Enamel gigi itu kuat.

In Malay, you often do not need a verb meaning is/am/are in simple descriptive sentences.

So:

• Enamel gigi itu kuat = The tooth enamel is strong

Malay commonly puts:

• noun phrase + adjective

without adding a copula like English is.

So this is completely normal Malay grammar.

Because in Malay, adjectives usually come after the noun they describe.

So:

• enamel gigi itu = the tooth enamel
• kuat = strong

Pattern:

• noun + adjective

Examples:

• rumah besar = big house
• air sejuk = cold water
• enamel gigi itu kuat = the tooth enamel is strong

This is different from English, where adjectives usually come before nouns.

Itu literally means that, but after a noun phrase it often works more like a definiteness marker, similar to the in many contexts.

So enamel gigi itu can mean:

• that tooth enamel
• or more naturally in many contexts, the tooth enamel

It helps show that the speaker is referring to something identifiable or already understood.

It refers to the whole noun phrase.

So:

• enamel gigi itu

means that/the tooth enamel, not specifically the tooth by itself.

Malay often places itu at the end of the entire noun phrase, not immediately after the main noun the way English learners might expect.

Malay usually puts the main noun first, followed by the word that modifies it.

Here:

• enamel = enamel
• gigi = tooth / teeth

So enamel gigi literally means enamel of the tooth/teeth, which is how Malay expresses tooth enamel.

This is a common Malay pattern:

• bilik tidur = sleeping room / bedroom
• jus oren = orange juice
• enamel gigi = tooth enamel

So the order is different from English-style noun modifiers.

Yes. Enamel is used in Malay and is a borrowing from European languages. Malay has many borrowed words, especially for science, medicine, and technical topics.

So enamel gigi is a normal expression.

Learners should get used to the fact that many Malay words may look familiar if you know English, but they still follow Malay grammar, not English grammar.

Good question. Kuat and keras are related but not the same.

• kuat = strong, sturdy, durable
• keras = hard

So:

• Enamel gigi itu kuat focuses on strength
• Enamel gigi itu keras would focus more on hardness

Since tooth enamel is both hard and strong, either could make sense depending on what you want to emphasize. But the nuance changes.

Yes, you can.

• Enamel gigi kuat is possible, especially in a more general or less specific sense.
• Enamel gigi itu kuat sounds more definite: the/that tooth enamel is strong.

So the difference is roughly:

• without itu: more general
• with itu: more specific or already known from context

It can mean either, depending on context.

In Malay, many nouns do not change form for singular vs. plural the way English nouns do.

So gigi can mean:

• tooth
• teeth

In enamel gigi, English naturally translates it as tooth enamel. It is a general compound expression, so you do not need to worry too much about whether gigi is singular or plural here.

If Malay really wants to show plural explicitly, it can use reduplication:

• gigi-gigi = teeth

But that would usually sound unnecessary in this sentence.

It is basically neutral standard Malay.

It is short and straightforward, which is common in Malay. It would fit well in:

• everyday explanation
• school/science context
• written informational language

If you wanted to make it sound more detailed, you could say things like:

• Enamel gigi itu sangat kuat. = The tooth enamel is very strong.
• Enamel gigi merupakan lapisan yang kuat. = Tooth enamel is a strong layer.

But the original sentence is perfectly normal.