What does duwé mean in Javanese?
Duwé (Javanese script ꦢꦸꦮꦺ) is the everyday Javanese verb “to have” or “to own”. Aku duwé kucing means “I have a cat”, and Kowé duwé dhuwit? means “Do you have money?” It is one of the first verbs a child learns at home, and it is used for almost everything English expresses with “have” as a main verb: things (duwé omah, “have a house”), family (duwé anak, “have children”), time (duwé wektu, “have time”) and qualities (duwé ati legawa, “have a generous heart”).
Like every Javanese verb, duwé never changes for person, number or tense. Aku duwé, kowé duwé, dhèwèké duwé, “I have, you have, he has”; wingi duwé, “had yesterday”; mbésuk duwé, “will have tomorrow”. Time is shown by time words and particles, never by the verb.
What does change is the speech level. Javanese has separate vocabularies for different degrees of respect (Lesson 9 introduced the pronouns kowé, sampéyan and panjenengan). For “have” there are three words:
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duwé — ngoko, the plain level used with friends, family younger than you, and yourself in your own thoughts -
gadhah — krama, the polite level, used when speaking politely, including about yourself: Kula gadhah anak kalih, “I have two children” -
kagungan — krama inggil, the honorific level, used only of the person you respect, never of yourself: Panjenengan kagungan wekdal?, “Do you have time?”
The rule to remember is that krama inggil raises the other person and is never used to raise yourself. A polite speaker says kula gadhah (“I have”) and panjenengan kagungan (“you have”) in the same conversation.
Etymology: duwé goes back through Old Javanese to the Sanskrit word dravya, “possession, wealth, goods”. The meaning of wealth is still alive: in the official dictionary of the Balai Bahasa, the first sense of duwé is “to have” and the second is “to be well-off”. From the same root come nduwèni (“to possess, to hold”, with the nasal prefix N- and the suffix -i) and duwèn-duwèn (“savings, one’s little possessions”).
Orthography: this course writes Javanese in the standard Latin spelling, with é for the close e, è for the open e, and plain e for the neutral vowel (schwa). Many Javanese write duwe without the accent; the accent is used here because it shows the pronunciation. Note that é in duwé becomes è when a suffix is added: nduwèni, duwèn-duwèn. The krama word is spelled gadhah, with the retroflex dh; the spelling gadah, seen in Lesson 9 and in informal writing, is the same word.
FAQ: What does duwé mean in Javanese?
Q: What does duwé mean in Javanese? A: Duwé means “to have” or “to own”. Example: Aku duwé omah cilik, “I have a small house.”
Q: What is the polite Javanese word for “have”? A: Gadhah (krama). For the possessions of someone you respect, use kagungan (krama inggil): Bapak kagungan sabin, “Father has rice fields.”
Q: How do I say “I don’t have” in Javanese? A: Put ora (“not”) before duwé: Aku ora duwé wektu, “I don’t have time.” In krama the negative is mboten: Kula mboten gadhah arta, “I have no money.”
Q: How do I say “I have eaten” in Javanese? A: Not with duwé. The English helping verb “have” is expressed with wis (“already”): Aku wis mangan, “I have eaten.” Duwé is only for possession.
Q: How do I say “I have to” in Javanese? A: With kudu (“must”): Aku kudu lunga, “I have to go.”
Q: What does duwé gawé mean? A: Literally “to have work”, it is the fixed expression for holding a family celebration such as a wedding or a circumcision feast: Tanggaku lagi duwé gawé, “My neighbour is holding a celebration.”
Key Takeaways: -
Duwé = “to have, to own”; it never changes for person or tense -
Three speech levels: duwé (ngoko), gadhah (krama), kagungan (krama inggil, for others only) -
Negation: ora duwé (ngoko), mboten gadhah (krama) -
English auxiliary “have” (have eaten) is wis, and “have to” is kudu, not duwé -
Duwé gawé = “to hold a celebration”, one of the most common idioms in Javanese village life
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duwé /duwe/ — two syllables, du-wé. The u is pure, as in “food”, and the é is a close e like the vowel of French “été”, without the glide of English “day”. Javanese stress is weak and not contrastive; if anything, the next-to-last syllable is slightly stronger. Do not stress the first syllable heavily as an English speaker might.
gadhah /ɡaɖah/ — dh is a retroflex d: curl the tip of the tongue back and touch the roof of the mouth behind the gum ridge. The final h is pronounced, as a light breath.
kagungan /kaɡuŋan/ — ng is always the single sound of English “singer”, never “finger”. So ka-gu-ngan, not kag-gun-gan.
nduwèni /nduwɛni/ — Javanese allows the cluster nd at the start of a word. Hum the n into the d without adding a vowel before it: nduwèni, not “en-duwèni”.
