Saya mahu sedikit air.

Word by word:

• Saya – I (first-person singular, polite/neutral)
• mahu – want
• sedikit – a little / a small amount
• air – water

So the structure is basically I – want – a little – water.

Malay usually follows Subject – Verb – Object (SVO), similar to English.

• Saya (subject)
• mahu (verb)
• sedikit air (object noun phrase = a little water)

Within the object phrase:

• sedikit (quantifier, a little) comes before
• air (noun, water)

So you get: [Saya] [mahu] [sedikit air] = [I] [want] [a little water].

Putting sedikit or mahu somewhere else (like saya sedikit mahu air) would sound wrong or at least very unnatural.

It is grammatically correct and polite enough in many contexts, but as a request it can sound slightly direct or bookish by itself, depending on tone.

In real interaction, people often soften it by:

• Adding a politeness word:
  
  • Saya mahu sedikit air, tolong. – I want a little water, please.
• Turning it into a question/request:
  
  • Boleh saya dapat sedikit air? – May I have a little water?
  • Boleh bagi saya sedikit air? – Can you give me a little water?

So your sentence is fine, but for everyday requests, something like Boleh saya dapat sedikit air? often sounds more natural.

All relate to wanting or wishing, but with different levels of formality:

• mahu – standard, common, neutral. Good for learners and polite speech.
• hendak – also standard, often used in more formal or written contexts; similar to mahu.
• nak – colloquial, shortened from hendak/mahu; very common in casual speech.
  
  • Saya nak sedikit air. – informal spoken style.
• ingin – more formal/soft, closer to wish / would like.
  
  • Saya ingin sedikit air. – sounds gentler or more formal.

As a learner, using mahu and sometimes hendak is a safe, polite choice.

They mean the same thing (a little, a small amount), but differ in style:

• sedikit – more standard, neutral; good for writing and polite speech.
• sikit – colloquial/shortened form, very common in spoken Malay.

Examples:

• Saya mahu sedikit air. – Correct, neutral.
• Saya nak sikit air. – Very natural in casual conversation.

Use sedikit in formal or careful Malay; sikit in everyday, relaxed speech.

In Malay, quantifiers and numbers usually go before the noun they modify:

• sedikit air – a little water
• banyak air – a lot of water
• dua gelas air – two glasses of water

Air sedikit can exist in some contexts, but then sedikit behaves more like an adjective or complement, often with a different nuance, e.g.:

• Air itu sedikit kotor. – The water is a little dirty.

In your sentence, you want a little water (amount), so the correct order is sedikit air.

Not always. For uncountable nouns like air (water), you can talk about the substance directly:

• sedikit air – a little water
• banyak air – a lot of water

If you want to talk about containers or specific units, then you use a measure word:

• secawan air – a cup of water
• segelas air – a glass of water
• sebotol air – a bottle of water

Your sentence Saya mahu sedikit air is perfectly correct as is.

Air in Malay most commonly means water, especially plain water.

Depending on context, it can also refer more broadly to liquids or drinks, often when followed by another word:

• air panas – hot water
• air sejuk / air ais – cold water / iced water
• air jus – juice (literally juice water)
• air sirap – syrup drink

Be careful not to confuse Malay air with English air – they are completely different words.

You can make it more polite and natural by using boleh (may/can) or minta (ask for):

• Boleh saya dapat sedikit air? – May I get a little water?
• Boleh bagi saya sedikit air? – Can you give me a little water?
• Saya mahu minta sedikit air. – I’d like to ask for a little water.

You can also add tolong (please / help), especially when speaking to staff:

• Boleh saya dapat sedikit air, tolong?

To negate mahu, you use tidak (or tak in casual speech):

• Saya tidak mahu air. – I don’t want water.
• Saya tak mahu air. – same meaning, more informal.

If you want to keep sedikit in a phrase like “I don’t want even a little water,” you could say:

• Saya tidak mahu walaupun sedikit air. – I don’t want even a little water.

But normally you would just say Saya tidak mahu air.

Yes, subjects are often dropped in Malay when they are clear from context.

• Mahu sedikit air. – [I] want a little water. (understood as “I” in context)
• In very casual contexts, people might just say:
  
  • Sikit air. – A bit of water. (like pointing and asking)

For learners, keeping saya is safer and clearer, but you will often hear native speakers omit it.

Approximate pronunciation:

• air – /a-ir/, two syllables: a-ir
  
  • Think “AH-ear” said smoothly, not like the English word air.
• mahu – /ma-hu/
  
  • ma like ma in mama
  • hu like hoo in who (but a bit shorter)

Saya is /sa-ya/ (SAH-yah) and sedikit is /sə-di-kit/ (sə-DEE-kit).