Baju sukan saya berwarna merah dan putih.

My sports shirt is red and white.

Breakdown of Baju sukan saya berwarna merah dan putih.

• dan: and
• saya: my
• baju: the shirt
• sukan: sports
• putih: white
• merah: red
• berwarna: to be coloured

Questions & Answers about Baju sukan saya berwarna merah dan putih.

What exactly does baju sukan mean? Is it specifically a sports shirt, or can it mean sports clothes in general?

Baju sukan literally means sports clothing or sports wear.

• baju = clothing / top / shirt / dress (context decides the best English word)
• sukan = sport(s)

In many contexts, baju sukan is understood as a sports shirt / jersey (for example, a football jersey), especially if people are talking about a specific item of clothing.

However, it can also mean sports clothes in a more general sense (the clothes you wear for P.E., jogging, etc.), depending on context. Malay doesn’t always force you to be as precise as English about whether it’s one item or a whole set of clothes.

Why does saya (my) come after baju sukan instead of before it, like in English (my sports shirt)?

In Malay, the typical order for possession is:

[thing owned] + [owner]

So:

• baju sukan saya = my sports shirt / sports clothes
• kereta dia = his/her car
• rumah kami = our house

This is the opposite of English, where the possessor normally comes first (my shirt, her car, our house).

So baju sukan saya is perfectly normal Malay word order:
baju sukan (sports clothes) + saya (I / my) → my sports clothes.

What does berwarna mean, and how is it formed?

Berwarna is made up of:

• ber- (a common verb prefix, often meaning “to have / to be in a state of”)
• warna (colour)

So berwarna basically means “to have the colour …” or “is coloured …”.

In this sentence:

• berwarna merah dan putih ≈ is (coloured) red and white / has the colours red and white

You’ll see berwarna used when you explicitly talk about colours:

• Langit itu berwarna biru. = The sky is blue.
• Rambutnya berwarna hitam. = His/Her hair is black.

Can I leave out berwarna and just say Baju sukan saya merah dan putih?

Yes, you can. Both are grammatical:

• Baju sukan saya berwarna merah dan putih.
• Baju sukan saya merah dan putih.

The version with berwarna sounds slightly more explicit and sometimes a bit more formal or descriptive, as if you are specifically mentioning the colour. The version without berwarna is more like saying:

• My sports shirt is red and white.

In everyday speech, many people would just say:

• Baju sukan saya merah dan putih.

Where is the verb “is” in this sentence? Why doesn’t Malay use a word like is / am / are here?

Malay normally does not use a separate word for “is / am / are” when linking a subject to an adjective or a description.

So in:

• Baju sukan saya berwarna merah dan putih.

there is no separate word that exactly equals English is. The meaning “is” is carried by the structure of the sentence (and by berwarna, which already functions as a verb).

Compare:

• Dia tinggi. = He/She is tall.
  (Literally: He/She tall.)
• Makanan ini sedap. = This food is delicious.
  (Literally: This food delicious.)

When a noun is equated with another noun (e.g. “Ali is a teacher”), Malay sometimes uses ialah or adalah, but with adjectives and descriptions like colours, it’s normal to have no separate “is”.

Why do the colours merah and putih come after the noun instead of before, like in English?

In Malay, descriptive words (adjectives) normally follow the noun they describe:

[noun] + [adjective]

Examples:

• baju merah = red shirt
• kereta baru = new car
• rumah besar = big house

In this sentence:

• baju sukan = sports clothes/shirt
• berwarna merah dan putih = (that are) coloured red and white

So the pattern is:

Baju sukan saya (subject) + berwarna (verb) + [colours] (description)

The colours themselves are part of the description and naturally come after berwarna.

Does this sentence refer to one sports shirt or more than one? How can I tell singular vs plural in Malay?

By itself, the sentence does not clearly mark singular or plural. It could mean:

• My sports shirt is red and white.
• My sports clothes are red and white.

Malay usually does not add a special ending to show plural nouns, and often doesn’t mark plural at all if the context already makes it clear.

If you want to make plural clearer, you can:

1. Repeat the noun (common way to show plural):

   • baju-baju sukan saya = my sports shirts / my sports clothes

2. Add a quantity word:

   • dua helai baju sukan saya = my two sports shirts

3. Use a plural-like context word:

   • semua baju sukan saya = all my sports shirts

But in many real conversations, context alone tells you whether it’s one item or several.

Is dan always used for and between colours or adjectives? Could I use something else?

Dan is the standard word for and when you are linking words, phrases, or clauses:

• merah dan putih = red and white
• saya dan awak = I and you
• makan dan minum = eat and drink

You wouldn’t usually use a comma instead of dan between two adjectives. You might write a comma before dan in longer lists, but dan itself is still needed:

• merah, putih dan biru = red, white and blue

Another linking word, dengan, can also mean with or sometimes and in a different sense, but for listing colours like in this sentence, dan is the natural, correct choice:

• baju merah dan putih = red and white shirt
  (not baju merah dengan putih in this context)

How would I change the sentence if I wanted to say our sports shirt(s) or his sports shirt instead of my sports shirt?

You just replace saya with another possessive pronoun, keeping the same word order:

• Baju sukan kami berwarna merah dan putih.
  = Our sports shirt(s) are red and white.
  (kami = we/us, excluding the person you’re talking to)

• Baju sukan kita berwarna merah dan putih.
  = Our sports shirt(s) are red and white.
  (kita = we/us, including the person you’re talking to)

• Baju sukan dia berwarna merah dan putih.
  = His/Her sports shirt is red and white.
  (dia = he/she)

Structure stays:

baju sukan + [pronoun] + berwarna + [colour(s)]

Are there more casual or alternative ways to say the same thing?

Yes. A few natural variations:

1. Baju sukan aku merah dan putih.

   • aku is a more casual I / me / my, often used with friends.
   • Same meaning, more informal feel.

2. Baju sukan saya merah putih.

   • Sometimes the dan is dropped in casual speech when the combination is a standard pair (like merah putih for a red-and-white theme).
   • Still understood as “red and white”.

3. Baju sukan saya warna merah dan putih.

   • Using warna instead of berwarna.
   • Slightly less formal but very common: literally “My sports shirt, the colour is red and white.”

All of these keep the same basic idea; the differences are in formality and style, not in core meaning.