The vowel a: in the final open syllable of a word, a is pronounced as an open o, [ɔ], as in British “hot”. So kula is [kulɔ], ora is [ɔrɔ], désa is [desɔ]. When the last two syllables both have a, both become [ɔ]: sapa [sɔpɔ], legawa [ləɡɔwɔ]. The spelling keeps a.
Heavy consonants: b, d, dh, g and j are not voiced as in English. They are pronounced with a slack, slightly breathy voice that colours the following vowel. The difference is easy to hear and hard to imitate at first; listen for the “darker” vowel after them in words like gadhah and duwé.
The letter c is a palatal stop [c], and j is its heavy partner [ɟ]. Both are made with the middle of the tongue against the hard palate, close to but not the same as English “ch” and “j”.
Final k is a glottal stop: anak is [anaʔ], apik is [apɪʔ].
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11.1a Aku I duwé have kucing cat
11.1b Aku /aku/ 1SG duwé /duwe/ have kucing /kucɪŋ/ cat
11.2a Kowé you duwé have dhuwit money
11.2b Kowé /kowe/ 2SG duwé /duwe/ have dhuwit /ɖuwɪt/ money
11.3a Kula I gadhah have anak child kalih two
11.3b Kula /kulɔ/ 1SG.KR gadhah /ɡaɖah/ have.KR anak /anaʔ/ child kalih /kalɪh/ two.KR
11.4a Aku I ora not duwé have wektu time
11.4b Aku /aku/ 1SG ora /ɔrɔ/ NEG duwé /duwe/ have wektu /wəʔtu/ time
11.5a Sapa who sing who duwé has payung umbrella iki this
11.5b Sapa /sɔpɔ/ who sing /sɪŋ/ REL duwé /duwe/ have payung /pajʊŋ/ umbrella iki /iki/ this.PROX
11.6a Adhiku my-younger-sibling saiki now duwé has buku book anyar new
11.6b Adhiku /aɖiku/ younger.sibling-POSS.1SG saiki /saiki/ now duwé /duwe/ have buku /buku/ book anyar /aɲar/ new
11.7a Wong person iku that duwé has sawah rice-field ing in désa village
11.7b Wong /wɔŋ/ person iku /iku/ that.MED duwé /duwe/ have sawah /sawah/ rice.field ing /ɪŋ/ in désa /desɔ/ village
11.8a Panjenengan you kagungan have wekdal time sakedhap a-moment Pak sir
11.8b Panjenengan /paɲɟənəŋan/ 2SG.KR kagungan /kaɡuŋan/ have.KI wekdal /wəʔdal/ time.KR sakedhap /sakəɖap/ one-moment.KR Pak /paʔ/ father.VOC
11.9a Aku I wis already mangan eat nanging but adhiku my-younger-sibling durung not-yet
11.9b Aku /aku/ 1SG wis /wɪs/ already mangan /maŋan/ eat nanging /naŋɪŋ/ but adhiku /aɖiku/ younger.sibling-POSS.1SG durung /durʊŋ/ not.yet
11.10a Mbésuk tomorrow aku I kudu must nyambut take-up gawé work
11.10b Mbésuk /mbesʊʔ/ tomorrow aku /aku/ 1SG kudu /kudu/ must nyambut /ɲambʊt/ AV-take.up gawé /ɡawe/ work
11.11a Simbah grandparent kagungan has sabin rice-field wonten there-is ing in dhusun village
11.11b Simbah /simbah/ grandparent kagungan /kaɡuŋan/ have.KI sabin /sabɪn/ rice.field.KR wonten /wɔntən/ exist.KR ing /ɪŋ/ in dhusun /ɖusʊn/ village.KR
11.12a Tanggaku my-neighbour lagi is-in-the-middle-of duwé having gawé work mantu marrying-off anaké their-child sing who mbarep eldest
11.12b Tanggaku /taŋɡaku/ neighbour-POSS.1SG lagi /laɡi/ PROG duwé /duwe/ have gawé /ɡawe/ work mantu /mantu/ take.child-in-law anaké /anaʔe/ child-POSS.3 sing /sɪŋ/ REL mbarep /mbarəp/ eldest
11.13a Nyuwun I-ask pangapunten forgiveness kula I mboten not gadhah have arta money
