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
31 core words in Makassarese
Water
je'ne'
/ˈdʒeʔneʔ/
Fire
pepe'
/ˈpepeʔ/
Sun
mata allo
/mata ˈʔallo/
Moon
bulang
/buˈlaŋ/
Star
bintoeng
/bintoeŋ/
Mother
amma'
/ˈʔammaʔ/
Father
bapa'
/ˈbapaʔ/
I
nakke
/naʔke/
You
ikau
/ikau/
Name
areng
/areŋ/
Eye
mata
/maˈta/
Hand
lima
/liˈma/
Heart
ati
/ˈʔati/
Love
mangngai
/maŋˈŋai/
Tree
poko' kayu
/pokoʔ kaˈju/
House
balla'
/ˈballaʔ/
Dog
kongkong
/koŋˈkoŋ/
Cat
ngeong
/ŋeˈʔoŋ/
Eat
angnganre
/ʔaŋˈŋanɾe/
Drink
angnginung
/ʔaŋˈŋinuŋ/
One
se're
/ˈseʔɾe/
Two
rua
/ruwa/
Hello
salama'
/saˈlamaʔ/
Thank you
tarima kasi
/taɾima ˈkasi/
Good
baji'
/ˈbadʒiʔ/
Computer
komputer
/komˈputər/
Sushi
sushi
/suˈsi/
Sources
Words compared
Compared with related Austronesian (South Sulawesi) languages
| Meaning | Makassarese | Maguindanao | Buginese | Papuan Malay | Pangasinan | Sasak | Lampung |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | je'ne' /ˈdʒeʔneʔ/ | ig /ʔiɡ/ | wae /wae/ | air /aer/ | danum /daˈnum/ | aiq /aiʔ/ | way /waj/ |
| Fire | pepe' /ˈpepeʔ/ | apoy /ʔaˈpoj/ | api /api/ | api /ˈapi/ | apoy /ˈʔapoj/ | api /api/ | apui /apui/ |
| Sun | mata allo /mata ˈʔallo/ | senang /seˈnaŋ/ | mata esso /mata esːo/ | matahari /mataˈhari/ | agew /ˈʔaɡəw/ | mataari /mataari/ | matarani /matarani/ |
| Moon | bulang /buˈlaŋ/ | bulan /buˈlan/ | uleng /uleŋ/ | bulan /ˈbulan/ | bulan /buˈlan/ | bulan /bulan/ | bulan /bulan/ |
| Star | bintoeng /bintoeŋ/ | bituon /bituʔon/ | wittoing /wittoeŋ/ | bintang /bintaŋ/ | bitewen /bitewɛn/ | bintang /bintaŋ/ | bintang /bintaŋ/ |
| Mother | amma' /ˈʔammaʔ/ | ina /ˈʔina/ | indo /indo/ | mama /ˈmama/ | ina /ˈʔina/ | inaq /inaʔ/ | ina /ina/ |
| Father | bapa' /ˈbapaʔ/ | ama /ˈʔama/ | ambo /ambo/ | bapa /ˈbapa/ | ama /ˈʔama/ | amaq /amaʔ/ | bak /baʔ/ |
| I | nakke /naʔke/ | saki /saki/ | iyya' /ijːaʔ/ | sa /sa/ | siak /siʔak/ | aku /aku/ | nyak /ɲaʔ/ |
| You | ikau /ikau/ | seka /səka/ | iko /iko/ | ko /ko/ | sika /sika/ | side /sidə/ | niku /niku/ |
| Name | areng /areŋ/ | ngala /ŋala/ | aseng /asəŋ/ | nama /nama/ | ngaran /ŋaran/ | aran /aran/ | gelagh /ɡəlaʁ/ |
| Eye | mata /maˈta/ | mata /maˈta/ | mata /mata/ | mata /ˈmata/ | mata /maˈta/ | mate /mate/ | mata /mata/ |
