ꦨꦴꦰꦏꦮꦶ
Old Javanese (Kawi)
Austronesian (Malayo-Polynesian, Sundic) · historical / hidden variety
Old Javanese (Kawi) is the literary Austronesian language of Java's Hindu-Buddhist period (~9th-15th c. CE), used in the Mataram, Kediri, Singhasari and Majapahit empires, and the medium of the kakawin epic poetic tradition. The corpus includes the Ramayana Kakawin (~9th c., the oldest), Arjunawiwaha, Bharatayuddha, and Negarakertagama (1365). Heavy Sanskrit borrowing reflects Indianized court culture. The Kawi script (originally a Pallava-derived Brahmi) is the ancestor of modern Javanese, Balinese, Batak, Baybayin (Tagalog), Buginese and other Indonesian-Philippine indigenous scripts. After the 16th-c. Islamization of Java, Kawi survived as a literary register in Bali, where Old Javanese texts continue to be recited and copied.
Where it is spoken
31 core words in Old Javanese (Kawi)
Water
ꦮꦫꦶꦃ
/warih/
Fire
ꦄꦒ꧀ꦤꦶ
/aɡni/
Sun
ꦱꦸꦂꦪ
/suɾja/
Moon
ꦕꦤ꧀ꦢꦿ
/tʃandra/
Star
ꦭꦶꦤ꧀ꦠꦁ
/lintaŋ/
Mother
ꦆꦧꦸ
/ibu/
Father
ꦫꦩ
/rama/
I
ꦄꦏꦸ
/aku/
You
ꦏꦶꦠ
/kita/
Name
ꦔꦫꦤ꧀
/ŋaran/
Eye
ꦩꦠ
/mata/
Hand
ꦠꦔꦤ꧀
/taŋan/
Heart
ꦲꦠꦶ
/hati/
Love
ꦱꦶꦃ
/sih/
Tree
ꦏꦪꦸ
/kaju/
House
ꦈꦩꦃ
/umah/
Dog
ꦄꦱꦸ
/asu/
Cat
ꦩꦺꦴꦁ
/moŋ/
Eat
ꦄꦩꦔꦤ꧀
/amaŋan/
Drink
ꦄꦩꦶꦤꦸꦩ꧀
/aminum/
One
ꦌꦏ
/eka/
Two
ꦫ꧀ꦮ
/rwa/
Hello
ꦫꦲꦪꦸ
/rahaju/
Thank you
ꦤꦸꦮꦸꦤ꧀
/nuwun/
Good
ꦲꦪꦸ
/haju/
Sushi
ꦝꦺꦁ
/ɖeŋ/
Sources
- Zoetmulder (1982) Old Javanese-English Dictionary
- Robson (1995) Deśawarṇana (Nāgarakṛtāgama)
- Glottolog: oldj1245
Words compared
Compared with related Austronesian (Malayo-Polynesian, Sundic) languages
| Meaning | Old Javanese (Kawi) | Old Malay | Gayo | Musi | Banjar | Javanese | Ngaju |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | ꦮꦫꦶꦃ /warih/ | ayar /ajar/ | weih /weih/ | ayek /ajek/ | banyu /baɲu/ | banyu /baɲu/ | danum /danum/ |
| Fire | ꦄꦒ꧀ꦤꦶ /aɡni/ | api /api/ | rara /ɾaɾa/ | api /api/ | api /api/ | geni /ɡəni/ | apui /apui/ |
| Sun | ꦱꦸꦂꦪ /suɾja/ | matari /matari/ | matanlo /matanlo/ | matahari /matahari/ | matahari /matahari/ | srengéngé /srəŋeŋe/ | matanandau /matanandau/ |
| Moon | ꦕꦤ꧀ꦢꦿ /tʃandra/ | bulan /bulan/ | ulen /ulən/ | bulan /bulan/ | bulan /bulan/ | bulan /bulan/ | bulan /bulan/ |
| Star | ꦭꦶꦤ꧀ꦠꦁ /lintaŋ/ | bintang /bintaŋ/ | bintang /bintaŋ/ | bintang /bintaŋ/ | bintang /bintaŋ/ | lintang /lintaŋ/ | bintang /bintaŋ/ |
| Mother | ꦆꦧꦸ /ibu/ | ibu /ibu/ | ine /ine/ | mak /mak/ | uma /uma/ | ibu /ibu/ | indu /indu/ |