11.13b Nyuwun /ɲuwʊn/ AV-ask.KR pangapunten /paŋapuntən/ forgiveness.KR kula /kulɔ/ 1SG.KR mboten /mbɔtən/ NEG.KR gadhah /ɡaɖah/ have.KR arta /artɔ/ money.KR
11.14a Duwé having ilmu knowledge kudu must bisa be-able ngajari teach liyan others
11.14b Duwé /duwe/ have ilmu /ɪlmu/ knowledge kudu /kudu/ must bisa /bisɔ/ can ngajari /ŋaɟari/ AV-teach-APPL liyan /lijan/ other.people
11.15a Wong person sugih rich iku that sing who duwé has ati heart legawa generous
11.15b Wong /wɔŋ/ person sugih /suɡɪh/ rich iku /iku/ that.MED sing /sɪŋ/ REL duwé /duwe/ have ati /ati/ heart legawa /ləɡɔwɔ/ generous
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11.1 Aku duwé kucing. → “I have a cat.”
11.2 Kowé duwé dhuwit? → “Do you have any money?”
11.3 Kula gadhah anak kalih. → “I have two children.” (polite)
11.4 Aku ora duwé wektu. → “I don’t have time.”
11.5 Sapa sing duwé payung iki? → “Whose umbrella is this?” (literally “Who is it that has this umbrella?”)
11.6 Adhiku saiki duwé buku anyar. → “My little brother has a new book now.”
11.7 Wong iku duwé sawah ing désa. → “That man owns rice fields in the village.”
11.8 Panjenengan kagungan wekdal sakedhap, Pak? → “Do you have a moment, sir?” (honorific)
11.9 Aku wis mangan, nanging adhiku durung. → “I have eaten, but my little sister hasn’t yet.”
11.10 Mbésuk aku kudu nyambut gawé. → “Tomorrow I have to work.”
11.11 Simbah kagungan sabin wonten ing dhusun. → “Grandfather has rice fields in the village.” (honorific)
11.12 Tanggaku lagi duwé gawé, mantu anaké sing mbarep. → “My neighbour is holding a celebration: their eldest child is getting married.”
11.13 Nyuwun pangapunten, kula mboten gadhah arta. → “I’m sorry, I have no money.” (polite)
11.14 Duwé ilmu kudu bisa ngajari liyan. → “Whoever has knowledge must be able to teach others.” (saying)
11.15 Wong sugih iku sing duwé ati legawa. → “The truly rich person is the one who has a generous heart.” (saying)
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11.1 Aku duwé kucing.
11.2 Kowé duwé dhuwit?
11.3 Kula gadhah anak kalih.
11.4 Aku ora duwé wektu.
11.5 Sapa sing duwé payung iki?
11.6 Adhiku saiki duwé buku anyar.
11.7 Wong iku duwé sawah ing désa.
11.8 Panjenengan kagungan wekdal sakedhap, Pak?
11.9 Aku wis mangan, nanging adhiku durung.
11.10 Mbésuk aku kudu nyambut gawé.
11.11 Simbah kagungan sabin wonten ing dhusun.
11.12 Tanggaku lagi duwé gawé, mantu anaké sing mbarep.
11.13 Nyuwun pangapunten, kula mboten gadhah arta.
11.14 Duwé ilmu kudu bisa ngajari liyan.
11.15 Wong sugih iku sing duwé ati legawa.
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These are the grammar rules for duwé in Javanese:
1. Word order. Duwé follows the owner and precedes the thing owned, as in English: owner + duwé + thing. Aku duwé kucing (11.1). Adjectives and demonstratives follow the noun: buku anyar, “a new book” (11.6); payung iki, “this umbrella” (11.5).
2. No conjugation. The same form serves for every person and every time: aku duwé, kowé duwé, wong iku duwé. There is no “has” or “had”. Time is shown by words such as saiki (“now”, 11.6), mbésuk (“tomorrow”, 11.10) or wingi (“yesterday”).
