2020/8/15 Javanese alphabet, pronunciation and language

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Javanese alphabet (Carakan)

The earliest known writing in Javanese dates from the 4th Century AD, at
which time Javanese was written with the Pallava alphabet. By the 10th Century the Kawi alphabet, which
developed from Pallava, had a distinct Javanese form.

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For a period from the 15th century onwards, Javanese was also written with a version of the Arabic alphabet,
called pegon (ٙ ‫ﭬﻲ‬ٙ ٙ ‫)ن ݢ‬.

By the 17th Century, the Javanese alphabet had developed into its current form. During the Japanese
occupation of Indonesia between 1942 and 1945, the alphabet was prohibited.

Since the Dutch introduced the Latin alphabet to Indonesia in the 19th Century, the Javanese alphabet has
gradually been supplanted. Today it is used almost exclusively by scholars and for decoration. Those who can
read and write it are held in high esteem.

Notable features
Type of writing system: syllabic alphabet - each letter has an inherent vowel /a/. Other vowels can be
indicated using a variety of diacritics which appear above, below, in front of or after the main letter.
Direction of writing: left to right in horizontal lines
The Javanese alphabet consists of akṣara (letters), saṇḍangan (diacritics), wilangan (numerals), and pada
(punctuation).
The akṣara (letters) consist of akṣara wyanyjana (consonants) and akṣara swara (vowels); the saṇḍangan
(diacritics) consist of saṇḍangan swara (vowel diacritics), saṇḍangan panyigeging wanda (sound killers), and
saṇḍangan wyanyjana (semivowel diacritics).
Each consonants has two forms: the akṣara form is used at the beginning of a syllable, while the pasangan
form is used for the second consonant of a consonant cluster and mutes the vowel of the akṣara.
There are a number of consonants letters called akṣara murda or akṣara gêḍe (great or important letters)
which are used for honorific purposes, such as to write the names of respected people. There are also a
number of additional consonant letters to represent foreign sounds called akṣara rekan.
The order of the carakan consonants makes the following saying, "Hana caraka, data sawala, paḍa jayanya,
maga baṭanga," which means, "There were (two) emissaries, they began to fight, their valor was equal, they
both fell dead."

Used to write:
Javanese (baṣa Jawa), an Austronesian language spoken by about 80 million people in Indonesia and
Suriname. In Indonesia Javanese is spoken in Java, particularly in central and east Java, and on the north
coast of West Java, and in Madura, Bali, Lombok, and in the Sunda region of West Java. The Javanese
alphabet also can be used to write old Javanese.

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Javanese was used as the court language in Palembang, South Sumatra until the late 18th century and has
been used as a literary language for over a millenium. It currently has no official status though is recognised
as a regional language in Central Java, Yogyakarta, and East Java. It is taught in some schools, and there are
some radio and TV programmes in Javanese, as well as a number of magazines. The Javanese alphabet was
also used to write Balinese and Sundanese, but has been replaced by the Latin alphabet.

Also used to write Sundanese and Madurese.

The Javanese alphabet

Akṣara Wyanyjana (Consonants)
Akṣara Carakan and Pasangan

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Notes
The pasangan (final consonants) are shown in red and are used at the ends of syllables.
ḍa [ɖa] and ṭa [ʈa] are usually written dha and tha. ḍa and ṭa are used here to differentiate dha [ɖa] and tha
[ʈa] in modern Javanese and dha [d̪ha] and tha [t̪ha] in old Javanese.

Akṣara murda consonants

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The pasangan (final consonants) are shown in red. ka, ta, pa, ga and ba are most commonly used. The others
are rarely used.

Akṣara for writing Old Javanese

To write old Javanese some of the letters are aspirated. The arrangement of consonants is based on standard
Sanskrit.

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Akṣara Rekan (additional consonants)

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Vowels and vowel diacritics (Akṣara Swara & Saṇḍangan Swara)

Note: rê, rêu, lê, and lêu are also treated as consonants. So they have pasangan:

The long vowels (ā, êu, ī, ai, rêu, lêu, ū, and au) are no longer used in modern Javanese, but just for special
purposes like writing old Javanese and transliterating foreign sounds.

Numerals (Wilangan)

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The first line of numbers are native Javanese ones; the second line of number are adapted from Sanskrit.

Punctuation (Pada)

Sample text in the Javanese alphabet

Text provided by Aditya Bayu, with corrections by Hafidh Ihromi and Arif Budiarto

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Transliteration
Sabên wong kalairake kaṇṭi mardika lan darbe martabat lan hak-hak kang paḍa. Kabeh pinaringan akal lan
kalbu sarta kaajab pasrawungan anggone mêmitran siji lan sijine kaṇṭi jiwa sumadulur.