| Father | ꦫꦩ /rama/ | bapa /bapa/ | ama /ama/ | bapak /bapak/ | abah /abah/ | bapak /bapak/ | bapa /bapa/ |
| I | ꦄꦏꦸ /aku/ | aku /aku/ | aku /aku/ | aku /aku/ | aku /aku/ | aku /aku/ | aku /aku/ |
| You | ꦏꦶꦠ /kita/ | kamu /kamu/ | ko /ko/ | kau /kau/ | ikam /ikam/ | kowe /kowe/ | ikau /ikau/ |
| Name | ꦔꦫꦤ꧀ /ŋaran/ | ngaran /ŋaran/ | gerel /gərəl/ | namo /namo/ | ngaran /ŋaran/ | jeneng /dʒənəŋ/ | aran /aran/ |
| Eye | ꦩꦠ /mata/ | mata /mata/ | mata /mata/ | mato /mato/ | mata /mata/ | mripat /mripat/ | mate /mate/ |
| Hand | ꦠꦔꦤ꧀ /taŋan/ | tangan /taŋan/ | pumu /pumu/ | tangan /taŋan/ | tangan /taŋan/ | tangan /taŋan/ | lengen /ləŋən/ |
| Heart | ꦲꦠꦶ /hati/ | hati /hati/ | ate /ate/ | hati /hati/ | ati /ati/ | ati /ati/ | atei /atei/ |
| Love | ꦱꦶꦃ /sih/ | sayang /sajaŋ/ | kunyung /kuɲuŋ/ | sayang /sajaŋ/ | sayang /sajaŋ/ | tresna /trɛsna/ | sinta /sinta/ |
| Tree | ꦏꦪꦸ /kaju/ | kayu /kaju/ | kayu /kaju/ | kayu /kaju/ | batang /bataŋ/ | wit /wit/ | kayu /kaju/ |
| House | ꦈꦩꦃ /umah/ | rumah /rumah/ | umah /umah/ | rumah /rumah/ | rumah /rumah/ | omah /omah/ | huma /huma/ |
| Dog | ꦄꦱꦸ /asu/ | anjing /andʒiŋ/ | asu /asu/ | anjing /andʒiŋ/ | anjing /andʒiŋ/ | asu /asu/ | asu /asu/ |
| Cat | ꦩꦺꦴꦁ /moŋ/ | kucing /kutʃiŋ/ | kucing /kutʃiŋ/ | kucing /kutʃiŋ/ | pusa /pusa/ | kucing /kutʃiŋ/ | posa /posa/ |
| Eat | ꦄꦩꦔꦤ꧀ /amaŋan/ | makan /makan/ | mangan /maŋan/ | makan /makan/ | makan /makan/ | mangan /maŋan/ | kuman /kuman/ |
| Drink | ꦄꦩꦶꦤꦸꦩ꧀ /aminum/ | minum /minum/ | minum /minum/ | minum /minum/ | nginum /ŋinum/ | ngombe /ŋombe/ | mihop /mihop/ |
| One | ꦌꦏ /eka/ | sa /sa/ | sara /saɾa/ | siko /siko/ | asa /asa/ | siji /sidʒi/ | ije /ije/ |
| Two | ꦫ꧀ꦮ /rwa/ | dua /dua/ | roa /roa/ | duo /duo/ | dua /dua/ | loro /loro/ | due /ˈdue/ |
| Hello | ꦫꦲꦪꦸ /rahaju/ | — /—/ | salam /salam/ | halo /halo/ | salam /salam/ | halo /halo/ | tabea /tabea/ |
| Thank you | ꦤꦸꦮꦸꦤ꧀ /nuwun/ | — /—/ | berejen /bərədʒən/ | terimo kasih /terimo kasih/ | tarima kasih /tarima kasih/ | matur nuwun /matur nuwun/ | sahindai /sahindai/ |
| Good | ꦲꦪꦸ /haju/ | baik /baik/ | jeroh /dʒeɾoh/ | bagus /baɡus/ | bagus /baɡus/ | apik /apik/ | bahalap /bahalap/ |
| Sushi | ꦝꦺꦁ /ɖeŋ/ | pekasam /pəkasam/ | sushi /ˈsuʃi/ | sushi /ˈsuʃi/ | sushi /ˈsuʃi/ | sushi /ˈsuʃi/ | sushi /ˈsuʃi/ |
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