Javanese Translator

About Javanese

Javanese is an Austronesian language with a literary tradition dating back to the 9th century, documented in Old Javanese inscriptions and the Kakawin literary tradition. It is the native language of the Javanese people of central and eastern Java in Indonesia. Approximately 82 million people speak Javanese, making it one of the most spoken languages without official national status.

Javanese is primarily written in the Latin alphabet today, though it historically used the Javanese script, a descendant of the ancient Brahmi script. The language features an elaborate system of speech levels called undha-usuk, with distinct vocabulary sets for casual, polite, and highly formal registers. This system means speakers must essentially learn multiple vocabularies to navigate different social situations appropriately.