3. No articles. Javanese has no word for “a” or “the”. Aku duwé kucing is “I have a cat” or “I have cats”, as context requires. A number in its full form follows the noun: anak loro (ngoko), anak kalih (krama), “two children” (11.3, 11.16). Before the noun Javanese uses a shortened, linked form of the number, rong anak, which is also correct.
4. Questions. A yes–no question can be made by rising intonation alone: Kowé duwé dhuwit? (11.2). To ask who owns something, use sapa sing duwé, “who (is it) that has”: Sapa sing duwé payung iki? (11.5). This is the ordinary way to say “Whose is this?”
5. Negation. Ngoko ora, krama mboten, placed directly before the verb: aku ora duwé (11.4), kula mboten gadhah (11.13). The answer “I haven’t got one” is simply Ora duwé.
6. The three speech levels:
duwé — ngoko: aku duwé, kowé duwé gadhah — krama: kula gadhah, panjenengan gadhah (polite but not honorific) kagungan — krama inggil: panjenengan kagungan, Bapak kagungan, Simbah kagungan
The whole sentence moves up together. In 11.13 every word is krama: nyuwun pangapunten (“I ask forgiveness”), kula (“I”), mboten (“not”), gadhah (“have”), arta (“money”; ngoko dhuwit). In 11.11 the verb is krama inggil because it describes a respected grandparent, and the other words are krama: sabin for sawah, wonten ing for ana ing, dhusun for désa. That is how one would say it to an elder. Inside the family, talking to a brother or sister, one would say Simbah kagungan sawah ing désa: plain ngoko, with only the verb raised to krama inggil out of respect for the grandparent. This mixture, called ngoko alus, is correct and very common.
7. Kagungan is never used of oneself. To honour the person you speak to, you lower yourself. The pair in the Genre Section shows it: Pak Karto asks Menapa Pak Lurah kagungan wekdal? and the village head answers Inggih, kula gadhah wekdal (11.25–11.26).
8. English “have” as a helping verb is not duwé. The perfect “I have eaten” uses wis, “already”: Aku wis mangan (11.9). Its negative is durung, “not yet”: adhiku durung, “my sibling hasn’t (yet)”. In krama the pair is sampun / dèrèng.
9. English “have to” is not duwé either. Use kudu, “must”: Mbésuk aku kudu nyambut gawé (11.10). The krama is kedah.
10. Duwé gawé. Gawé means “work”, but duwé gawé (11.12) is a fixed expression for holding a family celebration. Mantu is the most important of these: a parent “takes a son- or daughter-in-law”, that is, marries off a child.
11. Duwé as a noun-like subject. At the start of a saying, duwé can stand for “having”: Duwé ilmu kudu bisa ngajari liyan, “Having knowledge, one must be able to teach others” (11.14). Javanese does not need a special form for this.
12. Derived forms (for recognition):
nduwèni — “to possess, to hold (a right, a quality)”, prefix N- + duwé + suffix -i duwèn-duwèn — “savings, one’s little possessions” raja duwé — “wealth, material possessions” (a fixed pair)
Common Mistakes:
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Using duwé for “have” in the English perfect: *Aku duwé mangan for “I have eaten”. Correct: Aku wis mangan. -
Using duwé for “have to”: *Aku duwé lunga. Correct: Aku kudu lunga. -
Using kagungan about oneself: *Kula kagungan anak kalih. Correct: Kula gadhah anak kalih. This is the classic mistake of learners and sounds boastful. -
Trying to change the verb for “has” or “had”: the form is always duwé. Dhèwèké duwé omah, “he has a house”; wingi aku duwé dhuwit, “yesterday I had money”. -
Putting the full number or the adjective first, English-style: loro anak, anyar buku. Correct: anak loro (or rong anak), buku anyar. -
Confusing duwé (“to have”) with ana (“there is”): Ana kucing ing omah, “There is a cat in the house”, but Aku duwé kucing, “I have a cat”.
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Frequency and register. Duwé is among the most frequent verbs of spoken Javanese. It belongs to ngoko, the level every Javanese speaks at home, and it is also heard in the Javanese-flavoured Indonesian of Central and East Java. Gadhah and kagungan belong to formal and respectful speech: with elders, teachers, in-laws, officials, and in the speeches given at weddings.
