Saya kemas kini profil akaun saya di aplikasi bank.

I update my account profile in the banking app.

Breakdown of Saya kemas kini profil akaun saya di aplikasi bank.

• saya: I
• di: in
• saya: my
• aplikasi: the app
• kemas kini: to update
• profil: the profile
• akaun: account
• bank: bank

Questions & Answers about Saya kemas kini profil akaun saya di aplikasi bank.

Why is kemas kini written as two words here? I’ve also seen kemaskini as one word or mengemas kini. What’s the difference?

Kemas kini is officially considered a two‑word expression in standard Malay.

• kemas kini (2 words) – modern standard form, accepted as a verb meaning to update.
• mengemas kini – the fully prefixed verb form (with meN-), literally “to make tidy/current”, traditionally the “most correct” form.
• kemaskini (1 word) – very common in real life (websites, apps, etc.), but many style guides and dictionaries prefer kemas kini.

In everyday usage:

• You will see all three, but kemas kini and kemaskini are most common in interfaces (buttons, menus).
• In formal writing or exams, kemas kini or mengemas kini is safer than kemaskini.

Shouldn’t it be Saya mengemas kini... instead of Saya kemas kini...? Is Saya kemas kini... grammatical?

Both are accepted, but the nuance is:

• Saya mengemas kini profil akaun saya...
  – Traditional / clearly prefixed verb form. Very safe in formal Malay (essays, exams).

• Saya kemas kini profil akaun saya...
  – Increasingly common and generally accepted, especially in:

  • app text, websites, UI strings
  • informal and semi‑formal usage

Modern usage tends to “drop” the meN- prefix in many tech or interface verbs (e.g. log masuk, muat turun, kemas kini). For a learner:

• If you want to sound natural in apps/UI: kemas kini is fine.
• If you’re writing a formal essay: mengemas kini is the safest choice.

How is tense shown in this sentence? Does Saya kemas kini... mean “I updated”, “I am updating”, or “I will update”?

Malay doesn’t mark tense on the verb the way English does. Saya kemas kini profil akaun saya di aplikasi bank can mean:

• I updated my account profile in the bank app.
• I am updating my account profile in the bank app.
• I will update my account profile in the bank app.

The actual time is understood from context or from extra time words:

• Tadi – Saya kemas kini profil akaun saya tadi. (I updated earlier.)
• Sedang – Saya sedang kemas kini profil akaun saya. (I am updating right now.)
• Akan – Saya akan kemas kini profil akaun saya. (I will update.)

Why is saya repeated after akaun? Could I just say Saya kemas kini profil akaun di aplikasi bank?

In Malay, possessors normally come after the thing possessed:

• profil akaun saya = my account profile (literally “profile account my”)

If you drop the second saya, then profil akaun just means account profile in general, not clearly “my” account profile.

Compare:

• Saya kemas kini profil akaun saya. – I update my account profile.
• Saya kemas kini profil akaun. – I update an/the account profile (not clear whose).

So the repetition of saya is natural and necessary for “my” to attach to akaun (and by extension to the profil akaun).

Why is the order profil akaun saya and not akaun profil saya or profil saya akaun?

Malay noun order is generally:

Head noun + describing noun(s) + possessor

So:

• profil (profile) – head noun
• akaun (account) – describes what profile
• saya (my) – possessor

So profil akaun saya = “the profile of my account” / “my account profile”.

Other orders change or break the meaning:

• akaun profil saya – sounds like “the account of my profile”, which is odd.
• profil saya akaun – ungrammatical word order.

So profil akaun saya is the natural way to say “my account profile”.

What’s the role of di in di aplikasi bank? Could I use dalam, pada, or melalui instead?

Di is a preposition meaning “at / in / on (a place)”. In modern digital contexts, di is often used like English “in/on (an app/website)”:

• di aplikasi bank – in/on the bank app

Alternatives:

• dalam aplikasi bank – literally “inside the bank app”; also acceptable and slightly more literal.
• pada aplikasi bank – more formal; can sound like “on the bank app/platform”.
• melalui aplikasi bank – “through the bank app”, focusing on the means rather than the location:
  • Saya kemas kini profil akaun saya melalui aplikasi bank.
    = I update my account profile through the bank app.

In casual modern usage, di aplikasi bank is very common and easily understood.

Are profil, akaun, and aplikasi really Malay words, or just English loanwords? Are they natural to use?

They are loanwords (mostly from English), but they are fully accepted and standard in Malay:

• profil – from “profile”
• akaun – from “account”
• aplikasi – from “application / app”

In the context of banking and technology, these are the normal words Malay speakers use. Some possible more “native” or alternative words:

• profil → sometimes profil peribadi, profil pengguna, or maklumat diri, depending on context.
• akaun → standard word; no real native replacement in banking.
• aplikasi → people also say apps, aplikasi mudah alih (mobile app), or aplikasi perbankan (banking application).

So your sentence sounds natural and modern.

Is there any difference in meaning between aplikasi bank and aplikasi perbankan?

Yes, a nuance:

• aplikasi bank – literally “bank app”: an app belonging to a specific bank or banks.

  • aplikasi bank ABC – the ABC Bank app.

• aplikasi perbankan – “banking application”: more general; could refer to:

  • any kind of banking software
  • a category (banking apps as a whole)
  • more formal/technical descriptions

In your sentence, di aplikasi bank is neutral and natural if context is something like “my bank’s app”.

Can I drop Saya and just say Kemas kini profil akaun saya di aplikasi bank? What does that change?

Yes, but the meaning changes:

• Saya kemas kini profil akaun saya... – a statement: “I update / I am updating my account profile...”
• Kemas kini profil akaun saya... – an imperative: “Update my account profile...”

In Malay, dropping the subject and starting with the verb is a common way to form commands. So:

• For a normal declarative sentence, keep Saya.
• For an instruction (e.g. on a screen or telling staff what to do), drop Saya and start with Kemas kini.

When would I use Saya versus aku in a sentence like this?

Both mean I, but register and politeness differ:

• Saya – polite, neutral, standard:

  • used in formal and semi‑formal situations
  • used with strangers, service staff, in writing, at the bank, etc.
  • very safe default for learners

• Aku – informal, intimate:

  • used with close friends, family, or in some casual settings
  • can sound rude or too casual if used with the wrong person

So at a bank, writing to customer service, or describing your actions in neutral narration, Saya kemas kini profil akaun saya di aplikasi bank is appropriate.
Among very close friends, in speech, you could say Aku kemas kini profil akaun aku..., but that’s not for formal contexts.

Are there more formal or more natural alternative ways to say this sentence?

Yes, here are some common variations, all natural:

1. Saya mengemas kini profil akaun saya melalui aplikasi bank.
   – Slightly more formal; uses mengemas kini and melalui (through).

2. Saya mengemas kini maklumat akaun saya dalam aplikasi bank.
   – Uses maklumat akaun saya (my account information) instead of profil akaun saya.

3. Saya telah mengemas kini profil akaun saya di aplikasi bank.
   – Adds telah to emphasize completed action: “I have updated my account profile...”.

All of these mean roughly the same thing but differ slightly in formality and emphasis.