ᨅᨔ ᨆᨀᨔᨑ
Makassarese
Austronesian (South Sulawesi)
Makassarese (Basa Mangkasarak) is the language of the Makassar people of South Sulawesi, Indonesia (around the city of Makassar), with ~2M speakers. Part of the South Sulawesi subgroup of Austronesian, it is closely related to Buginese (with which it shares the Lontara script). The Lontara script is a Brahmic abugida traditionally used for both Buginese and Makassarese, with 23 basic characters representing CV syllables. Makassarese was the language of the historical Sultanate of Gowa (15th–17th c.), a major maritime power in eastern Indonesia that traded with the Portuguese, Dutch, and Spanish. Today written in both Lontara (cultural/traditional) and Latin (educational/everyday).
Where it is spoken
20 core words in Makassarese
Water
jene
/ˈdʒene/
Fire
pepe'
/ˈpepeʔ/
Sun
mata allo
/mata ˈʔallo/
Moon
bulang
/buˈlaŋ/
Mother
amma'
/ˈʔammaʔ/
Father
bapa'
/ˈbapaʔ/
Eat
angnganre
/ʔaŋˈŋanɾe/
Drink
angnginung
/ʔaŋˈŋinuŋ/
Love
mangngai
/maŋˈŋai/
Heart
ati
/ˈʔati/
Tree
poko' kayu
/pokoʔ kaˈju/
House
balla'
/ˈballaʔ/
Dog
kongkong
/koŋˈkoŋ/
Cat
ngeong
/ŋeˈʔoŋ/
Hand
lima
/liˈma/
Eye
mata
/maˈta/
Hello
salama'
/saˈlamaʔ/
Thank you
tarima kasi
/taɾima ˈkasi/
One
se're
/ˈseʔɾe/
Good
baji'
/ˈbadʒiʔ/
Sources
Words compared
Compared with related Austronesian (South Sulawesi) languages
| Meaning | Makassarese | Maguindanao | Papuan Malay | Pangasinan | Kapampangan | Sasak | Gorontalo |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | jene /ˈdʒene/ | ig /ʔiɡ/ | air /aer/ | danum /daˈnum/ | danum /daˈnum/ | aiq /aiʔ/ | taluhu /taˈluhu/ |
| Fire | pepe' /ˈpepeʔ/ | apoy /ʔaˈpoj/ | api /ˈapi/ | apoy /ˈʔapoj/ | api /ʔaˈpi/ | api /api/ | tulu /ˈtulu/ |
| Sun | mata allo /mata ˈʔallo/ | senang /seˈnaŋ/ | matahari /mataˈhari/ | agew /ˈʔaɡəw/ | aldo /ʔalˈdoʔ/ | mataari /mataari/ | mata lo dulahu /mata lo duˈlahu/ |
| Moon | bulang /buˈlaŋ/ | bulan /buˈlan/ | bulan /ˈbulan/ | bulan /buˈlan/ | bulan /buˈlan/ | bulan /bulan/ | hulalo /huˈlalo/ |
| Mother | amma' /ˈʔammaʔ/ | ina /ˈʔina/ | mama /ˈmama/ | ina /ˈʔina/ | ima /ˈʔimaʔ/ | inaq /inaʔ/ | ti mama /ti ˈmama/ |
| Father | bapa' /ˈbapaʔ/ | ama /ˈʔama/ | bapa /ˈbapa/ | ama /ˈʔama/ | tata /ˈtataʔ/ | amaq /amaʔ/ | ti papa /ti ˈpapa/ |
| Eat | angnganre /ʔaŋˈŋanɾe/ | kakan /kaˈkan/ | makan /ˈmakan/ | mangan /maˈŋan/ | mangan /maˈŋan/ | mangan /maŋan/ | monga /ˈmoŋa/ |
| Drink | angnginung /ʔaŋˈŋinuŋ/ | inum /ʔiˈnum/ | minum /ˈminum/ | oninum /ʔoˈninum/ | minum /miˈnum/ | nginem /ŋinəm/ | mongilu /moˈŋilu/ |
| Love | mangngai /maŋˈŋai/ | kalini /kaˈlini/ | sayang /ˈsajaŋ/ | aro /ˈʔaɾo/ | lugud /luˈɡud/ | tresne /tresne/ | otoliangu /ʔotoliˈʔaŋu/ |
| Heart | ati /ˈʔati/ | pusong /puˈsoŋ/ | hati /ˈhati/ | puso /ˈpuso/ | pusu /ˈpusuʔ/ | ate /ate/ | hilao /hiˈlaʔo/ |
| Tree | poko' kayu /pokoʔ kaˈju/ | kayu /kaˈju/ | pohon /ˈpohon/ | kiew /ˈkiəw/ | dutung /duˈtuŋ/ | lolon kayu /lolon kaju/ | ayu /ˈʔaju/ |
| House | balla' /ˈballaʔ/ | walay /waˈlaj/ | rumah /ˈrumah/ | abong /ˈʔaboŋ/ | bale /baˈleʔ/ | bale /bale/ | bele /ˈbele/ |
| Dog | kongkong /koŋˈkoŋ/ | aso /ˈʔaso/ | anjing /ˈandʒiŋ/ | aso /ˈʔaso/ | asu /ˈʔasu/ | aco /atʃo/ | apula /ʔaˈpula/ |
| Cat | ngeong /ŋeˈʔoŋ/ | kuting /kuˈtiŋ/ | kucing /ˈkutʃiŋ/ | pusa /ˈpusa/ | pusa /ˈpusaʔ/ | meong /meoŋ/ | tete /ˈtete/ |
| Hand | lima /liˈma/ | lima /liˈma/ | tangan /ˈtaŋan/ | lima /liˈma/ | gamat /ɡaˈmat/ | ime /ime/ | olu'u /ʔoluˈʔu/ |
| Eye | mata /maˈta/ | mata /maˈta/ | mata /ˈmata/ | mata /maˈta/ | mata /maˈtaʔ/ | mate /mate/ | mato /ˈmato/ |
| Hello | salama' /saˈlamaʔ/ | assalamu alaikum /assaˈlamu ʔaˈlajkum/ | halo /ˈhalo/ | maabig ya agew /maˈʔabiɡ ja ˈʔaɡəw/ | kumusta /kuˈmusta/ | salam /salam/ | assalamu alaikum /assaˈlamu ʔaˈlajkum/ |
| Thank you | tarima kasi /taɾima ˈkasi/ | sukran /ˈsukɾan/ | terima kasih /təˈrima ˈkasih/ | salamat /saˈlamat/ | dakal a salamat /dakal a saˈlamat/ | tampi asih /tampi asih/ | terima kasih /teɾima ˈkasih/ |
| One | se're /ˈseʔɾe/ | isa /ˈʔisa/ | satu /ˈsatu/ | sakey /saˈkəj/ | metung /meˈtuŋ/ | esa /esa/ | tuwau /tuˈwaʔu/ |
| Good | baji' /ˈbadʒiʔ/ | mapiya /maˈpija/ | bae /ˈbae/ | maong /maˈʔoŋ/ | mayap /maˈjap/ | solah /solah/ | mopiyohu /mopiˈjohu/ |
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