ꦧꦱꦗꦮ

Javanese

Austronesian

FamilyAustronesian Speakers~98M ScriptLatin / Javanese CountriesIndonesia Official inNo (regional) Vitalitysafe ISO 639-3jav

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

20 core words in Javanese

Water

banyu

/banju/

Fire

geni

/ɡəni/

Sun

srengéngé

/srəŋeŋe/

Moon

bulan

/bulan/

Mother

ibu

/ibu/

Father

bapak

/bapak/

Eat

mangan

/maŋan/

Drink

ngombe

/ŋombe/

Love

tresna

/trɛsna/

Heart

ati

/ati/

Tree

wit

/wit/

House

omah

/omah/

Dog

asu

/asu/

Cat

kucing

/kutʃiŋ/

Hand

tangan

/taŋan/

Eye

mripat

/mripat/

Hello

halo

/halo/

Thank you

matur nuwun

/matur nuwun/

One

siji

/sidʒi/

Good

apik

/apik/

Words compared

Compared with related Austronesian languages

Meaning JavaneseCaribbean JavaneseIndonesianMalayMusiOld Javanese (Kawi)Old Malay
Water banyu /banju/ banyu /baɲu/ air /ˈa.ir/ air /ˈa.ir/ ayek /ajek/ ꦮꦫꦶꦃ /warih/ ayar /ajar/
Fire geni /ɡəni/ geni /ɡəni/ api /api/ api /api/ api /api/ ꦄꦒ꧀ꦤꦶ /aɡni/ api /api/
Sun srengéngé /srəŋeŋe/ srengéngé /srəŋeŋe/ matahari /matahari/ matahari /matahari/ matahari /matahari/ ꦱꦸꦂꦪ /suɾja/ matari /matari/
Moon bulan /bulan/ rembulan /rəmbulan/ bulan /bulan/ bulan /bulan/ bulan /bulan/ ꦕꦤ꧀ꦢꦿ /tʃandra/ bulan /bulan/
Mother ibu /ibu/ mbok /mbɔʔ/ ibu /ibu/ ibu /ibu/ mak /mak/ ꦆꦧꦸ /ibu/ ibu /ibu/
Father bapak /bapak/ pak /paʔ/ ayah /ajah/ ayah /ajah/ bapak /bapak/ ꦫꦩ /rama/ bapa /bapa/
Eat mangan /maŋan/ mangan /maŋan/ makan /makan/ makan /makan/ makan /makan/ ꦄꦩꦔꦤ꧀ /amaŋan/ makan /makan/
Drink ngombe /ŋombe/ ngombé /ŋombe/ minum /minum/ minum /minum/ minum /minum/ ꦄꦩꦶꦤꦸꦩ꧀ /aminum/ minum /minum/
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Word order compared

Compare with major world languages

Javanese
Aku pengen nyoba jas sing aku delok neng toko ngarep hotel
أنا أريد أن أجرب بدلة رأيتها في محل مقابل الفندق
试穿 酒店 对面的 商店 看到的 那套西装
I want to try on a suit I saw ‌in a shop across from the hotel
Ich möchte einen Anzug anprobieren den ich in einem Geschäft gegenüber vom Hotel gesehen habe
मैं होटल के सामने एक दुकान में देखा सूट को पहनकर देखना चाहता हूँ
私は ホテルの 向かいの お店 見た スーツを 試着 したいです
Я хочу примерить костюм который я увидел в магазине напротив отеля

Compare with closely-related languages

Gusto nako sulayan ang suit nga nakita nako sa tindahan atbang sa hotel
Au via vakatovolei e dua na ivakatagedegede ka au raica e na sitoa e na otela
Makemake au e hoʻāʻo i kahi kamaʻa aʻu i ʻike ai ma kahi hale kūʻai ma mua o ka hōkele
Kayatko a padasan ti suit a nakitak iti tiendaan sangbay ti hotel
Javanese
Aku pengen nyoba jas sing aku delok neng toko ngarep hotel

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