Pelancaran buku itu menarik.

Pelancaran is a noun. In this sentence, it means the launching / launch.

It is related to the verb melancarkan, which can mean to launch. A very common Malay pattern is:

• meN- ... -kan for a verb
• peN- ... -an for the related noun

So:

• melancarkan = to launch
• pelancaran = launching, launch

That is why pelancaran buku can mean book launch or the launching of a book.

In Malay, words like ini and itu usually come after the noun they refer to.

So:

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

This is different from English, where we say that book, not book that.

So the order in the sentence is completely normal Malay word order.

Literally, itu often means that. But in real Malay, it can also make something sound definite, so in English it is sometimes translated as the.

So buku itu could be understood as:

• that book
• or, depending on context, the book

Malay does not match English articles exactly, so learners often have to think in terms of definiteness rather than expecting a perfect one-word equivalent.

Because Malay often does not use a copula in simple present-tense sentences.

In English, you need:

• The book launch is interesting.

In Malay, it is normal to say:

• Pelancaran buku itu menarik.

So the structure is basically:

• subject: Pelancaran buku itu
• predicate: menarik

Malay often leaves out is / am / are in this kind of sentence.

In this sentence, menarik functions like an adjective, meaning interesting or attractive.

Historically, it is related to tarik, which means pull, and menarik can also be a verb in other contexts, meaning to pull.

But here, after the subject, it clearly means something like:

• interesting
• engaging
• attractive

So in Pelancaran buku itu menarik, menarik is best understood as a predicate adjective.

It can be understood in both ways.

Malay often puts two nouns together, and the relationship between them is understood from context. So:

• pelancaran buku can mean book launch
• or the launch of a book

English often uses of to show this relationship, but Malay usually does not need a separate word.

This noun + noun structure is very common in Malay.

Yes, it can be.

Depending on context, it could be understood as:

• the launch of that/the book
• or that/the book launch

Why? Because itu comes after the noun phrase, and Malay often relies on context to show what exactly is being referred to.

So a learner may notice that English forces you to choose more clearly, while Malay sometimes leaves it more open unless the situation makes it obvious.

Normally, no. Pelancaran buku itu menarik is the natural sentence.

A common learner mistake is adding adalah before an adjective. In standard Malay, adalah is generally not used before adjectives like menarik.

So:

• Pelancaran buku itu menarik. = natural
• Pelancaran buku itu adalah menarik. = unnatural / not standard in normal usage

If you want to intensify it, you would more naturally say something like:

• Pelancaran buku itu sangat menarik.
• Pelancaran buku itu amat menarik.

Because Malay nouns often do not change form for singular vs. plural.

So buku can mean:

• book
• or books

Usually, context tells you which one is meant.

If Malay wants to make plurality especially clear, it can use:

• reduplication: buku-buku
• a number: dua buah buku
• a quantifier, depending on context

In your sentence, buku is most likely understood as singular because that is what the context probably suggests, but the word itself does not force singular the way English does.