Speech level as social skill. A Javanese child learns early that one cannot say kagungan of oneself. Answering an elder’s kagungan with one’s own gadhah is a small daily lesson in the value of andhap asor, humility. Many young urban speakers now use krama less and less, but at a village celebration the older generation still expects it.
Duwé gawé. In Javanese villages a family that is duwé gawé, holding a wedding, a circumcision or another feast, cannot manage alone. Neighbours come to help cook, lend chairs and set up the tent, and the whole street joins in. This mutual help, called gotong royong and in this setting also rewang (“helping”), is the background of the Genre Section below. A family’s standing is measured less by what it owns than by how many people come to help when it is duwé gawé.
Sayings about having. Javanese wisdom often turns “having” inward. Wong sugih iku sing duwé ati legawa (11.15), “the truly rich person is the one who has a generous heart”, and Duwé ilmu kudu bisa ngajari liyan (11.14), “having knowledge, one must be able to teach others”, are both current sayings (cited from Kawruh Basa’s article on duwé). In the same spirit is the famous motto of the scholar R.M.P. Sosrokartono (1877–1952), Sugih tanpa bandha, “rich without possessions”.
Variation. In speech the word is often nduwé, with a nasal in front; the dictionary of the Balai Bahasa lists duwé and nduwé together. Nduwé is also the form of the Javanese of Suriname, whose Bible writes Asu alasan nduwé rong, “Forest dogs have holes.” Colloquial duwèk is also recorded by the dictionary of the Balai Bahasa. The krama gadhah is sometimes written gadah.
Kagungan dalem. At the royal courts of Yogyakarta and Surakarta, kagungan dalem, literally “what the king owns”, is the formal title of the property of the Sultanate. In Yogyakarta the palace itself is Kagungan Dalem Kedhaton, the water garden is Kagungan Dalem Tamansari, and the great mosque is Kagungan Dalem Masjid Gedhe. Kagungan can therefore mean not only “to have” but also “possession (of a great person)”.
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Matthew 8:20, from the Javanese Bible (Kitab Suci basa Jawa, edition of 2006). A man offers to follow Jesus wherever he goes, and Jesus answers him. The verse uses duwé three times, twice affirmed and once denied.
F.1a Yésus Jesus ngandika said Asu-wawar foxes padha all duwé have rong holes
F.1b Yésus /jesʊs/ Jesus ngandika /ŋandikɔ/ say.KI Asu-wawar /asu wawar/ dog-wild padha /paɖɔ/ PL duwé /duwe/ have rong /rɔŋ/ den
F.2a lan and manuk birds ing in awang-awang the-sky padha all duwé have susuh nests
F.2b lan /lan/ and manuk /manʊʔ/ bird ing /ɪŋ/ in awang-awang /awaŋ awaŋ/ sky padha /paɖɔ/ PL duwé /duwe/ have susuh /susʊh/ nest
F.3a nanging but Putraning the-Son-of Manungsa Man ora not duwé has panggonan place kanggo for nyèlèhaké laying-down sirahé his-head
F.3b nanging /naŋɪŋ/ but Putraning /putranɪŋ/ son-GEN Manungsa /manuŋsɔ/ human ora /ɔrɔ/ NEG duwé /duwe/ have panggonan /paŋɡonan/ place kanggo /kaŋɡo/ for nyèlèhaké /ɲɛlɛhake/ AV-put.down-CAUS sirahé /sirahe/ head-POSS.3
Yésus ngandika, “Asu-wawar padha duwé rong, lan manuk ing awang-awang padha duwé susuh, nanging Putraning Manungsa ora duwé panggonan kanggo nyèlèhaké sirahé.”
Jesus said, “Foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.”
Yésus ngandika, “Asu-wawar padha duwé rong, lan manuk ing awang-awang padha duwé susuh, nanging Putraning Manungsa ora duwé panggonan kanggo nyèlèhaké sirahé.”
The verse is built on a simple contrast: two affirmative clauses with padha duwé, and one negative with ora duwé. It shows the full pattern of this lesson: owner + (padha) + duwé + thing owned. The plural marker padha, placed before the verb, tells us that many animals each have their own den or nest; Javanese nouns have no plural ending, so padha does the work that the -s of “foxes” and “nests” does in English.
