Learn Hardcore Malay: Kakak saya belajar seni di universiti kerana dia suka melukis. - My older sister studies art at the university because she likes to draw.

It always implies female and older than the speaker.
It does not mean a younger sister; for that you’d typically use adik (younger sibling).
In everyday speech, kakak (often shortened to kak) is also used as a polite way to address a slightly older woman, even if she isn’t actually your sister.
In this sentence, kakak saya naturally reads as my older sister.

Why is it kakak saya and not saya kakak for my sister?

In Malay, the typical order is noun + possessor, so:

kakak saya = my sister
rumah saya = my house
buku dia = his/her book

You almost never say saya kakak to mean my sister; that order would sound wrong for possession. The possessive pronoun (saya, awak, dia, etc.) normally comes after the thing owned.

If Malay has no separate words for he and she, how do we know the person is female here?

The pronoun dia is gender-neutral and can mean he or she.

We know the person is female because of kakak, which specifically refers to an older female sibling. So:

kakak saya tells us the person is female and older than the speaker.
dia just refers back to that person without stating gender again.

In more formal contexts, you might also see beliau used instead of dia when talking respectfully about someone, but it is still gender-neutral.

Where is the verb “to be” in this sentence? Why isn’t there something like “is”?

Malay usually does not use a separate verb “to be” with verbs or adjectives the way English does.

Here, belajar itself is the main verb meaning to study / is studying. You don’t say:

✗ Kakak saya adalah belajar seni...

That would be wrong in standard Malay.
The word adalah (a kind of “is”) is used in certain “X is Y” sentences, especially formal ones:

Kakak saya adalah seorang pelajar.
My sister is a student.

But you don’t use adalah in front of an action verb like belajar here.

How do we know if belajar means studies, is studying, or studied? Where is the tense?

Malay verbs like belajar do not change form for tense. The same form can mean:

She studies art at university. (habit, general fact)
She is studying art at university. (currently)
She studied art at university. (past)

The tense is understood from context or from extra words:

sedang belajar – is/are currently studying
sudah / telah belajar – has studied / studied
akan belajar – will study

In your sentence, without extra time words, it’s context-dependent.

What is the difference between belajar and mengajar? They look similar.

They are related but mean different things:

belajar = to study / to learn (what a student does)
- Kakak saya belajar seni. – My sister studies art.
mengajar = to teach (what a teacher does)
- Kakak saya mengajar seni. – My sister teaches art.

So in your sentence, belajar seni clearly means she is a student of art, not an art teacher.

Does seni always mean art? What kind of art is implied?

Seni generally means art in a broad sense.

In academic contexts, belajar seni di universiti usually refers to art as a field of study (often visual/fine arts, depending on context).
Malay also uses more specific terms:
- seni halus – fine arts
- seni lukis – visual art / drawing / painting
- seni muzik – musical art
- seni tari – dance (literally: the art of dance)

So seni by itself is a general word for art; the exact type is understood from context or specified by another word.

What exactly does di mean in di universiti? How is it different from ke?

Di is a preposition meaning at / in / on (location):

di universiti – at university
di rumah – at home
di sekolah – at school

Ke means to (movement towards a place):

pergi ke universiti – go to the university
balik ke rumah – go back home

So belajar seni di universiti focuses on where she studies (location), not the movement of going there.

Malay also doesn’t use a/the here; di universiti can mean at a university or at the university, depending on the context.

What is the difference between kerana and sebab for because?

Both kerana and sebab can mean because and often can be swapped:

Kakak saya belajar seni di universiti kerana dia suka melukis.
Kakak saya belajar seni di universiti sebab dia suka melukis.

General tendencies:

kerana: a bit more formal or common in writing.
sebab: very common in everyday speech, slightly more colloquial.

There’s also sebab itu / oleh sebab itu = therefore / because of that, which acts more like so/therefore rather than “because” at the start of a clause.

Why is it melukis and not just lukis after suka?

The base word is lukis (draw), but the normal verb form you use in sentences is melukis:

lukis – root form (dictionary base)
melukis – “to draw” as a verb

Malay often adds the prefix meN- to roots to form active verbs:

tulis → menulis (write → to write)
baca → membaca (read → to read)
lukis → melukis (draw → to draw)

After suka (to like), you usually use the proper verb form:

suka melukis – likes drawing

In casual speech some people might say suka lukis, but suka melukis is the standard, grammatically correct form.

Can we leave out dia and just say kerana suka melukis?

Yes, you can drop dia here and say:

Kakak saya belajar seni di universiti kerana suka melukis.

Malays often omit pronouns when it’s clear who is being talked about from context.
Both versions are acceptable:

With dia: a bit more explicit.
Without dia: a bit more compact and still natural in everyday usage.

Can we move the because clause to the front of the sentence?

Yes. You can say:

Kerana dia suka melukis, kakak saya belajar seni di universiti.

This is grammatically correct and natural. The meaning stays the same; you just emphasise the reason first.

Both word orders are fine:

Kakak saya belajar seni di universiti kerana dia suka melukis.
Kerana dia suka melukis, kakak saya belajar seni di universiti.

Choice depends on what you want to highlight: the reason first, or the main action first.