Bhasaly › Learn Javanese › Phrases
Javanese phrases for a short visit
Plesir sedhela
The lines a visitor actually uses, and the ones you will hear back. Romanized first so you can say them today. Every phrase is recorded — open it in Bhasaly to hear it.
Hear these phrases →First words
Courtesy is krama on purpose
The courtesy set is krama by design — matur nuwun has no casual substitute and everyone says it. ya wis closes anything agreeably; sugeng tindak is the goodbye said to the person leaving.
| sugeng enjing | good morning | sugeng enjing |
| matur nuwun | thank you | matur nuwun |
| sami-sami | you are welcome | sami-sami |
| ngapunten | sorry · excuse me | ngapunten |
| nggih | yes (polite) | nggih |
| oro | no | ora |
| yo wis | alright then | ya wis |
| sugeng tindak | goodbye (to one leaving) | sugeng tindak |
Monggo
Java in one word
monggo is please, go ahead, after you — said with a slight bow as you pass anyone, anywhere. mas and mbak address your own generation kindly.
| monggo | please · go ahead · after you | monggo |
| nuwun sewu | excuse me (before interrupting) | nuwun sewu |
| mas | brother — a man your age | mas |
| mbak | sister — a woman your age | mbak |
| manggo pinarak | please come in and sit | mangga pinarak |
| inggih | yes (most polite) | inggih |
Meeting someone
Introductions
jenengku … — my name is …. When someone asks piye kabare — how are you? — the usual reply is apik, fine. alon-alon asks people to speak more slowly.
| jenengku | my name (is…) | jenengku |
| jenengmu | your name? | jenengmu |
| piye kabare | how are you? | piye kabare |
| apik | fine · good | apik |
| oro ngerti | I do not understand | ora ngerti |
| alon-alon | slowly | alon-alon |
| maneh | again | maneh |
Sentence patterns
Four frames that do the work
Four frames cover most of what you need. Tap a word, hear the whole sentence.
What you will hear
Welcomes & street calls
sugeng rawuh greets you at the door; mangga pinarak seats you. Ojek drivers call ojek, mas! from every corner — a smile and a small wave declines them politely.
| sugeng rawuh | welcome! | sugeng rawuh |
| sugeng dalu | good evening | sugeng dalu |
| entuk | you may · it is allowed | entuk |
| sumonggo | by all means | sumangga |
Numbers
Rupiah arrive in thousands
Everything is ewu — thousands. A warung meal runs limang-to-rong-puluh ewu; keep recehan for the becak. Sellers may switch to Indonesian numbers — they differ!
| siji | 1 | siji |
| loro | 2 | loro |
| limo | 5 | lima |
| sepuluh | 10 | sepuluh |
| satus | 100 | satus |
| sewu | 1,000 | sewu |
| limang ewu | 5,000 | limang ewu |
| rong puluh ewu | 20,000 | rong puluh ewu |
| dhuwit | money | dhuwit |
| recehan | small change | recehan |
Getting around
Becak, ojek, sepur
The becak is pedal-powered and slow — agree the price before you climb in. ojek motorbikes run on apps now. The sepur — the train — is the best way across Java, so book ahead.
| becak | becak — cycle rickshaw | becak |
| ojek | motorbike taxi | ojek |
| bis | bus | bis |
| sepur | train | sepur |
| mandheg kene | stop here | mandheg kene |
Directions
Catch one word of the answer
Ask with the ana ngendi frame above, then listen for these.
| ngiwo | to the left | ngiwa |
| nengen | to the right | nengen |
| lurus | straight on | lurus |
| cedhak | near | cedhak |
| adoh | far | adoh |
| kene | here | kene |
| kono | there | kana |
The warung
Where Java eats
The warung is dinner: sega goreng, Yogya’s sweet gudeg, tahu-tempe always. es teh — sweet iced tea — is the default drink; wareg ends the refills.
| warung | the warung — small eatery | warung |
| sego goreng | fried rice | sega goreng |
| gudeg | gudeg — the Yogya dish | gudeg |
| bakso | meatball soup | bakso |
| tahu | tofu | tahu |
| tempe | tempeh | tempe |
| es teh | sweet iced tea | es teh |
| enak | tasty | enak |
| pedes | spicy | pedes |
| wareg | I am full | wareg |
At the pasar
The friendly back-and-forth
Pasar bargaining is a friendly game: larang banget!, then kurangi, then ya wis, tak tuku. Smiling matters more than the number.
| pasar | the market | pasar |
| rego | price | rega |
| larang | expensive | larang |
| murah | cheap | murah |
| kurangi | lower it, please | kurangi |
| tak tuku | I will take it | tak tuku |
Staying somewhere
The mandi rules
The mandi is a tub and a scoop — splash yourself, never climb in. kamar plus kunci covers check-in; losmen are the budget guesthouses.
| hotel | hotel | hotel |
| kamar | room | kamar |
| kunci | the key | kunci |
| adus | to bathe (the mandi) | adus |
| resik | clean | resik |
Getting help
Serious words, hopefully unused
tulung! — help! — is the word to shout. ati-ati! — careful — is also what everyone calls as you leave; it means go safely, and it is meant.
| tulung | help! | tulung |
| polisi | police | polisi |
| rumah sakit | hospital | rumah sakit |
| dhokter | doctor | dhokter |
| tombo | medicine | tamba |
| apotek | pharmacy | apotek |
| kesasar | I am lost | kesasar |
| ati-ati | careful · go safely | ati-ati |
Staying in touch
Phone, wifi & photos
Warung wifi is common; SIMs need a passport. Before photographing people, catch their eye, lift the camera slightly and say nggih? — the nod decides.
| telpon | phone | telpon |
| nomer | number | nomer |
| waifai | wifi | wifi |
Ask where anything is
Where is the ___?
| pasar ono ngendi? | Where is the market? | pasar ana ngendi? |
| hotel ono ngendi? | Where is the hotel? | hotel ana ngendi? |
| rumah sakit ono ngendi? | Where is the hospital? | rumah sakit ana ngendi? |
| kamar mandi ono ngendi? | Where is the bathroom? | kamar mandi ana ngendi? |
| warung ono ngendi? | Where is the warung? | warung ana ngendi? |
Ask if something is there
Is there ___?
| ono banyu? | Is there water? | ana banyu? |
| ono teh? | Is there tea? | ana teh? |
| ono kopi? | Is there coffee? | ana kopi? |
| ono kamar? | Is there a room? | ana kamar? |
| ono sego? | Is there rice? | ana sega? |
Order at the warung
One ___, please.
| es teh siji | One iced tea, please. | es teh siji |
| kopi siji | One coffee, please. | kopi siji |
| bakso siji | One bakso, please. | bakso siji |
| sego goreng siji | One fried rice, please. | sega goreng siji |
| teh siji | One tea, please. | teh siji |
Ask any price
How much is ___?
| iki piro? | How much is this? | iki pira? |
| kamar piro? | How much is the room? | kamar pira? |
| es teh piro? | How much is the iced tea? | es teh pira? |
| becak piro? | How much is the becak? | becak pira? |
Common questions
How do you say hello in Javanese?
Sugeng enjing. The greetings section above has the full set, including the reply you are likely to hear back.
Do I need an account to use these Javanese phrases?
No. Every phrase on this page is open to read, and you can hear all of them in Bhasaly without signing up.
Do I need to read the Javanese script to use these?
No. Every line is romanized first, so you can say it straight away. The script is there alongside if you want to start reading it.
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