Javanese language

Not to be confused with Java (programming language), Japanese language, Javan, or JavaScript.
"Tegal language" redirects here. Not to be confused with Tegali language.

Javanese
basa Jawa
ꦧꦱꦗꦮ
باسا جاوا
Basa Jawa (Javanese language) written in the Javanese script
Pronunciation[bɔsɔ d͡ʒɔwɔ] (central and eastern dialects)
[basa d͡ʒawa] (western dialects)
[basə d͡ʒawə] (Serangese dialect)
Native toIndonesia
Ethnicity

Cirebonese
Osing
Native speakers
68 million (2015)[1]
Early forms
Old Javanese
  • Middle Javanese
Standard forms
DialectsJavanese dialects
Latin script
Javanese script
Pegon script
Official status
Official language in
Indonesia
Regulated byBadan Pengembangan dan Pembinaan Bahasa
Language codes
ISO 639-1jv
ISO 639-2jav
ISO 639-3Variously:
jav – Javanese
jvn – Caribbean Javanese
jas – New Caledonian Javanese
osi – Osing
tes – Tenggerese
Glottologjava1253  Javanesic
java1254
Linguasphere31-MFM-a
Dark green: areas where Javanese is the majority language. Light green: where it is a minority language.
This article contains IPA phonetic symbols. Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols instead of Unicode characters. For an introductory guide on IPA symbols, see Help:IPA.
This article contains letters from the Javanese script. Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols instead of Javanese characters.
The word Jawa (Java) written in Javanese script
Two Javanese speakers, recorded in Indonesia

Javanese (/ˌdʒɑːvəˈniːz/ JAH-və-NEEZ,[3] /dʒævə-/ JAV-ə-, /-ˈniːs/ -⁠NEESS;[4] basa Jawa, Javanese script: ꦧꦱꦗꦮ, Pegon: باسا جاوا‎, IPA: [bɔsɔ d͡ʒɔwɔ]) is a Malayo-Polynesian language of the Austronesian language family spoken primarily by the Javanese people from the central and eastern parts of the island of Java, Indonesia. There are also pockets of Javanese speakers on the northern coast of western Java. It is the native language of more than 68 million people.[5]

Javanese is the largest of the Austronesian languages in number of native speakers. It has several regional dialects and a number of clearly distinct status styles.[6] Its closest relatives are the neighboring languages such as Sundanese, Madurese, and Balinese. Most speakers of Javanese also speak Indonesian for official and commercial purposes as well as a means to communicate with non-Javanese-speaking Indonesians.

There are speakers of Javanese in Malaysia (concentrated in the West Coast part of the states of Selangor and Johor) and Singapore. Javanese is also spoken by traditional immigrant communities of Javanese descent in Suriname, Sri Lanka and New Caledonia.[7]

Along with Indonesian, Javanese is an official language in the Special Region of Yogyakarta, Indonesia.[2]

  1. ^ Javanese at Ethnologue (27th ed., 2024) Closed access icon
    Caribbean Javanese at Ethnologue (27th ed., 2024) Closed access icon
    New Caledonian Javanese at Ethnologue (27th ed., 2024) Closed access icon
    Osing at Ethnologue (27th ed., 2024) Closed access icon
    Tenggerese at Ethnologue (27th ed., 2024) Closed access icon
  2. ^ a b Peraturan Daerah Daerah Istimewa Yogyakarta Nomor 2 Tahun 2021 tentang Pemeliharaan dan Pengembangan Bahasa, Sastra, dan Aksara Jawa (Regional Regulation 2) (in Indonesian). Governor of Special Region of Yogyakarta. 2021.
  3. ^ Laurie Bauer, 2007, The Linguistics Student's Handbook, Edinburgh
  4. ^ "Javanese". Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary. Merriam-Webster. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
  5. ^ Kewarganegaraan, Suku Bangsa, Agama dan Bahasa Sehari-hari Penduduk Indonesia - Hasil Sensus Penduduk 2010. Badan Pusat Statistik. 2011. ISBN 978-979-064-417-5. Archived from the original on 10 July 2017.
  6. ^ "Javanese language". britannica.com. Encyclopedia Britannica. 2010. Retrieved 17 March 2021.
  7. ^ Akhyari Hananto (8 December 2017). "121 Years of Javanese People in New Caledonia". Seasia: Good News from Southeast Asia.