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.
For a period from the 15th century onwards, Javanese was also written with a version of the Arabic alphabet,
called pegon.
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 ak!ara (letters), sa"#angan (diacritics), wilangan (numerals), and
pada (punctuation).
The ak!ara (letters) consist of ak!ara wyanyjana (consonants) and ak!ara swara (vowels); the
sa"#angan (diacritics) consist of sa"#angan swara (vowel diacritics), sa"#angan panyigeging wanda
(sound killers), and sa"#angan wyanyjana (semivowel diacritics).
Each consonants has two forms: the ak!ara 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
ak!ara.
There are a number of consonants letters called ak!ara murda or ak!ara g#e (great or important letters)
which are used for honoric purposes, such as to write the names of respected people. There are also a
number of additional consonant letters to represent foreign sounds called ak!ara rekan.
The order of the carakan consonants makes the following saying, "Hana caraka, data sawala, pa!a
jayanya, maga ba"anga," which means, "There were (two) emissaries, they began to ght, their valor was
equal, they both fell dead."
Used to write:
Javanese (ba#a 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. Javanese alphabet also can be used
to write old Javanese.
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 ofcial 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.
The Javanese alphabet
Ak!ara Wyanyjana (Consonants)
Ak!ara Carakan and Pasangan
Javanese alphabet, pronunciation and language (aksara jawa) http://www.omniglot.com/writing/javanese.htm
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Notes
The pasangan (nal consonants) are shown in red and are used at the ends of syllables.
!a ($a) and "a (%a) are usually written dha and tha. !a and "a are used here to differentiate dha ($a) and
tha (%a) in modern Javanese and dha (d& ha) and tha (t & ha) in old Javanese.
Ak!ara murda consonants
The pasangan (nal consonants) are shown in red. ka, ta, pa, ga and ba are most commonly used. The others
are rarely used.
Ak!ara for writing Old Javanese
To write old Javanese some of the letters are aspirated. The arrangement of consonants is based on standard
Sanskrit.
Javanese alphabet, pronunciation and language (aksara jawa) http://www.omniglot.com/writing/javanese.htm
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Ak!ara Rekan (additional consonants)
Javanese alphabet, pronunciation and language (aksara jawa) http://www.omniglot.com/writing/javanese.htm
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Vowels and vowel diacritics (Ak!ara Swara & Sa"#angan Swara)
Note: r, ru, l, and lu are also treated as consonants. So they have pasangan:
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The long vowels (', u, (, ai, ru, lu, ), and au) are no longer used in modern Javanese, but just for special
purposes like writing old Javanese and transliterating foreign sounds.
Numerals (Wilangan)
The rst 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 Hadh Ihromi
Transliteration
Sabn wong kalairake ka*"i mardika lan darbe martabat lan hak-hak kang pa!a. Kabeh pinaringan akal lan kalbu
Javanese alphabet, pronunciation and language (aksara jawa) http://www.omniglot.com/writing/javanese.htm
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sarta kaajab pasrawungan anggone mmitran siji lan sijine ka*"i 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 kahula h(k' wonten '( swarga. wasta sampeyan dadossa sub+i. sad,aman sampeyan rawu-ha. kars
sampeyan dadossa '( bumi kados '( swarga. red,ekki kahula k' saintendinten sukanni dinten puniki mar( kahula.
hambi puntan mar( kahula dosa kahula, kados kahula puntan mar( satungilt)gil titiy) k' sala- mar( kahula.
hambi sampun bekta kahula '( pert+oban. tapi t+ut+ullken kahula bari pada s' .awon, sabab sad,aman hambi
kawasa sarta kamukten gusti kag) .annipun dumugi '( .awet. Amin
Latin alphabet for Javanese
Javanese pronunciation
Note: n and * are usually written n; / and # are usually written s; and ! and " are usually written dh and th.
Information about the Javanese Latin alphabet and pronunciation compiled by Wolfram Siegel, with corrections
and additions by Nurrahim Dwi Saputra
Sample text in Javanese
Sabn wong kalairake ka*"i mardika lan darbe martabat lan hak-hak kang pa!a. Kabeh pinaringan akal lan kalbu
sarta kaajab pasrawungan anggone mmitran siji lan sijine ka*"i jiwa sumadulur.
A recording of this text
Translation
Javanese alphabet, pronunciation and language (aksara jawa) http://www.omniglot.com/writing/javanese.htm
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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)
Information about Javanese Useful phrases in Javanese | Numbers in Javanese Tower of Babel in Javanese |
Javanese learning materials
Links
Information about the Javanese alphabet
http://www.joglosemar.co.id/hanacaraka/hanacaraka.html
http://www.christusrex.org/www1/pater/JPN-javanese-huruf.html
Online Javanese lessons
http://www.seasite.niu.edu/Indonesian/jawa/jawa.htm
Hear the sounds of the Javanese alphabet
http://hanacaraka.fateback.com/aksjwi.htm
The Ofcial Site of Ak#ara 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
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Dawan, Drehu, Fijian, Filipino, Hanuno'o, Hawaiian, Hiligaynon, Iban, Iloko, Indonesian, Javanese,
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Other languages written with the Latin alphabet
Syllabic alphabets / abugidas
Ahom, Badaga, Balinese, Batak, Baybayin (Tagalog), Bengali, Brahmi, Buhid, Burmese, Chakma, Cham,
Dehong Dai, Devanagari, Dhives Akuru, Ethiopic, Ev0la Akuru, Fraser, Gondi, Grantha, Gujarati, Gupta,
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Oriya, Pahawh Hmong, Pallava, Phags-pa, Ranjana, Redjang, Shan, Sharda, Siddham, Sindhi, Sinhala, Sorang
Sompeng, Sourashtra, Soyombo, Sundanese, Syloti Nagri, Tagbanwa, Takri, Tamil, Telugu, Thai, Tibetan,
Tikamuli, Tocharian, Tolong Siki, Tulu, Varang Kshiti
Copyright 1998- Simon Ager
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