Pencapaian akademiknya menunjukkan merit akademik.

Pencapaian is a noun meaning achievement.

It comes from the root capai, which means to achieve or to reach. Malay often makes nouns from verb roots by adding the circumfix peN- ... -an:

• capai = achieve, reach
• pencapaian = achievement

So pencapaian akademik literally means academic achievement.

In Malay, modifiers such as adjectives usually come after the noun, not before it as in English.

So:

• pencapaian akademik = academic achievement
• merit akademik = academic merit

This is normal Malay word order. A native English speaker may expect akademik pencapaian, but that would not be the usual pattern.

Here, -nya most likely means his/her/its.

So pencapaian akademiknya means his/her academic achievement.

A very important point: in Malay, possessive -nya is attached to the end of the whole noun phrase, not necessarily the main noun itself. That is why it appears on akademik, the last word in pencapaian akademik.

So:

• pencapaian akademiknya = his/her academic achievement

not just academic his/her.

No. -nya does not show gender.

It can mean:

• his
• her
• sometimes its

Malay does not usually mark gender in the way English does here. You understand the gender, if relevant, from context.

Menunjukkan means to show, to indicate, or to demonstrate.

It comes from the root tunjuk. In this form, Malay uses meN- ... -kan:

• tunjuk = point, show
• menunjukkan = show something, indicate something

In this sentence, the verb has a direct object:

• menunjukkan merit akademik = shows academic merit

That is why menunjukkan fits well here.
By contrast, menunjuk more often suggests pointing or can sound less suitable in this structure.

Malay verbs do not usually change form for tense the way English verbs do.

So menunjukkan itself does not tell you whether the action is present, past, or future. Tense is usually understood from:

• context
• time words such as semalam (yesterday), akan (will), sudah (already), sedang (currently)

Without any time marker, English often translates it in the simple present if it sounds like a general statement:

• Pencapaian akademiknya menunjukkan merit akademik.
• His/her academic achievement shows academic merit.

Yes, it is grammatically normal. Each akademik modifies a different noun:

• pencapaian akademik = academic achievement
• merit akademik = academic merit

So the repetition is not wrong.

However, stylistically, it can sound a bit repetitive or formal, especially because the two ideas are closely related. Malay often allows this, but a writer might choose a smoother rewording if desired.

It is understandable and fairly formal. You are most likely to see it in contexts such as:

• school admissions
• scholarships
• rankings
• official evaluations

In everyday Malay, depending on the exact meaning, people might also use phrases such as:

• prestasi akademik = academic performance
• kecemerlangan akademik = academic excellence
• kelayakan akademik = academic qualifications

So merit akademik is possible, but it sounds more official than casual.

It is grammatical and understandable, but it sounds quite formal and slightly repetitive in meaning.

That is because academic achievement already strongly suggests academic merit, so the sentence can feel a bit like stating the obvious.

Depending on context, a more natural alternative might be:

• Pencapaian akademiknya menunjukkan kecemerlangan akademiknya.
• Pencapaian akademiknya membuktikan kebolehannya dalam bidang akademik.
• Prestasi akademiknya sangat baik.

Still, if the intended meaning is specifically about academic merit in an official or evaluative sense, the original sentence is acceptable.

Yes.

For example:

• Pencapaian akademik Ali menunjukkan merit akademik.
• Pencapaian akademik beliau menunjukkan merit akademik.

This can make the sentence clearer if the possessor has not already been established in context.

Using -nya is natural when the person is already known from the surrounding discussion.