Bulu kucing saya putih.

My cat's fur is white.

Breakdown of Bulu kucing saya putih.

• adalah: to be
• kucing: the cat
• saya: my
• putih: white
• bulu: the fur

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?

Malay usually omits a verb like “to be” before adjectives and nouns in simple present-tense statements.

So:

• Bulu kucing saya putih.
  Literally: “Fur cat my white.”
  Meaning: “My cat’s fur is white.”

You don’t need adalah or ialah here; adding them would sound unnatural in this short sentence.

Why does the adjective putih (white) come at the end instead of before the noun?

In Malay, adjectives usually follow the noun (or noun phrase) they describe:

• baju merah = red shirt
• rumah besar = big house
• bulu kucing saya putih = my cat’s fur (is) white

So the order is “noun + adjective”, not “adjective + noun” as in English.

Could I say Kucing saya putih instead? Would that be correct?

Yes, Kucing saya putih is correct and natural. It means “My cat is white.”

• Bulu kucing saya putih. = My cat’s fur is white. (emphasis on the fur)
• Kucing saya putih. = My cat is white. (more general, still understood as fur/appearance)

Is kucing here singular or plural? Could it mean “my cats”?

On its own, kucing is number-neutral: it can mean cat or cats, depending on context.

If you want to make the plural explicit, you can say:

• bulu kucing-kucing saya putih = the fur of my cats is white
• bulu semua kucing saya putih = the fur of all my cats is white

But in everyday speech, context is usually enough.

Why is there no word for “the” or “a” (like “the fur” or “a cat”)?

Malay has no articles like “a/an” or “the”.

Definiteness is understood from context or added detail:

• bulu kucing saya putih = the/my cat’s fur is white (context makes it definite)
• If you needed to, you could add words like itu (that) or ini (this), e.g.:
  
  • bulu kucing saya yang ini putih = the fur of this cat of mine is white

Can I say bulu putih kucing saya instead?

You can say bulu putih kucing saya, but it sounds less natural and can feel a bit awkward or poetic.

Standard, clear options are:

• Bulu kucing saya putih. (normal sentence)
• bulu putih = white fur (as a noun phrase on its own)

If you want to keep it as a statement, stick with Bulu kucing saya putih.

What’s the difference between kucing saya and saya punya kucing?

Both can mean “my cat”, but:

• kucing saya – neutral, standard, used in both spoken and written Malay
• saya punya kucing – more casual/colloquial, literally “the cat I own / I have a cat”

In a simple descriptive sentence like this, kucing saya is the most natural.

Could I use aku instead of saya in this sentence?

Grammatically, yes:

• bulu kucing aku putih

But aku is informal and used with close friends, family, or people your own age.
Saya is polite and neutral, suitable for almost any situation. For learners, saya is the safer default.

What if I want to say “The fur of his/her cat is white”? How would I change saya?

You can use the third-person possessive:

• bulu kucingnya putih = the fur of his cat / her cat is white

Here, -nya works like “his/her/its”.
Alternatively, if the person is mentioned:

• bulu kucing Ali putih = Ali’s cat’s fur is white
• bulu kucing dia putih = his/her cat’s fur is white (more spoken style)