

In this sentence, pengecut is functioning as a noun, meaning a coward.

So the structure is basically:

• Dia = he/she
• bukan = not
• pengecut = coward

Together: He/She is not a coward.

In English, coward is also a noun, so this matches quite neatly.

Malay does not use articles like a, an, and the in the same way English does.

So:

• pengecut can mean a coward or just coward, depending on context.

That is why Dia bukan pengecut naturally translates as He/She is not a coward, even though there is no separate word for a.

The word order is very straightforward:

• Dia = subject
• bukan = negation
• pengecut = noun/complement

So the pattern is:

Subject + bukan + noun

This is a common pattern in Malay. For example:

• Itu bukan masalah. = That is not a problem.
• Mereka bukan guru. = They are not teachers.

In standard Malay, Dia tidak pengecut is generally considered incorrect or at least unnatural, because pengecut is a noun here.

Since pengecut means coward and is treated as a noun, you should say:

• Dia bukan pengecut.

If you want to use tidak, you would normally need an adjective or verb after it, for example:

• Dia tidak takut. = He/She is not afraid.
• Dia tidak lari. = He/She did not run / does not run.

A rough pronunciation guide is:

pengecut ≈ peng-guh-choot or peng-geh-choot, depending on accent and how carefully it is spoken.

A few helpful points:

• peN- in words like this often sounds like peng-
• c in Malay is pronounced like English ch
• u is usually like oo in food

So pengecut has a ch sound in the last syllable.

If you are aiming for a simple learner pronunciation, peng-guh-choot is a decent approximation.

Yes, that is possible.

• Dia bukan pengecut.
• Dia bukan seorang pengecut.

Both mean He/She is not a coward.

Adding seorang makes the noun phrase a little fuller and can sound slightly more explicit or formal:

• seorang = a / one person

So:

• seorang pengecut = a coward

But in everyday Malay, Dia bukan pengecut is very natural and efficient.

It is quite neutral and natural.

• Dia is standard and common.
• bukan is standard grammar.
• pengecut is a normal word.

So this sentence works well in both speech and writing, depending on context. It is not especially slangy, and it is not overly formal either.

Usually dia refers to a person: he or she.

In some contexts, speakers may loosely use it for animals or even personified things, but for normal learner purposes, it is best to think of dia as referring mainly to a person.

So in Dia bukan pengecut, the most natural reading is:

• He is not a coward or
• She is not a coward

You can add emphasis in a few ways.

For example:

• Dia sama sekali bukan pengecut.
  = He/She is absolutely not a coward.

• Dia bukan pengecut langsung.
  = He/She is not a coward at all.

• Dia bukannya pengecut.
  = He/She is not a coward.
  This can sometimes sound a little more emphatic or contrastive, depending on context.

But the basic sentence Dia bukan pengecut is already perfectly correct and natural.