Kejohanan ini sangat menarik.

Malay often leaves out the verb to be in simple sentences.

So:

• Kejohanan ini = this championship / this tournament
• sangat menarik = very interesting

Malay says this more like:

• This championship very interesting

That is completely normal in Malay. You do not need a separate word for is here.

In Malay, demonstratives like ini (this) and itu (that) usually come after the noun.

So:

• kejohanan ini = this championship
• buku ini = this book
• rumah itu = that house

This is different from English, where this comes before the noun.

Kejohanan usually means championship or tournament, depending on context.

It often refers to an organized competition, especially in sports or games.

Examples:

• Kejohanan bola sepak = football championship / football tournament
• Kejohanan sekolah = school championship

So in this sentence, kejohanan ini means this championship or this tournament.

Yes. Johan means champion.

Kejohanan is a noun formed from that root, and it refers to a championship or tournament. For a learner, it is useful to recognize that Malay often forms nouns with patterns like ke-...-an.

You do not need to analyze it every time, but it helps to know that:

• johan = champion
• kejohanan = championship / tournament

Sangat means very.

It intensifies the word after it:

• menarik = interesting
• sangat menarik = very interesting

So sangat works much like very in English.

Yes. The root tarik means pull.

But menarik is very commonly used to mean interesting, attractive, or appealing. The idea is something that pulls your attention.

So in everyday Malay:

• cerita yang menarik = an interesting story
• tempat yang menarik = an interesting/attractive place

In this sentence, menarik is best understood simply as interesting.

In this sentence, menarik functions like an adjective: interesting.

Malay is flexible, and some words can behave like verbs in one context and adjectives in another. Even though menarik has a verbal form, here it describes kejohanan.

So:

• Kejohanan ini sangat menarik = This championship is very interesting

You should treat menarik here as a describing word.

Yes. Amat menarik is also correct and means almost the same thing: very interesting.

Common choices include:

• sangat menarik
• amat menarik
• sungguh menarik

In many situations, sangat menarik is the most common and natural choice for learners.

A simple learner-friendly pronunciation guide is:

• kejohanan ≈ kuh-JO-ha-nan
• ini ≈ EE-nee
• sangat ≈ SA-ngat
• menarik ≈ muh-NA-rik

A few helpful notes:

• j in Malay sounds like English j in jam
• ng in sangat is like ng in sing
• r is usually lightly rolled or tapped
• Stress in Malay is usually not as strong as in English, so try to keep the rhythm fairly even

Sometimes, yes, but competition is more general.

• kejohanan usually suggests a championship or a major organized contest
• pertandingan is often the more general word for competition or match/contest

So for Kejohanan ini sangat menarik, This championship is very interesting is usually the best translation, though This tournament is very interesting can also fit depending on context.