Elaun sara hidup itu cukup.

It is a fixed noun phrase meaning living allowance, cost-of-living allowance, or sometimes subsistence allowance, depending on context.

• elaun = allowance
• sara hidup = living expenses / living support / sustaining life

So elaun sara hidup is not just any allowance; it is specifically an allowance meant to cover living costs.

In Malay, demonstratives like ini and itu usually come after the noun they describe.

So:

• rumah itu = that house
• elaun sara hidup itu = that living allowance

This is normal Malay word order. English says that allowance, but Malay says allowance that.

Literally, itu means that. However, in real usage it can sometimes feel closer to the, especially when the speaker is referring to something already known in the conversation.

So Elaun sara hidup itu cukup can feel like:

• That living allowance is enough
• or The living allowance is enough

The exact English wording depends on context.

Malay often does not use a verb equivalent to English is/are in simple descriptive sentences.

So:

• Elaun sara hidup itu cukup = That living allowance is enough

There is no need for a separate word meaning is here. This is very common in Malay.

Here, cukup means enough or sufficient, and it functions like a predicate adjective or stative verb.

In this sentence:

• Elaun sara hidup itu = the subject
• cukup = the description about it

So the sentence means that the allowance is sufficient.

Yes. Cukup is flexible. Depending on the sentence, it can behave like enough/sufficient or like a verb meaning to be enough.

For a learner, the easiest way to understand this sentence is simply:

• cukup = enough

Examples:

• Wang itu cukup. = The money is enough.
• Masa tidak cukup. = There is not enough time / Time is not enough.

Yes, you can. It would still be grammatical.

The difference is:

• Elaun sara hidup itu cukup = That/The living allowance is enough
• Elaun sara hidup cukup = Living allowance is enough or The living allowance is enough, but it may sound less specifically tied to a particular known allowance

Adding itu makes the noun phrase more definite and specific.

You would say:

Elaun sara hidup itu tidak cukup.

• tidak = not
• tidak cukup = not enough / insufficient

This is the normal way to negate cukup in this sentence.

It is best to learn sara hidup as a set expression.

On its own:

• sara relates to supporting or sustaining
• hidup means life / living

But together, sara hidup commonly refers to living expenses, livelihood, or cost of living, depending on context.

So in practice, treat elaun sara hidup as a standard expression rather than translating each word too mechanically.

Yes. That is a reasonable literal-style interpretation in English. However, more natural English would usually be:

• The living allowance is enough
• That cost-of-living allowance is enough
• That allowance is enough to cover living expenses

The best English version depends on the situation.

Elaun is a borrowed word, ultimately from English allowance, adapted to Malay spelling and pronunciation.

This is very common in Malay. Many everyday and official terms are borrowed and then fully used as normal Malay words.

So even though it comes from English historically, in Malay it behaves like a regular Malay noun.

A simple approximate pronunciation is:

eh-lown sah-rah hee-doop ee-too choo-koopp

A few helpful notes:

• elaun sounds roughly like eh-lown
• hidup has u like oo
• cukup begins with ch as in church
• final consonants in Malay are usually clearly pronounced, though often lightly

If you want to sound natural, keep the rhythm fairly even: E-laun sa-ra hi-dup i-tu cu-kup.

Yes, but it is slightly different in style and nuance.

• Elaun sara hidup itu cukup = The living allowance is enough.
• Elaun sara hidup itu mencukupi = The living allowance is sufficient / suffices.

Mencukupi is more formal and a bit more verbal in feel. For everyday learning, cukup is simpler and very common.