One student, one tutor, learning Javanese from everyday ngoko conversation, polite krama and its unggah-ungguh, all the way to reading the Javanese script. Taught by native speakers who grew up with the language, at home or online.





A Javanese language course is private one-on-one guidance to learn Javanese, from everyday ngoko conversation to refined krama and reading the Javanese script. Lessons are tailored to each student's goal: chatting with grandparents, bonding with a spouse's extended family, keeping up with the local-content school subject, or exploring Javanese literature and culture. Tutors are native speakers who come to your home or teach online, starting from Rp 80,000 per session.
Whatever the format, the same curriculum carries you from everyday ngoko to polite krama.
A tutor comes to your home for direct speaking practice with pronunciation and accent correction.
Learn via Zoom with digital materials, ideal for migrants and the diaspora anywhere.
Learn with family or 2-3 friends, more fun for conversation practice.
Four progressive stages, from ngoko conversation to literature and the Javanese script.
Get to know everyday ngoko vocabulary, greetings, and simple sentences. Within a few sessions you can hold a casual Javanese chat.
Subjects:
Focus Areas:
Learn the krama speech level to speak politely to elders. A crucial stage so your Javanese feels respectful and context-appropriate.
Subjects:
Focus Areas:
Master the Javanese script (Hanacaraka), from the 20 base letters to sandhangan and pasangan, then read short texts in script.
Subjects:
Focus Areas:
Explore Javanese literature and culture: tembang, geguritan, paribasan, sesorah (speeches), and the philosophy behind wayang stories.
Subjects:
Focus Areas:
Four core pillars built up gradually and in balance.
Tutors adjust the emphasis to your goal. Those who want to bond with family focus on conversation and unggah-ungguh, school students add the Javanese script, culture enthusiasts dive into literature.
Ngoko vocabulary and sentences for casual chatting in daily situations.
The four Javanese speech levels and how to choose them based on whom you speak to.
Reading and writing the Javanese script, from base letters to sandhangan and pasangan.
Tembang, paribasan, sesorah, and Javanese philosophy that enrich language ability.
Children and grandchildren who want to speak Javanese with their grandparents and keep their family roots, including those born and raised outside Java.
Recommended:
Those who marry into a Javanese family and want to bond with the extended family and understand etiquette so they feel accepted.
Recommended:
Primary to high-school students in Central Java, East Java, and Yogyakarta who study Javanese as a local-content subject.
Recommended:
Researchers, artists, migrants, and anyone wishing to explore Javanese literature, wayang, and philosophy through its language.
Recommended:
Javanese chooses a speech level based on whom you are talking to. The very same sentence changes form when addressed to a friend, to someone you just met, or to an elder. This is unggah-ungguh, the heart of Javanese etiquette.
Close and equal
“Kowe wis mangan?”
The most casual level, used in close and equal company without distance.
Word shift: you: kowe · already: wis · eat: mangan
Casual yet respectful
“Kowe wis dhahar?”
Still casual, but the word for the listener is refined as a mark of respect. Often used among close people who value one another.
Word shift: eat: mangan becomes dhahar (refined word for the listener)
Polite for the public
“Sampeyan sampun nedha?”
A more neutral polite level, used with people you are not close to or in general situations.
Word shift: you: sampeyan · already: sampun · eat: nedha
The most refined and respectful
“Panjenengan sampun dhahar?”
The most refined level, used with highly respected people. This is the language for greeting parents, teachers, and honored guests.
Word shift: you: panjenengan · already: sampun · eat: dhahar
The finer the register, the deeper the respect
Choosing the right speech level is the core of politeness in Javanese culture. Using ngoko with someone who should be addressed in krama can sound disrespectful, even unintentionally. The right krama, on the other hand, makes the listener feel valued. This part is hard to master through an app because it depends on context and feel for the language. This is where a native-speaker tutor truly helps, through conversation practice and roleplay of real situations until the word choice becomes automatic.
A peek at how to read and write the Javanese script, step by step, the way our tutors do it in class.
20 nglegena base letters (default vowel sound 'a')
Base letter + sandhangan (vowel mark) makes a new syllable
Try reading this simple sentence
Aku tuku sega ing pasar.
Question: Apa tegese ukara iki? (What does this sentence mean?)
Answer: I bought rice at the market.
The Javanese script looks complex from afar, but it is built from 20 base letters you can learn gradually. Once the pattern clicks, reading simple words starts to feel logical.
The obstacles we see most often, and how tutors work through them with students.
Why it happens
Learners memorize vocabulary separately without knowing which speech level a word belongs to, so ngoko and krama blend unintentionally.
How we fix it
Tutors train one situation using one speech level consistently through real conversation, until word choice becomes automatic.
Why it happens
Indonesian has no language levels, so the habit of speaking on equal terms carries over and can sound impolite in Javanese.
How we fix it
Through roleplay of greeting a grandmother, a teacher, then a friend, students get used to choosing krama or ngoko based on the listener.
Why it happens
One base letter can change its vowel sound depending on the sandhangan, and many learners try to memorize all of it at once.
How we fix it
We start from the 20 nglegena letters until fluent, only then add the sandhangan one at a time.
Why it happens
These sounds have no equivalent in Indonesian, so they are often flattened into ordinary d, t, or a.
How we fix it
Tutors model and correct pronunciation directly in every session, the part hardest to get from self-study.
Tutors who grew up with Javanese guide you one-on-one, from ngoko conversation and krama unggah-ungguh to the Javanese script.
You set the pace. Practice ngoko and krama as much as you like without shyness, moving fast without waiting for a class.
Tutors who grew up with Javanese, so their pronunciation and feel for the language are authentic, grown from everyday use.
You learn when to use ngoko and when krama, the hardest part that defines politeness in Javanese.
From conversation to reading and writing Hanacaraka, complete in one coherent learning path.
Costs are clear from the start, per session, with no long package required upfront.
A tutor comes to your home or teaches online on a schedule that fits your routine.
Our tutors are graduates of Regional Literature, Regional Language, and Indonesian Literature from campuses in Java, as well as native speakers who grew up with Javanese from childhood.

