Learn Hardcore Malay: Saya mahu tahu nama sebenar penyanyi itu. - I want to know that singer’s real name.

mahu – neutral and common; fine in everyday speech and writing.
- Example: Saya mahu makan. (I want to eat.)
nak – informal / colloquial (from hendak); used a lot in casual speech.
- Example: Saya nak makan. (I wanna eat.)
ingin – more formal / polite / slightly more “soft”.
- Example: Saya ingin tahu. (I would like to know.)

In your sentence, you can say:

Saya mahu tahu nama sebenar penyanyi itu.
Saya nak tahu nama sebenar penyanyi itu. (more casual)
Saya ingin tahu nama sebenar penyanyi itu. (a bit more polite / formal)

All are grammatically correct.

Why is it tahu and not kenal when talking about a person?

Malay has two common words related to know:

tahu – to know a fact or information
kenal – to know a person (be acquainted with someone)

Your sentence asks about information (the person’s real name), not about being personally acquainted:

Saya mahu tahu nama sebenar penyanyi itu.
– I want to know (find out) the real name (a fact).

If you used kenal, it would sound like:

Saya kenal penyanyi itu. – I know that singer (I’m familiar with them).

So tahu is correct because you want factual information, not personal acquaintance.

What does nama sebenar mean exactly? Is sebenar an adjective?

Yes, sebenar is an adjective meaning real / true / actual / genuine.

nama sebenar – the real name / true name
cerita sebenar – the real story
sebab sebenar – the real reason

In Malay, adjectives usually come after the noun:

nama sebenar (literally: name real)
rumah besar – big house
kereta baru – new car

So nama sebenar is a noun phrase: nama (noun) + sebenar (adjective).

Why is there no word for of like in name of the singer?

Malay often shows possession or of-relationships by just placing nouns together, with the “owner” or related noun after the main noun:

nama penyanyi itu – name (of) that singer
baju Ali – Ali’s shirt / shirt of Ali
rumah kawan saya – house of my friend / my friend’s house

In your sentence:

nama sebenar penyanyi itu
– nama sebenar (real name) + penyanyi itu (that singer)
– literally: real name that singer = the real name of that singer

No extra preposition like of is needed.

Why is itu at the end of the phrase penyanyi itu instead of before it?

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

penyanyi itu – that singer
rumah itu – that house
buku ini – this book

So penyanyi itu literally reads as singer that. Compared to English:

English: that singer
Malay: penyanyi itu

Putting itu before the noun (like itu penyanyi) is possible, but it changes the structure; it often sounds like that is the singer or that singer (subject) depending on context, not just that singer as a noun phrase.

Is Saya necessary? Can I omit the subject pronoun?

Malay often allows dropping the subject pronoun if it is clear from context. So you might hear:

Mahu tahu nama sebenar penyanyi itu.

In conversation, this can mean I want to know the real name of that singer, if people already know you are talking about yourself.

However:

Including Saya is clearer and more standard, especially in writing or when context is not obvious.
As a learner, it is safer and more natural to keep Saya until you feel comfortable with when it can be dropped.

Could I say Saya ingin mengetahui nama sebenar penyanyi itu? What is the difference from tahu?

Yes, you can say:

Saya ingin mengetahui nama sebenar penyanyi itu.

Here’s the difference:

tahu – base verb “to know”
mengetahui – derived verb (with prefix meN-) meaning to know / to find out / to be aware of, usually more formal or written.

Saya mahu tahu … is more direct and casual.
Saya ingin mengetahui … sounds more formal, polite, or written (e.g. in letters, emails, official situations).

Meaning-wise they are very close; the choice is mostly about tone and style.

Do I need yang in nama sebenar penyanyi itu? Why not nama yang sebenar penyanyi itu?

You do not need yang here. yang is usually used to:

Link a noun to a descriptive clause:
- orang yang pakai baju merah – the person who is wearing a red shirt
Emphasize or pick out something:
- Ini yang saya mahu. – This is the one that I want.

In nama sebenar penyanyi itu, sebenar is just a simple adjective describing nama, so yang is not needed:

Correct: nama sebenar penyanyi itu
nama yang sebenar penyanyi itu sounds unnatural or at least awkward in normal speech.

You would use yang if there was a full clause after it, e.g.:

nama yang sebenar ialah … – the real name is …

How would I make this sentence more polite, like May I know the real name of that singer?

To make it sound more polite or like a soft request, you can use:

Bolehkah saya tahu nama sebenar penyanyi itu?
– Literally: Can I know the real name of that singer?

Other polite variants:

Boleh saya tahu nama sebenar penyanyi itu?
Saya ingin tahu, apakah nama sebenar penyanyi itu? (more formal, almost like written style)

Your original sentence Saya mahu tahu … is neutral; it can sound a bit direct as a request, depending on tone. Adding boleh or Bolehkah… makes it more politely interrogative.

How do I pronounce penyanyi and sebenar correctly?

Approximate pronunciation (using English-like spelling):

penyanyi: puh-NYAH-nee
- pe-: like pe in pencil, but shorter
- nya: like nyah, where ny is one sound (like ny in canyon)
- -nyi: again with ny
  - ee sound

The syllables are: pe-nyan-yi, but with the ny / ñ sound.

sebenar: suh-buh-NAR
- se-: like sir without the r
- be-: like beh
- -nar: like nar in narrate, but with a clear r at the end

Stress in Malay is usually fairly even, often slightly stronger on the second-last syllable, so:

pe-NYA-nyi
se-BE-nar

How is plural or definiteness shown here? Does penyanyi itu mean that singer or those singers?

Malay does not mark plural or definiteness the same way English does.

penyanyi by itself can mean singer or singers depending on context.
itu makes the noun phrase more specific/definite: that singer / those singers.

So penyanyi itu can mean:

that singer (one person)
those singers (more than one), if the context is clearly plural

Your sentence most naturally suggests a single person, but context decides. If you want to be very clear that it is plural, you can add a plural word:

para penyanyi itu – those singers (formal)
penyanyi-penyanyi itu – those singers (reduplication to show plural)

Could I change the word order to Saya mahu tahu penyanyi itu punya nama sebenar?

You could hear structures with punya in casual speech, but:

penyanyi itu punya nama sebenar is very colloquial and sounds less natural for this specific meaning. It can also sound slightly childlike or “broken”.

The most natural and standard way is still:

Saya mahu tahu nama sebenar penyanyi itu.

Use punya carefully; it often appears in casual speech meaning something like ’s:

ini Ali punya buku – this is Ali’s book

But for learners, it is better to stick to the simple noun–noun pattern: nama penyanyi itu, kereta saya, rumah kawan saya, etc.