How to Learn Javanese from Scratch for Beginners

Where to Begin: Map the Registers of Javanese

Javanese has several speech registers chosen according to the person you address. Ngoko fits peers, younger relatives, and people you know well. Krama shows respect to parents, in-laws, teachers, and guests. Between them sit madya and krama inggil for finer, more formal situations. For beginners, a comfortable order begins with ngoko lugu. This register is the one you hear most at home and in the market, its sentences are short, and its word order is simple. Once your ear grows used to the sounds and patterns of ngoko, adding krama vocabulary feels far lighter because many words simply shift form. Learning Javanese in this order protects your confidence from the very first week.

Steps to Learn Javanese as a Beginner

These six ordered steps lay out how to learn Javanese from scratch, from daily vocabulary to reading the script at a basic level.

1. Step 1

   Set your goal and open with ngoko lugu

   Decide first why you are learning. A grandchild who wants to chat with a grandparent, an in-law who wants to grow closer to the family, and a student chasing a local-content grade each need a different vocabulary priority. Once your goal is clear, begin with ngoko lugu. Build ten opening sentences you use every day, such as greeting someone, asking how they are, and asking for help. Say them out loud so your mouth grows used to the distinctive Javanese vowels. Focus on short conversations you truly need, so every word gets used at once and sticks easily.

   Tips

   • Record your own voice and compare it with a native speaker
   • Ten core sentences first, master them before adding more
2. Step 2

   Build core daily vocabulary

   Master the most frequent word groups first: numbers one to ten, family members, pronouns, days, mealtimes, and common verbs such as eat, sleep, go, and come home. This set covers most household conversation. Write every new word in a notebook with an example sentence, then review it in the gaps of your day. Spaced repetition, reviewing a word on day one, day three, and day seven, helps move vocabulary into long-term memory. Aim for five to ten new words a day so the load stays light and steady.

   Tips

   • Stick ngoko labels on household objects: lawang, jendela, meja, kursi
   • Place each new word inside a full sentence, never memorize it loose
   Piling too many words into one day often makes them all fade fast. A little every day lasts longer.
3. Step 3

   Learn unggah-ungguh and pick the right register

   Unggah-ungguh is the rule for choosing a register based on who you speak to. With peers, ngoko is fine. With parents, in-laws, and guests, krama shows respect. Train this sense with one simple sentence, for example asking whether someone has eaten, and say it in ngoko and krama side by side. Notice which words change form. This awareness of register sits at the heart of Javanese politeness, and native speakers deeply appreciate a beginner who chooses words with care.

   Tips

   • Make a two-column table: everyday ngoko words on the left, krama pairs on the right
   • When unsure, krama alus is the safer choice with someone older
4. Step 4

   Train your ear with native speakers

   An ear used to the language speeds up your speaking. Listen to natural, enjoyable sources: campursari songs, Javanese-language radio, wayang performances, or extended-family chatter. At first simply catch one or two words you know in each sentence, then build up slowly. Replay short clips again and again until the sounds settle, then imitate the rhythm. This listening practice adds the intonation and word stress that books alone rarely give you, and it locks vocabulary in through real sound.

   Tips

   • Loop a ten to twenty second clip and imitate it until it matches
   • Note recurring set phrases, such as monggo and matur nuwun
5. Step 5

   Step up to krama for those you respect

   Once ngoko feels comfortable, add a layer of krama. Start from the sentence you say most often to someone older, then swap its key word for the krama form. Many daily words have fixed krama pairs, for example mangan becomes dhahar, turu becomes sare, and omah becomes griya. Master the twenty to thirty most frequent pairs first. Build full sentences with those pairs and say them in real moments, such as greeting your mother-in-law or answering a neighbor. Krama practiced in real context sticks faster than a word list memorized apart from use.

   Tips

   • Memorize krama pairs for daily verbs first, they appear most often
   • Say one short krama sentence every day to a person you respect
   Mixing ngoko and krama in one sentence to someone you respect sounds impolite. Practice one whole register first before combining them on purpose.
6. Step 6

   Meet the Hanacaraka Javanese script

   The Javanese script comes last, after your speaking flows well enough. Modern usage employs twenty core nglegena letters arranged in the Hanacaraka order. Begin by recognizing and writing the first five letters: ha, na, ca, ra, ka. Master their shapes while saying their sounds, then add the next five every few days. Once the twenty basic letters are familiar, learn the sandhangan, the marks that change vowel sounds. A transliteration app helps check your writing, though copying by hand remains the best way to make the letter shapes stick in memory.

   Tips

   • Write your own name in Javanese script as a fun first exercise
   • Learn five letters at a time, never all twenty at once

Ngoko, Krama, and Krama Inggil in Everyday Words

Many daily words have fixed krama pairs. Mastering the most frequent pairs first makes krama sentences form quickly.

Match Your Learning Path to Your Goal

A Weekly Routine for Beginners

Learning Alone or with a Coach

Questions About Learning Javanese as a Beginner