Javanese Language & Literature Education, Universitas Negeri Semarang
Unggah-ungguh from early on“A graduate of Javanese Language and Literature Education at Universitas Negeri Semarang who introduces speech levels through everyday conversation, so students get used to choosing ngoko or krama naturally.”

Javanese Language Education, Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta
Krama for real situations“With a background in Javanese Language Education at Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta, Musa leans on family-situation roleplay so krama feels alive and immediately usable.”

Javanese Language Education, Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta
Easy-flowing ngoko conversation“Veve gets students chatting in ngoko from the first session, because in her view Javanese sticks fastest when it is spoken often.”

Javanese Language & Literature Education, Universitas Negeri Surabaya
Step-by-step Javanese script“This Javanese Language and Literature Education alumnus from Universitas Negeri Surabaya teaches Hanacaraka one step at a time, starting from the nglegena letters before the sandhangan.”

Regional (Javanese) Language Education, Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta
Supporting school students“Dita is used to supporting local-content Javanese students, aligning practice with school material so understanding and grades grow together.”

Javanese Language & Literature Education, Universitas Negeri Surabaya
Javanese literature and tembang“From her studies in Javanese Language and Literature Education at Universitas Negeri Surabaya, Rara introduces paribasan and tembang as a way into Javanese values.”
Honest experiences from EduPoint students, from grandchildren wanting to speak with their eyang to in-laws wanting to be embraced by the family.
My child was born in Jakarta and could not speak Javanese, even though the grandparents are in Solo. Now my child can greet them in krama and the grandparents were so moved. The tutor was patient starting from zero.
Ibu Diah A.
Parent • Jakarta
I married into a Javanese family and used to just smile while the extended family chatted. After lessons focused on krama and unggah-ungguh, I began to understand and could reply politely. I feel far more accepted now.
Ibu Yayu K.
In-law of a Javanese family • Semarang
I am a migrant who lived outside Java for years and my Javanese had faded. These online lessons restored my ngoko, and now I am even more confident using krama with my parents. Recorded sessions make it easy to review.
Pak Agus W.
Migrant, learning online • Surabaya
My child is in grade 8 and the local-content Javanese grade had dropped, especially the script. The tutor taught the script gradually and now my child can read it. The grade rose a lot.
Ibu Budi S.
Parent of a junior-high student • Jogja
I am drawn to Javanese culture and wanted to understand tembang and paribasan. The tutor teaches the language together with the philosophy behind it. Learning feels deep and meaningful.
Shantika B.
Student and culture enthusiast • Solo
Being relocated to Yogyakarta made me want to honor the local culture. Learning basic krama made daily interaction with neighbors much warmer. The tutor adapted to my office and neighborhood situations.
Putri N.
Professional relocated to Java • Magelang
I love wayang but often missed the dialogue. Through these lessons I learned Javanese vocabulary and expressions that come up a lot. Now watching wayang is far more enjoyable because I understand it.
Karina R.
Javanese culture enthusiast • Surabaya
I joined because I wanted to chat casually with friends in Malang. The tutor taught ngoko through fun everyday conversation. Within a few months I dared to join in.
Rasya I.
Student from out of town • Malang
Transparent pricing with no hidden fees. Pick the package that fits your needs.
Free tutor replacement if not a match within the first 2 sessions.Great to get to know your tutor and start ngoko conversation.
Rp 85.000/session • 4x pertemuan
Valid 1 month
The most popular choice for consistent weekly learning.
Rp 80.000/session • 8x pertemuan
Valid 2 months
To deepen krama, the Javanese script, and literature.
Rp 75.000/session • 16x pertemuan
Valid 4 months
Prices may adjust to your learning goal, location, and lesson format. Contact us for a firm quote.
Online Javanese lessons are available for migrants and the diaspora across Indonesia and abroad.
In-person Javanese lessons, with a tutor visiting your home in these cities.
Real progress stories from EduPoint students.
Challenge
Audrey was born and raised in Jakarta and had never used Javanese, yet wanted to chat with her grandparents in Yogyakarta.
Tutors:
Challenge
Benedikta married into a Javanese family and felt awkward not understanding krama at extended-family gatherings.
Tutors:
Challenge
Hanun struggled with the Javanese subject at school, especially reading the script, which dragged the grade down.
Tutors:
The questions that come up most before starting, answered honestly.
Other programs that might be suitable for you
A free consultation to set your goal, match a native-speaker tutor, and plan your path from ngoko to krama and the Javanese script.