Wanita buta itu sedang menunggu.

A word-by-word breakdown is:

• wanita = woman
• buta = blind
• itu = that / the
• sedang = a marker showing an action is in progress
• menunggu = waiting / to wait

So the full sentence means something like:

• The blind woman is waiting.
• That blind woman is waiting.

Both are possible, depending on context.

In Malay, adjectives usually come after the noun they describe.

So:

• wanita buta = blind woman
• literally: woman blind

This is normal Malay word order. English usually puts adjectives before the noun, but Malay usually puts them after.

More examples:

• rumah besar = big house
• lelaki tua = old man
• budak kecil = small child / young child

Itu often means that, but in many sentences it also works a bit like the, especially when referring to something already known in the conversation.

So:

• wanita buta itu can mean that blind woman
• or simply the blind woman

A useful thing to notice is that itu usually comes at the end of the noun phrase, not directly before the noun like English that.

So Malay says:

• wanita buta itu

not:

• itu wanita buta for this meaning

Because in Malay, demonstratives like ini (this) and itu (that) normally come after the noun phrase.

So:

• wanita itu = that woman / the woman
• wanita buta itu = that blind woman / the blind woman
• rumah besar itu = that big house

The whole descriptive phrase comes first, and itu goes after it.

Sedang shows that an action is happening right now or is in progress.

So:

• sedang menunggu = is waiting
• sedang makan = is eating
• sedang tidur = is sleeping

It is similar to the English be + -ing form, but Malay does not use a separate verb like is here.

So:

• Wanita buta itu sedang menunggu = The blind woman is waiting

Yes, very often.

• Wanita buta itu menunggu is also grammatical.

Without sedang, the sentence is more general and depends more on context. It can still mean The blind woman is waiting, but sedang makes the ongoing action clearer.

Very roughly:

• menunggu = waits / is waiting / waited, depending on context
• sedang menunggu = specifically is waiting

Malay often relies on context more than English does.

Tunggu is the root word, meaning wait.

Menunggu is the form with the active verb prefix meN-, which is very common in standard Malay.

So:

• tunggu = root
• menunggu = to wait / waiting in an active verbal form

In everyday conversation, people often use the shorter root form too:

• Saya tunggu dia. = I’m waiting for him/her.

But in more standard or careful Malay, menunggu is very natural.

This happens because of how the meN- prefix changes shape depending on the first sound of the root word.

For roots beginning with t, the t is usually dropped and the prefix becomes men-.

So:

• tunggu → menunggu
• tulis → menulis
• tolak → menolak

This is a normal sound change in Malay word formation.

Menunggu often takes an object, because you usually wait for someone or something:

• Dia menunggu bas. = He/She is waiting for the bus.
• Saya menunggu kawan saya. = I am waiting for my friend.

But the object can be omitted if it is unknown, unimportant, or already understood from context.

So:

• Wanita buta itu sedang menunggu.
  = The blind woman is waiting.

This sounds natural even without saying what she is waiting for.

Malay often does not use a verb like English is/am/are in the same way.

English needs:

• The blind woman is waiting

Malay can simply say:

• Wanita buta itu sedang menunggu

There is no separate word corresponding exactly to is here. The meaning is understood from the structure of the sentence.

This is very common in Malay.

Yes, wanita means woman, and it is a normal, standard word.

Another very common word is perempuan, which can mean woman or female.

Very roughly:

• wanita often sounds a bit more formal or polished
• perempuan is very common in everyday use

So both of these can be possible depending on context:

• wanita buta itu
• perempuan buta itu

Buta is the normal literal word for blind. In many contexts, it is not automatically rude.

However, like in English, it can depend on tone and context. If you are talking about a person respectfully, some speakers may prefer a more sensitive or formal expression in certain situations.

For basic language learning, buta is the standard word you should know.

So in grammar terms, wanita buta itu is perfectly normal Malay.

No, not as written.

• Wanita buta itu means the/that blind woman
• it describes which woman

If you want to say That woman is blind, you would normally say:

• Wanita itu buta.

Compare:

• wanita buta itu = the blind woman
• wanita itu buta = the woman is blind

This is an important difference in word order.

A simple approximate pronunciation is:

• wah-NEE-tah BOO-tah EE-too suh-DAHNG muh-NOONG-goo

A few helpful notes:

• w is like English w
• a is usually like the a in father
• u is like oo in food
• ng is the sound in English sing
• g is always a hard g, like in go

Malay spelling is fairly regular, so pronunciation is often easier than in English.

It sounds neutral to standard.

Why?

• wanita is a standard word
• sedang menunggu sounds grammatically complete and standard
• the sentence is not slangy

In very casual speech, people might say something less formal, such as using tengah instead of sedang:

• Wanita buta itu tengah tunggu.

But your original sentence is a good standard model to learn from.

Yes, Malay can sometimes move parts around for emphasis, but the basic neutral order here is very natural:

• Wanita buta itu sedang menunggu.

If you change the order, the meaning or emphasis may change, and some versions may sound less neutral.

For a learner, the safest pattern is:

• [noun phrase] + [aspect marker] + [verb]

So here:

• wanita buta itu
  • sedang
    • menunggu

That is the clearest standard structure to copy.