Lebihan makanan boleh terurai menjadi kompos.

It can cover all three ideas depending on context.

• lebihan = excess, surplus, extra
• makanan = food

So lebihan makanan literally means excess food. In real-life usage, it can refer to:

• food left uneaten
• extra food that was prepared
• food waste in a general sense

In a sentence about compost, English would often naturally say food waste or food scraps, even though the Malay wording is literally closer to excess food.

This is about how Malay noun phrases are built.

In Malay, the main noun usually comes first, and words that describe or limit it often come after it. But some combinations become fixed expressions, and lebihan makanan is one of those natural combinations where lebihan functions more like a noun meaning excess/surplus.

So here the structure is roughly:

• lebihan = the excess/surplus
• makanan = of food

That gives the sense the excess of food or food surplus/waste.

By contrast, makanan lebihan can exist, but it tends to sound more like leftover food as a description of the food itself. The sentence you were given uses the more general phrase lebihan makanan.

Here boleh means can in the sense of is able to or is capable of.

So it is not mainly about permission, like may. It is saying that food waste can decompose into compost.

Common uses of boleh include:

• ability/possibility: Air boleh mendidih. = Water can boil.
• permission: Boleh saya masuk? = May I come in?

In your sentence, it is clearly the possibility/ability meaning.

terurai is used because the sentence is describing something that breaks down / decomposes.

The root idea is urai, which has to do with loosening, separating, or breaking apart. In environmental or scientific contexts, terurai is commonly used for something being decomposed or biodegradable.

So boleh terurai means something like:

• can decompose
• can break down naturally

It fits well with composting, because compost comes from organic matter breaking down.

These forms do different jobs.

• terurai = becomes broken down / decomposes
• mengurai = breaks something down / decomposes something
• diurai = is broken down by something

In your sentence, the food waste is understood as undergoing decomposition, not actively decomposing something else. So terurai is the natural choice.

Compare:

• Lebihan makanan boleh terurai.
  Food waste can decompose.

• Bakteria mengurai lebihan makanan.
  Bacteria decompose food waste.

• Lebihan makanan diurai oleh bakteria.
  Food waste is decomposed by bacteria.

So terurai focuses on the process happening to the material itself.

Not exactly.

Both can relate to decay, but they are not identical.

• terurai = decomposed, broken down, often in a more neutral or scientific/environmental sense
• reput = rotten, decayed, spoiled

For composting, terurai is usually the better word because it focuses on the material breaking down into simpler matter. Reput often sounds more like something has gone bad, become rotten, or spoiled.

So in an educational or environmental sentence, terurai is more appropriate than reput.

menjadi means to become.

So terurai menjadi kompos means decompose into compost or more literally decompose and become compost.

This is a very common pattern in Malay:

• menjadi guru = become a teacher
• menjadi merah = become red
• menjadi kompos = become compost

It links the result of the process to what the thing turns into.

Usually, keeping menjadi is best.

Lebihan makanan boleh terurai menjadi kompos clearly says that the food waste breaks down into compost.

If you remove menjadi, the sentence becomes less clear or less natural for this meaning. Menjadi is doing important work by marking the result.

So:

• boleh terurai menjadi kompos = can decompose into compost

That is the natural phrasing.

Malay does not use articles the way English does.

There is no direct equivalent required for a or the in most sentences. Nouns are often left bare unless the context needs extra clarification.

Also, Malay does not normally mark plurals the way English does. A noun can be singular or plural depending on context.

So:

• makanan can mean food in general
• kompos can mean compost in general

The sentence is making a general statement, so no article or plural marking is needed.

kompos by itself is perfectly fine and natural.

It means compost. If you want to be more explicit, you can say baja kompos, which means compost fertilizer, but that is not necessary here.

So:

• kompos = compost
• baja kompos = compost fertilizer

In your sentence, kompos alone is the normal choice.

It is natural, especially in educational, environmental, or informational contexts.

It has a slightly formal/instructional tone because of words like terurai and kompos, but it does not sound wrong or unnatural.

You might see very similar wording in:

• recycling guides
• school materials
• environmental campaigns
• composting instructions

In casual conversation, a speaker might choose a simpler or more everyday wording, but your sentence is absolutely good Malay.

Yes. A few common alternatives are:

• Sisa makanan boleh dijadikan kompos.
  This means the food waste can be made into compost. It focuses more on people processing it.

• Sisa makanan boleh mereput menjadi kompos.
  This is understandable, but mereput sounds more like rotting.

• Lebihan makanan boleh dikomposkan.
  This means food waste can be composted. It is compact and useful in environmental contexts.

Your original sentence focuses on the material decomposing into compost, while some alternatives focus more on the human action of turning it into compost.

A simple approximate pronunciation for an English speaker is:

luh-BEE-han ma-KA-nan BO-leh tuh-RUAI muh-NYA-dee KOM-pos

A few notes:

• e in lebihan is often like a relaxed uh
• boleh sounds roughly like bo-leh, not bo-lay
• terurai has three clear parts: te-ru-ai
• ng in menjadi is not pronounced like English ng here, because it is men-ja-di, not meng-

Malay pronunciation is generally quite regular, so once you know the sound of each letter or syllable pattern, it becomes much easier.