Itulah tarikh tamat.

Itulah is built from itu + -lah.

• itu = that
• -lah is a particle that adds emphasis or focus

So itulah means something like:

• that is
• that’s the one
• that, indeed, is

In this sentence, it points to a specific thing and emphasizes it: That is the expiry date / That’s the expiry date.

The particle -lah often adds emphasis, certainty, or smoothness to a statement. It does not usually change the basic meaning as much as it changes the tone.

Compare:

• Itu tarikh tamat. = That is the expiry date.
• Itulah tarikh tamat. = That is the expiry date / That’s the expiry date, specifically.

So here, -lah helps mark itu as the thing being identified. It can sound a little more definite or emphatic.

In Malay, a present-tense to be verb is often omitted in simple equational sentences.

So English:

• That is the expiry date

can be expressed in Malay simply as:

• Itulah tarikh tamat.

This is very normal in Malay. You do not need a word corresponding to is in this kind of sentence.

Word by word:

• tarikh = date
• tamat = end, finished, ended, or expiry/end point depending on context

Together, tarikh tamat means expiry date, expiration date, or more literally end date.

So the phrase is a noun phrase:

• tarikh tamat = the expiry date

In this phrase, tamat functions like a modifier after tarikh.

Malay often places modifiers after the noun, so:

• tarikh tamat literally looks like date end/finished

But natural English is:

• expiry date
• end date

So in practical terms, tamat is describing what kind of tarikh it is.

Malay noun phrases usually put the main noun first and the modifier after it.

So:

• tarikh = the main noun
• tamat = the modifier

That is why tarikh tamat is the normal order.

This is different from English, where we often put the modifier first:

• expiry date

But Malay often works more like:

• date expiry
• or date of expiry

Yes. You can say:

• Itu tarikh tamat.

That would still be understandable and grammatical in many contexts.

However, itulah sounds more pointed or definite. It is especially natural when identifying something, as in:

• This one?
• No, that is the expiry date.

So -lah is not always required, but it often makes the sentence sound more natural or more emphatic.

• ini = this
• itu = that

So:

• Inilah tarikh tamat. = This is the expiry date.
• Itulah tarikh tamat. = That is the expiry date.

Use ini for something near the speaker or currently being pointed out as this, and itu for something farther away or understood as that.

They are closely related, and in many real-life situations both can refer to an expiration-related date.

However, tarikh luput is often especially common for expiry/expiration date on food, medicine, and products.

• luput = expired / lapse
• tamat = end / finish

So:

• tarikh luput = very specifically expiration date
• tarikh tamat = end date or expiry date, depending on context

In everyday use, the best choice can depend on the product or situation.

A simple learner-friendly pronunciation guide is:

• itulah ≈ ee-too-lah
• tarikh ≈ ta-reehkh
• tamat ≈ ta-maht

A few notes:

• i is usually like ee in see
• u is usually like oo in food
• a is usually like a in father
• kh in tarikh is a throaty sound in careful pronunciation, though many learners first approximate it with a simple k-like ending

So the whole sentence is roughly:

• ee-too-lah ta-reehkh ta-maht

It would commonly be used when identifying a date on a package, label, form, or document.

For example, someone might ask which printed date is the expiry date, and another person replies:

• Itulah tarikh tamat.

So the sentence is useful when pointing out or confirming which date is the relevant one. It is not just stating a fact; it often helps identify something specific.