ꦧꦱꦗꦮ
Javanese
Austronesian
Javanese (basa Jawa) is the largest Austronesian language by native speakers, with ~98M speakers, primarily in central and eastern Java, Indonesia (Yogyakarta and Surakarta as cultural centers), with significant diaspora in Suriname, New Caledonia, and Malaysia. Famous for its three-tier speech-level (krama) system reflecting social hierarchy: ngoko (informal, used among intimates), madya (middle, semi-formal), krama (high formal, used to elders/strangers), with krama inggil as a deferential register for highest-status addressees including royalty. Choosing the wrong register is a major social misstep. Has a literary tradition dating to the 9th c. (Old Javanese / Kawi) with classics like the Ramayana Kakawin and the 18th-c. Babad Tanah Jawi chronicle. Originally written in the Brahmic-derived Javanese script (Hanacaraka, ꦲꦤꦕꦫꦏ), now widely written in Latin script (basa Jawa modern). Co-developed pegon (Arabic-script) for Islamic contexts.
Where it is spoken
31 core words in Javanese
Water
banyu
/baɲu/
Fire
geni
/ɡəni/
Sun
srengéngé
/srəŋeŋe/
Moon
bulan
/bulan/
Star
lintang
/lintaŋ/
Mother
ibu
/ibu/
Father
bapak
/bapak/
I
aku
/aku/
You
kowe
/kowe/
Name
jeneng
/dʒənəŋ/
Eye
mripat
/mripat/
Hand
tangan
/taŋan/
Heart
ati
/ati/
Love
tresna
/trɛsna/
Tree
wit
/wit/
House
omah
/omah/
Dog
asu
/asu/
Cat
kucing
/kutʃiŋ/
Eat
mangan
/maŋan/
Drink
ngombe
/ŋombe/
One
siji
/sidʒi/
Two
loro
/loro/
Hello
halo
/halo/
Thank you
matur nuwun
/matur nuwun/
Good
apik
/apik/
Cuckoo
kedhasih
/kəˈɖasih/
Computer
komputer
/kɔmˈputər/
Sushi
sushi
/ˈsuʃi/
Dopamine
dopamin
/dopaˈmin/
Words compared
Compared with related Austronesian languages
| Meaning | Javanese | Caribbean Javanese | Musi | Indonesian | Gayo | Malay | Banjar |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | banyu /baɲu/ | banyu /baɲu/ | ayek /ajek/ | air /ˈa.ir/ | weih /weih/ | air /ˈa.ir/ | banyu /baɲu/ |
| Fire | geni /ɡəni/ | geni /ɡəni/ | api /api/ | api /api/ | rara /ɾaɾa/ | api /api/ | api /api/ |
| Sun | srengéngé /srəŋeŋe/ | srengéngé /srəŋeŋe/ | matahari /matahari/ | matahari /matahari/ | matanlo /matanlo/ | matahari /matahari/ | matahari /matahari/ |
| Moon | bulan /bulan/ | rembulan /rəmbulan/ | bulan /bulan/ | bulan /bulan/ | ulen /ulən/ | bulan /bulan/ | bulan /bulan/ |
| Star | lintang /lintaŋ/ | lintang /lintaŋ/ | bintang /bintaŋ/ | bintang /bintaŋ/ | bintang /bintaŋ/ | bintang /bintaŋ/ | bintang /bintaŋ/ |
| Mother | ibu /ibu/ | mbok /mbɔʔ/ | mak /mak/ | ibu /ibu/ | ine /ine/ | ibu /ibu/ | uma /uma/ |
| Father | bapak /bapak/ | pak /paʔ/ | bapak /bapak/ | ayah /ajah/ | ama /ama/ | ayah /ajah/ | abah /abah/ |
| I | aku /aku/ | aku /aku/ | aku /aku/ | saya /saja/ | aku /aku/ | saya /saja/ | aku /aku/ |
