Kualiti audio rakaman itu jelas.

The audio quality of that recording is clear.

Breakdown of Kualiti audio rakaman itu jelas.

• adalah: to be
• itu: that
• jelas: clear
• kualiti: the quality
• rakaman: the recording
• audio: audio

Questions & Answers about Kualiti audio rakaman itu jelas.

How is each word in Kualiti audio rakaman itu jelas functioning grammatically?

Breakdown:

• kualiti – quality (a noun, head of the subject)
• audio – audio (a noun used as a modifier, like “audio quality”)
• rakaman – recording (a noun, further specifying which audio)
• itu – that (a demonstrative, marking the whole noun phrase as “that …”)
• jelas – clear (an adjective functioning as the predicate)

So the structure is:

• [Kualiti audio rakaman itu] – subject: the audio quality of that recording
• jelas – predicate: is clear

Why is there no word for “is” in this sentence?

Malay usually drops the verb to be in simple “A is B” sentences when the predicate is an adjective or a noun.

• English: The audio quality of that recording *is clear.*
• Malay: Kualiti audio rakaman itu jelas.
  (No adalah or ialah needed.)

You would normally only use adalah/ialah in more formal writing or when linking to a longer noun phrase, not for a simple adjective like jelas.

What exactly does itu refer to here, and why is it at the end?

Itu means that, and in this sentence it marks the entire noun phrase audio rakaman as “that recording’s audio”.

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

• rakaman itu – that recording
• kualiti rakaman itu – the quality of that recording
• kualiti audio rakaman itu – the audio quality of that recording

So itu doesn’t just modify rakaman in isolation; placed at the end, it makes the whole phrase definite: “that particular recording’s audio quality”.

Why is there no word like “of” between kualiti, audio, and rakaman?

Malay often shows “of” relationships simply by putting nouns next to each other:

• kualiti audio – quality of the audio / audio quality
• kualiti rakaman – quality of the recording / recording quality
• kualiti audio rakaman itu – audio quality of that recording

So where English uses of, Malay usually uses noun + noun compounding or stacking. No extra preposition is needed.

Could I say Kualiti rakaman audio itu jelas instead? Does word order matter?

You can say Kualiti rakaman audio itu jelas, and it is understandable, but the focus shifts slightly:

• kualiti audio rakaman itu
  → strongly feels like “the audio quality of that recording”.
• kualiti rakaman audio itu
  → more like “the recording quality of that audio” / “the quality of that audio recording”.

In everyday speech, people may not be strict about the nuance, but as a learner, it’s good to remember:

• Earlier nouns tend to be more “general/head”.
• Later nouns tend to be more “specific/modifying”.

So the original sentence is a natural way to say “audio quality of that recording”.

Can I make the meaning stronger by adding “very”, e.g. Kualiti audio rakaman itu sangat jelas?

Yes. To say “very clear”, you can place sangat before the adjective:

• Kualiti audio rakaman itu sangat jelas.
  → The audio quality of that recording is very clear.

Other common intensifiers:

• amat jelas – very clear (more formal)
• cukup jelas – clear enough / quite clear
• begitu jelas – so clear

They all go before jelas.

What is the difference between jelas and other words like terang, nyaring, or kuat when talking about sound?

They describe different aspects of sound:

• jelas – clear, easy to understand, not muddy
  Focus: how easy it is to hear/understand (clarity).
• terang – bright / clear (more often used for light or explanation; can mean “clear” in a figurative sense).
• nyaring – shrill, piercing, high-pitched
  Focus: sharp, high, sometimes unpleasant.
• kuat – loud, strong
  Focus: volume, not clarity.

So for audio quality, jelas is the most natural word to indicate good clarity, like good recording quality.

What is the root of rakaman, and what does the ending -an mean?

The root is rakam, which means to record.

Adding -an usually turns a verb into a noun (the result of the action or an object related to it):

• rakam – to record
• rakaman – a recording

Other examples:

• baca (to read) → bacaan (reading / a text)
• tulis (to write) → tulisan (writing / handwriting)

So rakaman literally means “the recorded thing” → a recording.

Is kualiti really Malay, or is it a loanword? Is there a more “native” alternative?

Kualiti is a loanword from English quality, adapted to Malay spelling and pronunciation.

There is also a more “native” word:

• mutu – quality (often used in formal contexts, slogans, or set phrases)

So you can also say:

• Mutu audio rakaman itu jelas. – The quality of the audio of that recording is clear.

In everyday speech, kualiti is extremely common and perfectly natural.

Is audio the only option here, or could I use another word like bunyi?

You can use other words, depending on what you want to emphasise:

• audio – “audio” in the technical/media sense.
  Kualiti audio rakaman itu jelas. → natural in tech/AV contexts.
• bunyi – sound.
  Kualiti bunyi rakaman itu jelas. → “The sound quality of that recording is clear.”
• suara – voice.
  Kualiti suara dalam rakaman itu jelas. → “The voice quality in that recording is clear.”

English loanwords like audio are very common in modern Malay, especially for technical topics.

Can I just say Kualiti rakaman itu jelas and leave out audio?

Yes, and it is still natural:

• Kualiti rakaman itu jelas.
  → The quality of that recording is clear.

Here kualiti is more general; it could refer to overall recording quality (including noise, volume, etc.), not specifically the audio track as a technical component. Adding audio narrows it to “audio quality” specifically, which is useful in technical or professional contexts.

Can I change the structure to something like Rakaman itu punya kualiti audio yang jelas? Is that correct?

Yes, you can say:

• Rakaman itu punya kualiti audio yang jelas.

This is understandable and colloquial, literally “That recording has audio quality that is clear.” Notes:

• punya – “to have”. Very common in casual speech, less in formal writing.
• yang jelas – “that is clear” (relative clause marking).

However, the original:

• Kualiti audio rakaman itu jelas.

is more concise and neutral, and sounds more natural in both speech and writing. Use the original pattern as your default, and think of the punya / yang version as an alternative way to express possession or attribution.