Javanese language

**Javanese** (); ; Aksara Jawa: ; Pegon: ; ) is the native language of Javanese people which originated from the island of Java. Being the most populous island in the world, a lot of community in Java island could understand the Javanese language naturally despite not having a Javanese-ethnic identity. The Javanese language is recognized as one of the regional languages ( the native or indigenous languages) in Indonesia with the largest speakers concentrated in the provinces of Yogyakarta, Central Java, and  East Java. The Javanese language also recognized as one of the minority languages in some countries worldwide, mainly in Suriname, Netherlands, New Caledonia, Hong Kong, Australia, Caribbean, Sri Lanka, and neighbouring Southeast Asian countries.

## Demographic distribution of Javanese speakers

Javanese is spoken throughout Indonesia, neighboring Southeast Asian countries, the Netherlands, Suriname, New Caledonia and other countries. However, the greatest concentration of speakers is in the six provinces of Java itself, and in the neighboring Sumatran province of Lampung.

Below, a table with the number of native speakers in 1980 is provided.

||Indonesian province|% of the population|Javanese speakers (1980)|||
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
|1.|Aceh province|align=right|6.7%|align=right|175,000|
|2.|North Sumatra|align=right|21.0%|align=right|1,757,000|
|3.|West Sumatra|align=right|1.0%|align=right|56,000|
|4.|Jambi|align=right|17.0%|align=right|245,000|
|5.|South Sumatra|align=right|12.4%|align=right|573,000|
|6.|Bengkulu|align=right|15.4%|align=right|118,000|
|7.|Lampung|align=right|62.4%|align=right|2,886,000|
|8.|Riau|align=right|8.5%|align=right|184,000|
|9.|Jakarta|align=right|3.6%|align=right|236,000|
|10.|West Java|align=right|13.3%|align=right|3,652,000|
|11.|Central Java|align=right|96.9%|align=right|24,579,000|
|12.|Yogyakarta|align=right|97.6%|align=right|2,683,000|
|13.|East Java|align=right|74.5%|align=right|21,720,000|
|14.|Bali|align=right|1.1%|align=right|28,000|
|15.|West Kalimantan|align=right|1.7%|align=right|41,000|
|16.|Central Kalimantan|align=right|4.0%|align=right|38,000|
|17.|South Kalimantan|align=right|4.7%|align=right|97,000|
|18.|East Kalimantan|align=right|10.1%|align=right|123,000|
|19.|North Sulawesi|align=right|1.0%|align=right|20,000|
|20.|Central Sulawesi|align=right|2.9%|align=right|37,000|
|21.|Southeast Sulawesi|align=right|3.6%|align=right|34,000|
|22.|Maluku|align=right|1.1%|align=right|16,000|

## Other websites

- Javanese Writing System
- Ethnologue report on Javanese
- Javanese in Suriname strive to preserve origins _Jakarta Post_ article

## Infobox (language)

- **name**: Javanese
- **nativename**: _Basa Jawa_
ꦧꦱꦗꦮ
باسا جاوا
- **states**: Java (Indonesia)
- **speakers**: million
- **date**: 2007
- **ref**: ne2007
- **familycolor**: Austronesian
- **fam2**: Malayo-Polynesian languages, Malayo-Polynesian
- **ancestor**: Old Javanese
- **ancestor2**: Middle Javanese
- **stand1**: Kawi language, Kawi
(Early standard form)
- **stand2**: Surakarta, Surakartan Javanese
(Modern standard form)
- **dialects**: Javanese language#Dialects of modern Javanese, Javanese dialects
- **script**: Javanese orthography, Latin script
Javanese script
Pegon script, Pegon alphabet
- **nation**: Special Region of Yogyakarta
- **iso1**: jv
- **iso2**: jav
- **lc1**: jav
- **ld1**: Javanese
- **lc2**: jvn
- **ld2**: Caribbean Javanese
- **lc3**: jas
- **ld3**: New Caledonian Javanese
- **lc4**: osi
- **ld4**: Osing dialect, Osing
- **lc5**: tes
- **ld5**: Tenggerese dialect, Tenggerese
- **lc6**: kaw
- **ld6**: Kawi language, Kawi
- **lingua**: 31-MFM-a
- **image**: Aksara Jawa - basa.svg
- **imagesize**: 200px
- **map**: Javanese language distribution.png
- **mapcaption**: Dark green: areas where Javanese is the majority language. Light green: where it is a minority language.
- **notice**: IPA
- **glotto**: java1253
- **glottorefname**: Javanesic