Saya hanya makan nasi.

I only eat rice.

Breakdown of Saya hanya makan nasi.

• saya: I
• makan: to eat
• nasi: the rice
• hanya: only

Questions & Answers about Saya hanya makan nasi.

What is the function of saya in this sentence?

saya means “I.” It’s the first-person pronoun serving as the subject. Unlike English, Malay sentences often include the subject pronoun even though it can sometimes be dropped.

What does hanya mean here?

hanya means “only.” It limits the action to its object, so Saya hanya makan nasi literally means “I eat only rice.”

Can hanya be placed in a different position, and does it change the meaning?

Yes. You could say Saya makan hanya nasi or Saya makan nasi sahaja (with sahaja as another word for “only”). The meaning stays the same, but the emphasis can shift slightly depending on its placement.

What’s the difference between hanya, cuma, and sahaja?

All three translate to “only.”

• hanya is neutral/formal.
• cuma is more colloquial.
• sahaja is formal and often found in written Malay.
  You can substitute them without changing the core meaning.

Why isn’t there any tense marking on makan?

Malay verbs don’t change form for tense. Time is understood from context or added words (e.g., sudah for past “already,” akan for future “will”). Here, Saya hanya makan nasi could be present, past, or habitual depending on context.

Why is there no article (like “the”) before nasi?

Malay doesn’t use definite/indefinite articles. A noun by itself can mean “rice” in general, “some rice,” or “the rice,” depending on context.

Can the subject saya be omitted?

Yes. Hanya makan nasi is perfectly understandable in casual speech. The speaker is implying “I.”

Does nasi refer to uncooked rice?

No. nasi means cooked rice (or a rice meal). Uncooked rice in the husk is padi, and hulled but raw rice is beras.