Anak kecil itu memeluk ibu apabila dia takut.

In Malay, adjectives usually come after the noun they describe.

So:

• anak = child
• kecil = small, little

Therefore anak kecil literally looks like child small, but it means small child or little child.

This is a very common word order in Malay:

• rumah besar = big house
• kereta merah = red car
• budak baik = good kid

Itu literally means that, but in many sentences it also helps mark something as specific/known, so anak kecil itu can mean:

• that little child
• or, depending on context, the little child

Malay does not have articles like the and a/an in the same way English does, so words like itu often help show definiteness.

Compare:

• anak kecil = a little child / little children in general / little child
• anak kecil itu = that little child / the little child

The basic root is peluk, meaning hug or embrace.

When Malay forms an active verb, it often adds the prefix meN-. With roots beginning with p, that p usually drops:

• peluk → memeluk

So memeluk means to hug / hugs / hugged, depending on context.

This is a common pattern:

• pakai → memakai
• pukul → memukul
• pilih → memilih

So in this sentence, memeluk is the normal active verb form.

Malay often leaves possession unstated when it is obvious from context, especially with family terms.

So ibu can mean:

• mother
• mum
• and in context often his mother or her mother

In English, we usually need to say his mother or her mother, but Malay can simply say ibu if the relationship is clear.

If a speaker wants to be more explicit, they could say:

• ibunya = his/her mother
• ibu dia = his/her mother

But memeluk ibu is perfectly natural if the context already makes it clear whose mother is meant.

Dia can mean he, she, or sometimes him/her depending on the structure.

Malay third-person pronouns do not normally mark gender the way English does. So:

• dia = he / she

That means this sentence is naturally ambiguous in English unless the context tells you the gender.

So apabila dia takut can mean:

• when he was afraid
• or when she was afraid

Grammatically, dia could refer to either person, because Malay often allows this kind of pronoun ambiguity.

So the sentence could in theory mean:

• the little child hugged mother when the child was afraid
• or the little child hugged mother when the mother was afraid

However, the most natural reading is usually that dia refers to the child, because that makes the most sense in everyday context: a child hugs their mother when afraid.

If a speaker wanted to remove ambiguity, they might repeat the noun:

• Anak kecil itu memeluk ibu apabila anak kecil itu takut.

or use another clearer expression depending on context.

Malay usually does not need a verb like to be before adjectives or states.

So:

• dia takut = he/she is afraid
• dia marah = he/she is angry
• dia lapar = he/she is hungry

In English, we need is/was, but in Malay the adjective or stative word can directly follow the subject.

So apabila dia takut literally looks like when he/she afraid, but it means when he/she is/was afraid.

In this sentence, apabila means when.

It introduces a time clause:

• apabila dia takut = when he/she is afraid

Apabila is a bit more formal or written-sounding than some other options. In everyday speech, people might also say:

• bila
• ketika (more formal/literary in some contexts)

Depending on context, apabila can sometimes overlap with if/whenever, but here when is the best understanding.

Malay verbs usually do not change form for tense the way English verbs do.

So memeluk itself does not tell you whether the action is present, past, or future. The time is understood from context or from time words.

This sentence could be translated as:

• The little child hugs his/her mother when he/she is afraid
• The little child hugged his/her mother when he/she was afraid

Depending on the wider context, either could work.

If Malay wants to be more explicit, it can add time markers such as:

• sedang = in the process of
• sudah / telah = already, past/completed
• akan = will

Malay has several words for mother, but they differ in style, region, and level of formality.

Some common ones are:

• ibu = mother; fairly standard and neutral
• emak / mak = mum/mom; more informal and conversational
• bunda = mother; more literary, affectionate, or elevated in tone

So ibu is a very normal standard choice in a textbook-style sentence.

Yes. The given sentence is correct, but some speakers might choose slightly different wording depending on style.

Possible alternatives include:

• Anak kecil itu memeluk ibunya apabila dia takut.
  This makes mother more clearly his/her mother.

• Bila dia takut, anak kecil itu memeluk ibunya.
  Same meaning, but the time clause comes first.

• Budak kecil itu memeluk maknya bila dia takut.
  More informal and conversational:

  • budak instead of anak
  • maknya instead of ibu

The original sentence is still perfectly good Malay, especially for learning standard structure.

It is a correct and natural way, but there are other possibilities.

• anak kecil = little child / young child
• budak kecil = little kid / small child

The difference depends on tone and context:

• anak is a broad word meaning child
• budak is also common for kid/child, often a bit more everyday

So anak kecil itu is fine, and budak kecil itu would also be common in many situations.