| You | kowe /kowe/ | kowe /kɔwe/ | kau /kau/ | kamu /kamu/ | ko /ko/ | awak /awaʔ/ | ikam /ikam/ |
| Name | jeneng /dʒənəŋ/ | jeneng /dʒənəŋ/ | namo /namo/ | nama /nama/ | gerel /gərəl/ | nama /nama/ | ngaran /ŋaran/ |
| Eye | mripat /mripat/ | mripat /mripat/ | mato /mato/ | mata /mata/ | mata /mata/ | mata /mata/ | mata /mata/ |
| Hand | tangan /taŋan/ | tangan /taŋan/ | tangan /taŋan/ | tangan /taŋan/ | pumu /pumu/ | tangan /taŋan/ | tangan /taŋan/ |
| Heart | ati /ati/ | ati /ati/ | hati /hati/ | hati /hati/ | ate /ate/ | hati /hati/ | ati /ati/ |
| Love | tresna /trɛsna/ | tresno /trɛsno/ | sayang /sajaŋ/ | cinta /tʃinta/ | kunyung /kuɲuŋ/ | cinta /tʃinta/ | sayang /sajaŋ/ |
| Tree | wit /wit/ | wit /wit/ | kayu /kaju/ | pohon /pohon/ | kayu /kaju/ | pokok /pokoʔ/ | batang /bataŋ/ |
| House | omah /omah/ | omah /omah/ | rumah /rumah/ | rumah /rumah/ | umah /umah/ | rumah /rumah/ | rumah /rumah/ |
| Dog | asu /asu/ | asu /asu/ | anjing /andʒiŋ/ | anjing /andʒiŋ/ | asu /asu/ | anjing /andʒiŋ/ | anjing /andʒiŋ/ |
| Cat | kucing /kutʃiŋ/ | kucing /kutʃiŋ/ | kucing /kutʃiŋ/ | kucing /kutʃiŋ/ | kucing /kutʃiŋ/ | kucing /kutʃiŋ/ | pusa /pusa/ |
| Eat | mangan /maŋan/ | mangan /maŋan/ | makan /makan/ | makan /makan/ | mangan /maŋan/ | makan /makan/ | makan /makan/ |
| Drink | ngombe /ŋombe/ | ngombé /ŋombe/ | minum /minum/ | minum /minum/ | minum /minum/ | minum /minum/ | nginum /ŋinum/ |
| One | siji /sidʒi/ | siji /sidʒi/ | siko /siko/ | satu /satu/ | sara /saɾa/ | satu /satu/ | asa /asa/ |
| Two | loro /loro/ | loro /lɔrɔ/ | duo /duo/ | dua /dua/ | roa /roa/ | dua /dua/ | dua /dua/ |
| Hello | halo /halo/ | halo /halo/ | halo /halo/ | halo /ˈhalo/ | salam /salam/ | hai /hai/ | salam /salam/ |
| Thank you | matur nuwun /matur nuwun/ | matur nuwun /matur nuwun/ | terimo kasih /terimo kasih/ | terima kasih /tərima kasih/ | berejen /bərədʒən/ | terima kasih /tərima kasih/ | tarima kasih /tarima kasih/ |
| Good | apik /apik/ | apik /apik/ | bagus /baɡus/ | baik /baiʔ/ | jeroh /dʒeɾoh/ | baik /baiʔ/ | bagus /baɡus/ |
| Cuckoo | kedhasih /kəˈɖasih/ | — | — | kangkok /ˈkaŋkɔʔ/ | — | sewah /ˈsewah/ | bubut /ˈbubut/ |
| Computer | komputer /kɔmˈputər/ | — | komputer /komˈputər/ | komputer /kɔmˈputər/ | komputer /komˈputər/ | komputer /kɔmˈpu.tə(r)/ | komputer /komˈputər/ |
| Sushi | sushi /ˈsuʃi/ | — | sushi /ˈsuʃi/ | susyi /su.ʃi/ | sushi /ˈsuʃi/ | susyi /suʃi/ | sushi /ˈsuʃi/ |
| Dopamine | dopamin /dopaˈmin/ | — | — | dopamin /dopaˈmin/ | — | dopamin /dopaˈmin/ | — |
Word order compared
Compare with major world languages
Compare with closely-related languages
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