Dia sakit gigi.

Yes. Dia is a third-person singular pronoun that can mean he, she, or sometimes they in a gender-neutral sense if the context is clear.

Malay does not normally mark gender in pronouns the way English does, so you usually find out whether it is he or she from context.

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

So Dia sakit gigi literally looks something like:

• dia = he/she
• sakit gigi = toothache / having a toothache

Malay does not need a separate word for is here. This is very normal.

In Malay, many physical states and conditions are expressed without a separate word for have.

English says He has a toothache, but Malay simply says Dia sakit gigi.

This is one of those places where Malay uses a more direct stative expression instead of something built around have.

Sakit is usually understood as an adjective or stative word meaning sick, ill, or painful.

In Dia sakit gigi, it functions as the main predicate of the sentence, so it behaves a bit like an English verb in translation, even though it is not really a verb in the same way as eat or run.

A helpful way to think about it is:

• sakit = unwell / in pain
• sakit gigi = having tooth pain / toothache

Because Malay often leaves possession understood from context, especially with body parts and personal conditions.

So Dia sakit gigi naturally means that the toothache is his/hers, even though Malay does not explicitly say his tooth.

English does something similar in meaning: He has a toothache does not literally say his tooth either.

Yes, it is a very common expression meaning to have a toothache.

Malay often forms similar expressions with sakit plus a body part:

• sakit kepala = headache
• sakit perut = stomachache
• sakit belakang = back pain

So sakit gigi is a natural pattern, not a strange special case.

They are similar, but not exactly the same.

• Dia sakit gigi = He/She has a toothache.
• Giginya sakit = His/Her tooth hurts. / His/Her teeth hurt.

The first one describes the person’s condition more generally.
The second one focuses more directly on the tooth or teeth themselves.

So if you just want the normal everyday idea of He/She has a toothache, Dia sakit gigi is the most natural choice.

A simple learner-friendly pronunciation is:

• dia = dee-ah
• sakit = sah-keet
• gigi = gee-gee

A few useful notes:

• dia has two syllables: di-a
• g in gigi is always a hard g, like in go
• Malay pronunciation is usually quite regular and phonetic

No. Malay does not usually mark tense directly on the verb or predicate the way English does.

So Dia sakit gigi can mean He/She has a toothache in the present, but the exact time depends on context.

If you want to make the time clear, you add a time word:

• Semalam dia sakit gigi = Yesterday he/she had a toothache.
• Sekarang dia sakit gigi = He/She has a toothache now.
• Nanti dia mungkin sakit gigi = He/She might get a toothache later.

Yes. It is natural, simple, and common in everyday Malay.

You may also see more formal or more explicit versions, but Dia sakit gigi is exactly the kind of sentence a speaker would normally use in conversation.