| Hand | lima /liˈma/ | lima /liˈma/ | lima /lima/ | tangan /ˈtaŋan/ | lima /liˈma/ | ime /ime/ | pungow /puŋow/ |
| Heart | ati /ˈʔati/ | pusong /puˈsoŋ/ | ati /ati/ | hati /ˈhati/ | puso /ˈpuso/ | ate /ate/ | hati /hati/ |
| Love | mangngai /maŋˈŋai/ | kalini /kaˈlini/ | poji /podʒi/ | sayang /ˈsajaŋ/ | aro /ˈʔaɾo/ | tresne /tresne/ | cinta /tʃinta/ |
| Tree | poko' kayu /pokoʔ kaˈju/ | kayu /kaˈju/ | aju /adʒu/ | pohon /ˈpohon/ | kiew /ˈkiəw/ | lolon kayu /lolon kaju/ | batang kayu /bataŋ kaju/ |
| House | balla' /ˈballaʔ/ | walay /waˈlaj/ | bola /bola/ | rumah /ˈrumah/ | abong /ˈʔaboŋ/ | bale /bale/ | lamban /lamban/ |
| Dog | kongkong /koŋˈkoŋ/ | aso /ˈʔaso/ | asu /asu/ | anjing /ˈandʒiŋ/ | aso /ˈʔaso/ | aco /atʃo/ | asu /asu/ |
| Cat | ngeong /ŋeˈʔoŋ/ | kuting /kuˈtiŋ/ | meong /meoŋ/ | kucing /ˈkutʃiŋ/ | pusa /ˈpusa/ | meong /meoŋ/ | kucing /kutʃiŋ/ |
| Eat | angnganre /ʔaŋˈŋanɾe/ | kakan /kaˈkan/ | mandre /mandɾe/ | makan /ˈmakan/ | mangan /maˈŋan/ | mangan /maŋan/ | nganik /ŋanik/ |
| Drink | angnginung /ʔaŋˈŋinuŋ/ | inum /ʔiˈnum/ | minung /minuŋ/ | minum /ˈminum/ | oninum /ʔoˈninum/ | nginem /ŋinəm/ | nginum /ŋinum/ |
| One | se're /ˈseʔɾe/ | isa /ˈʔisa/ | séddi /sedːi/ | satu /ˈsatu/ | sakey /saˈkəj/ | esa /esa/ | sai /sai/ |
| Two | rua /ruwa/ | dua /duwa/ | dua /duwa/ | dua /dua/ | dua /duʔa/ | due /duə/ | rua /ruwa/ |
| Hello | salama' /saˈlamaʔ/ | assalamu alaikum /assaˈlamu ʔaˈlajkum/ | tabe' /tabeʔ/ | halo /ˈhalo/ | maabig ya agew /maˈʔabiɡ ja ˈʔaɡəw/ | salam /salam/ | tabik /tabik/ |
| Thank you | tarima kasi /taɾima ˈkasi/ | sukran /ˈsukɾan/ | kurru sumange /kurːu sumaŋe/ | terima kasih /təˈrima ˈkasih/ | salamat /saˈlamat/ | tampi asih /tampi asih/ | tarima kasih /tarima kasih/ |
| Good | baji' /ˈbadʒiʔ/ | mapiya /maˈpija/ | makanja /makandʒa/ | bae /ˈbae/ | maong /maˈʔoŋ/ | solah /solah/ | hayep /hajep/ |
| Computer | komputer /komˈputər/ | kompyuter /komˈpjutɛr/ | komputer /komˈputər/ | komputer /komˈputer/ | kompyuter /komˈpjutɛr/ | komputer /komˈputər/ | komputer /komˈputər/ |
| Sushi | sushi /suˈsi/ | sushi /ˈsuʃi/ | sushi /suˈsi/ | sushi /ˈsuʃi/ | sushi /ˈsuʃi/ | sushi /ˈsuʃi/ | sushi /ˈsuʃi/ |
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