Bulu kucing saya putih.

to be

Breakdown of Bulu kucing saya putih.

• kucing: the cat
• saya: my
• putih: white

Questions & Answers about Bulu kucing saya putih.

What does bulu mean exactly? Is it “hair” or “fur”?

Bulu is a general word for:

• animal fur (like a cat’s fur)
• body hair
• feathers (for birds)

So bulu kucing is naturally understood as a cat’s fur. For human head hair you’d usually see rambut, not bulu.

How does kucing saya mean “my cat”? Why is saya after the noun?

In Malay, possessive pronouns normally come after the noun:

• kucing saya = my cat
• buku saya = my book
• rumah saya = my house

So kucing (cat) + saya (I / me) literally gives “cat my”, which corresponds to “my cat” in English.

What is the structure of the whole noun phrase bulu kucing saya?

It’s layered like this:

• bulu = fur
• kucing saya = my cat

So bulu kucing saya = the fur of my cat / my cat’s fur.
The head noun is bulu, and kucing saya tells you whose fur it is.

Why is there no word for “is” in Bulu kucing saya putih?