Translation
All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience
and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.
(Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights)

Another sample text in the Javanese alphabet (Lord's prayer)

Transliteration
Rama kaula ingkang wonten ing swarga. Wasta Sampeyan dadosa suci. Sajaman Sampeyan rawuha. Kars
Sampean dadosa ying bumi kados ing swarga. Rejeki kaula kang sadinten-dinten sukani dinten puniki maring
kaula. Ambi puntan maring kaula dosa kaula, kados kaula puntan maring satunggil-tunggil tiyang kang salah
maring kaula. Ami sampun bekta kaula ing percoban. Tapi cuculaken kaula bari pada sang awon. Sabab
sajamana ambi kowasa sarta kamukten Gusti kagunganipun dumugi ing awet. Amin.

Latin alphabet for Javanese

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Javanese pronunciation

Notes
In some older texts the letters ṇ, ś, ṣ, ḍ and ṭ are used. In more modern texts the letters n, s, dh and th are
used instead.
The letters f, q, v, x, and z are used in loanwords from European languages and Arabic.

Sample text in Javanese

Saben uwong kalairake kanthi mardika lan darbe martabat lan hak-hak kang padha. Kabeh pinaringan akal lan
kalbu sarta kaajab pasrawungan anggone memitran siji lan sijine kanthi jiwo sumadulur.

Hear a recording of this text

0:00

Translation
All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience
and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.

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(Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights)

َ )
Arabic alphabet for Javanese (Pegon / ‫ﭬﯿ َﻮن‬

Download an alphabet charts for Javanese in Excel or PDF format

Information, corrections and additions provided by Wolfram Siegel, Nurrahim Dwi Saputra and Michael Peter
Füstumum

Sample videos in Javanese

WIKITONGUES: Nila speaking Javanese

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WIKITONGUES: Rama speaking Javanese

Information about Javanese | Phrases | Numbers | Family words | Tower of Babel | Learning materials

Links
Information about Javanese
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Javanese_language
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Javanese_script
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Javanische_Sprache
https://jv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Éjaan_Basa_Jawa http://www.joglosemar.co.id/hanacaraka/hanacaraka.html
http://geonames.de/alphfj.html;
http://glottolog.org/resource/languoid/id/java1254
https://www.ethnologue.com/language/jav
http://www.joglosemar.co.id/hanacaraka/hanacaraka.html
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pegon
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pegon_script

Online Javanese lessons

http://www.seasite.niu.edu/Indonesian/jawa/jawa.htm

The Official Site of Akṣara Jawa - free fonts and a tutorial on how to write with the Javanese alphabet (in
Javanese and Indonesian)
http://hanacaraka.fateback.com

Javanese fonts
http://www.adjisaka.com
https://sites.google.com/site/jawaunicode/main-page
http://www.reocities.com/jglavy/asian.html

Malayo-Polynesian languages
Amarasi, Anuki, Araki, Balinese, Barai, Batak, Bima, Bugis, Bushi, Cham, Chamorro, Chru, Cia-Cia, Dawan,
Dhao, Duri, Ende-Li'o, Fijian, Galoli, Hawu, Hoava, Iban, Indonesian, Jarai, Javanese, Kerinci, Lampung, Ledo
Kaili, Madurese, Makasarese, Malagasy, Malay, Mandar, Manggarainese, Mbula, Minangkabau, Moronene,
Mualang, Muna, Musi, Ndrumbea, Nias, Paicî, Palauan, Rade, Sasak, Sumbawa, Sundanese, Tetum, Tii, Tolaki,
Toqabaqita, Toraja-Sa'dan, Wandamen, Western Rote, Xârâcùù, Yakan
Languages written with the Latin alphabet

Syllabic alphabets / abugidas

Ahom, Badaga, Balinese, Batak, Baybayin (Tagalog), Bengali, Bilang-bilang, Bima, Blackfoot, Brahmi, Buhid,
Burmese, Carrier, Chakma, Cham, Cree, Dehong Dai, Devanagari, Ditema, Dives Akuru, Ethiopic, Evēla Akuru,
Fraser, Gondi, Goykanadi, Grantha, Gujarati, Gupta, Gurmukhi, Hanifi, Hanuno'o, Ibalnan, Inuktitut, Javanese,
Jenticha, Kaithi, Kadamba, Kannada, Kawi, Kerinci, Kharosthi, Khmer, Khojki, Kulitan, Lampung, Lanna, Lao,
Lepcha, Limbu, Lontara/Makasar, Lota Ende, Malayalam, Manpuri, Meroïtic, Modi, Mon, Mongolian Horizontal
Square Script, Nandinagari, Newa, Ojibwe, Odia, Pahawh Hmong, Pallava, Phags-pa, Ranjana, Redjang,
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Sasak, Satera Jontal, Shan, Sharda, Siddham, Sindhi, Sinhala, Sorang Sompeng, Sourashtra, Soyombo,
Sundanese, Syloti Nagri, Tagbanwa, Takri, Tamil, Thaana, Telugu, Thai, Tibetan, Tigalari (Tulu), Tikamuli,
Tocharian, Tolong Siki, Varang Kshiti

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