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Javanese dialect

Javanese

Also known as: Basa Jawa

The largest Austronesian language by speakers, used across central and eastern Java and as a regional lingua franca. Distinguished by an intricate honorific system (krama / madya / ngoko).

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Frequently asked questions

What language is Javanese?

Javanese is a dialect of the Javanese language.

Where is Javanese spoken?

Javanese is primarily spoken in Indonesia.

Which region is Javanese associated with?

Javanese is part of the Southeast Asia region on DialectAtlas.

Is Javanese known by other names?

Yes — Javanese is also referred to as Basa Jawa.

Nearby dialects

See on the atlas →
Sundanese

319 km away

A Malayo-Polynesian language of western Java, the second-largest regional language of Indonesia after Javanese. Around 40 million speakers, with its own honorific register system.

Bahasa Indonesia

426 km away

The national lingua franca and official language of Indonesia, derived from Malay and shaped by extensive contact with Javanese, Sundanese, Dutch, and English.

Singlish

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The colloquial English of Singapore, mixing English with grammatical features and lexicon drawn from Hokkien, Malay, Cantonese, and Tamil.

Brunei Malay

1,501 km away

The Malay variety of Brunei. A vernacular distinct from both Bahasa Malaysia and Indonesian, used as the everyday spoken standard alongside formal Bahasa Melayu.

Bahasa Malaysia

1,551 km away

The Malay standard of Malaysia. Shares core grammar with Indonesian but differs in vocabulary, with stronger English borrowings and distinct spelling conventions.

Chavacano

2,090 km away

A Spanish-based creole language of the Philippines, with its strongest living community in Zamboanga City and related varieties historically spoken in Cavite, Ternate, and Cotabato. It preserves much Spanish vocabulary while using a Philippine grammatical frame shaped by local languages.

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