Kisah itu menarik.

In Malay, demonstratives like ini and itu usually come after the noun.

So:

• kisah itu = that story
• buku ini = this book

This is normal Malay word order. English puts that before the noun, but Malay puts itu after it.

In this sentence, itu most naturally means that.

So kisah itu means that story.

Depending on context, itu can sometimes feel a bit like the, especially when the speaker is referring to something already known. But for a beginner, that is the clearest meaning to remember here.

Malay often leaves out the verb to be when describing something.

So:

• Kisah itu menarik. = That story is interesting.

There is no separate word for is here. This is completely normal in Malay.

A very common pattern is:

• noun + adjective

For example:

• Rumah itu besar. = That house is big.
• Makanan ini sedap. = This food is delicious.

In this sentence, menarik works like an adjective, meaning interesting or attractive.

However, the word is historically related to the verb tarik, which means pull. Because of that, menarik can also have a verbal sense in other contexts, like to attract.

Here, though, in Kisah itu menarik, the natural meaning is simply:

• The story is interesting.

Because in Malay, the normal noun phrase order is:

• noun + demonstrative

So:

• kisah itu = that story

Not:

• itu kisah

The form itu kisah would not be the normal way to say that story.

Kisah does mean story, tale, or account, but it can sound a little more literary or narrative than cerita, which is also very common for story.

So:

• kisah = story, tale, account
• cerita = story, narrative, also very common in everyday speech

Both can work in many contexts.
For example:

• Kisah itu menarik.
• Cerita itu menarik.

Both are natural, though kisah may feel slightly more book-like or formal depending on context.

A simple approximation is:

• Kisah → kee-sah
• itu → ee-too
• menarik → muh-nah-reek

So the whole sentence is roughly:

• kee-sah ee-too muh-nah-reek

A few pronunciation notes:

• k is usually clearly pronounced
• r in Malay is typically tapped or rolled lightly
• vowels are generally pronounced more consistently than in English

Yes. Menarik can mean interesting, attractive, or appealing, depending on context.

Examples:

• Cerita itu menarik. = That story is interesting.
• Tempat itu menarik. = That place is attractive/interesting.

In your sentence, interesting is the most natural translation.

You can add tidak before menarik:

• Kisah itu tidak menarik. = That story is not interesting.

This is the normal way to negate an adjective in Malay.

A common formal way is:

• Adakah kisah itu menarik? = Is that story interesting?

In casual speech, Malay speakers may also rely on intonation:

• Kisah itu menarik?

So yes, you can often make it a question just by using question intonation, especially in conversation.