Lelaki itu kacak.

In Malay, demonstratives like ini (this) and itu (that) usually come after the noun.

So:

• lelaki itu = that man / the man
• rumah itu = that house
• buku ini = this book

This is normal Malay word order, even though it feels reversed compared with English.

It can mean either, depending on context.

Malay does not have a direct equivalent of English the, so itu often helps make a noun definite. Because of that, lelaki itu may be understood as:

• that man when the speaker is pointing him out or contrasting him with others
• the man when the man is already known from context

So in real use, itu is not always as strongly that as English that.

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

So:

• Lelaki itu kacak. = That man is handsome.

There is no need to add a separate word for is here. This is one of the most common patterns in Malay:

• Rumah itu besar. = That house is big.
• Budak itu pandai. = That child is clever.

For this kind of sentence, using adalah would usually sound unnatural.

Kacak is an adjective. It describes the man.

In Lelaki itu kacak, the structure is:

• Lelaki itu = the subject
• kacak = the description/predicate adjective

So the sentence literally works like:

• That man — handsome.

Malay commonly forms sentences this way.

Usually, kacak means handsome when talking about a man. It can also carry a sense of being good-looking, smart, or sometimes even neat/stylish, depending on context.

So Lelaki itu kacak most naturally means:

• That man is handsome
• or That man is good-looking

Normally, kacak is used for males.

For women, learners more often meet words like:

• cantik = beautiful
• jelita = very beautiful/elegant

So:

• Lelaki itu kacak. = That man is handsome.
• Wanita itu cantik. = That woman is beautiful.

In everyday usage, kacak is strongly associated with male appearance.

Yes, but it means something different.

• Lelaki itu kacak. = That/The man is handsome.
• Lelaki kacak = a handsome man / handsome men / handsome man/men as a noun phrase, depending on context

So lelaki kacak is usually not a complete statement by itself unless it appears in a special context, like a heading or label. To make a full sentence meaning The man is handsome, lelaki itu kacak is the natural form.

Lelaki is a standard and common word meaning man or male.

Depending on context, you may also see:

• orang lelaki = male person / man
• pria = man, but more common in Indonesian than in everyday Malaysian Malay
• jantan = male, but usually for animals or in rough/humorous human use, so not neutral here

For a simple sentence like this, lelaki is completely normal.

In this sentence, kacak is not inside the noun phrase. It is the predicate of the sentence.

Compare these two:

• lelaki itu kacak = the man is handsome
• lelaki kacak itu = that handsome man

In lelaki itu kacak, kacak is saying something about lelaki itu.

In lelaki kacak itu, kacak is directly modifying lelaki inside the noun phrase.

So although Malay often places adjectives after nouns, the two structures are not the same.

Normally, no. That sounds unnatural in standard Malay.

With adjectives like kacak, Malay usually uses no copula at all:

• Lelaki itu kacak. ✔

The word adalah is used in more limited, formal situations and usually not before simple adjectives in everyday sentences like this.

So for learners, the safest choice is:

• Lelaki itu kacak.

A simple learner-friendly pronunciation is:

• leh-LAH-kee ee-too KAH-chak

A few notes:

• lelaki has three syllables: le-la-ki
• itu has two: i-tu
• c in kacak sounds like ch
• the final k in Malaysian pronunciation is often softened into a glottal stop, so kacak may sound a bit like ka-cha’

You do not need to stress words as strongly as in English; Malay rhythm is usually more even.

Yes. You can add an intensifier before the adjective.

The most common one is sangat:

• Lelaki itu sangat kacak. = The man is very handsome.

You may also hear:

• Lelaki itu memang kacak. = That man really is handsome.
• Lelaki itu terlalu kacak. = That man is too handsome.

So the basic pattern stays the same: subject + adjective.

Lelaki itu kacak. is neutral and natural. It works in both spoken and written Malay.

It is simple, direct, and grammatically standard. In casual speech, people might choose different vocabulary depending on region or style, but this sentence itself is perfectly normal Malay.