Misteri itu belum terjawab.

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

So:

• misteri itu = that mystery / the mystery
• not itu misteri in normal noun phrases

This is a very common word order pattern in Malay:

• rumah itu = that house / the house
• orang ini = this person

In many contexts, itu can also make the noun feel definite, so misteri itu can mean not just that mystery, but also the mystery.

Belum means not yet.

So:

• belum terjawab = not yet answered

This is different from tidak, which is a general not.

Compare:

• Misteri itu belum terjawab. = The mystery has not been answered yet.
• Misteri itu tidak terjawab. = The mystery is not answered / was not answered.

A useful way to think about it:

• belum suggests something has not happened up to now, but it still might happen later
• tidak simply negates, without that yet idea

Yes, terjawab is related to the verb jawab (to answer), with the prefix ter-.

In this sentence, terjawab means something like:

• answered
• able to be answered
• resolved/answered as a result

So Misteri itu belum terjawab means the mystery remains unanswered.

Although English learners often think of it as passive, ter- is not exactly the same as the ordinary passive di-. It often describes a state, result, or something that happens without focusing on the doer.

Here, the focus is on the condition of the mystery: it is still unanswered.

Both are possible in Malay, but they feel different.

• dijawab is the more straightforward passive: answered by someone
• terjawab often emphasizes the resulting state: answered / resolved

Compare the feeling:

• Soalan itu belum dijawab. = That question has not yet been answered.
• Misteri itu belum terjawab. = That mystery remains unanswered.

With mystery, terjawab sounds very natural because a mystery is something that becomes resolved or unresolved, not just mechanically answered.

In a way, yes. Malay does not need a verb like has been the way English often does.

Misteri itu belum terjawab literally looks more like:

• mystery that not yet answered/resolved

But natural English usually needs something like:

• That mystery has not been answered yet
• The mystery remains unanswered

Malay often leaves tense unstated unless time words or context make it clear. Here, belum gives the idea of up to now not yet, which English often expresses with has not yet.

Yes.

In Malay, itu can function as:

• a true demonstrative: that mystery
• a marker of definiteness in many contexts: the mystery

So depending on context, Misteri itu belum terjawab could be translated as:

• That mystery remains unanswered
• The mystery remains unanswered

English chooses between that and the more strictly than Malay does.

Malay often omits the verb to be when English would use is, are, was, or were.

So instead of saying something like The mystery is not yet answered, Malay simply says:

• Misteri itu belum terjawab

This is normal Malay sentence structure. The meaning is still complete without a separate word for is.

Yes, and it is very natural.

• belum terjawab = not yet answered
• masih belum terjawab = still not yet answered / still unanswered

Adding masih strengthens the sense that the situation continues.

So:

• Misteri itu belum terjawab. = The mystery has not yet been answered.
• Misteri itu masih belum terjawab. = The mystery is still unanswered.

It is quite neutral and natural, but it can sound slightly polished because of terjawab.

You might see it in:

• news writing
• documentaries
• essays
• formal speech
• everyday conversation, especially when speaking clearly or carefully

It is not overly literary, but it is a bit more elegant than a very casual phrasing.

Yes. The pattern is very common:

• [noun] + itu + belum + ter-verb

Examples:

• Persoalan itu belum terjawab. = That question/issue remains unanswered.
• Masalah itu belum terungkai. = That problem has not yet been unraveled/solved.
• Kes itu belum terungkai. = That case has not yet been solved.

This pattern is useful for talking about something that is still unresolved, unanswered, or unfinished.