Ngandika is the krama inggil verb “to say”, used of Jesus as a person of the highest respect, while the rest of the verse is plain ngoko. This mixture of an honorific verb for the revered speaker and ngoko narrative is normal in modern Javanese prose. Asu-wawar, a compound of asu (“dog”) and wawar, is the translators’ word for the “foxes” of the Greek; the 1994 translation uses asu ajag, “wild dog”, instead, and the Surinamese Javanese version asu alasan, “forest dog”. Putraning Manungsa, “the Son of Man”, uses the old genitive linker -ing (putra + -ing = “son of”), a literary construction also seen in Lesson 9’s citation (resmining, “the beauty of”).
Nyèlèhaké, “to lay (something) down”, is formed from the base sèlèh (“put down”) with the nasal prefix ny-, which replaces the initial s, and the causative suffix -aké. The same nasal prefix gives nduwèni from duwé. The -é of sirahé (“his head”) is the third-person possessive suffix, the same one found in anaké (“his child”, 11.12).
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A short story of a village wedding. The narrative is in ngoko; the conversation between Pak Karto and the village head in 11.25–11.26 is in krama.
11.16a Pak Mr Karto Karto duwé has anak child wadon female loro two
11.16b Pak /paʔ/ father.TITLE Karto /kartɔ/ Karto duwé /duwe/ have anak /anaʔ/ child wadon /wadɔn/ female loro /loro/ two
11.17a Sasi month ngarep front Pak Mr Karto Karto arep will duwé have gawé work
11.17b Sasi /sasi/ month ngarep /ŋarəp/ front Pak /paʔ/ father.TITLE Karto /kartɔ/ Karto arep /arəp/ FUT duwé /duwe/ have gawé /ɡawe/ work
11.18a Anaké his-child sing who mbarep eldest arep will omah-omah set-up-house
11.18b Anaké /anaʔe/ child-POSS.3 sing /sɪŋ/ REL mbarep /mbarəp/ eldest arep /arəp/ FUT omah-omah /omah omah/ house-RED
11.19a Pak Mr Karto Karto duwé has omah house nanging but omahé his-house cilik small
11.19b Pak /paʔ/ father.TITLE Karto /kartɔ/ Karto duwé /duwe/ have omah /omah/ house nanging /naŋɪŋ/ but omahé /omahe/ house-POSS.3 cilik /cilɪʔ/ small
11.20a Dhèwèké he uga also ora not duwé has kursi chair akèh many
11.20b Dhèwèké /ɖɛwɛʔe/ 3SG uga /uɡɔ/ also ora /ɔrɔ/ NEG duwé /duwe/ have kursi /kursi/ chair akèh /akɛh/ many
11.21a Untungé luckily tanggané his-neighbour duwé has kursi chair satus hundred
11.21b Untungé /untuŋe/ luck-DEF tanggané /taŋɡane/ neighbour-POSS.3 duwé /duwe/ have kursi /kursi/ chair satus /satʊs/ one.hundred
11.22a Bu Mrs Karto Karto duwé has resep recipe jenang jenang saka from simbahé her-grandmother
11.22b Bu /bu/ mother.TITLE Karto /kartɔ/ Karto duwé /duwe/ have resep /rəsəp/ recipe jenang /ɟənaŋ/ rice.pudding saka /sakɔ/ from simbahé /simbahe/ grandparent-POSS.3
11.23a Tangga-tanggané his-neighbours sing who duwé have wektu time padha all teka come ngréwangi to-help
11.23b Tangga-tanggané /taŋɡɔ taŋɡane/ neighbour-RED-POSS.3 sing /sɪŋ/ REL duwé /duwe/ have wektu /wəʔtu/ time padha /paɖɔ/ PL teka /təkɔ/ come ngréwangi /ŋrɛwaŋi/ AV-help-APPL
11.24a Pak Mr Lurah village-head duwé has gamelan gamelan
11.24b Pak /paʔ/ father.TITLE Lurah /lurah/ village.head duwé /duwe/ have gamelan /ɡaməlan/ gamelan
11.25a Pak Mr Karto Karto matur says Menapa QUESTION Pak Mr Lurah village-head kagungan has wekdal time malem eve Setu Saturday
11.25b Pak /paʔ/ father.TITLE Karto /kartɔ/ Karto matur /matʊr/ say.HUMBLE Menapa /mənɔpɔ/ Q.KR Pak /paʔ/ father.TITLE Lurah /lurah/ village.head kagungan /kaɡuŋan/ have.KI wekdal /wəʔdal/ time.KR malem /maləm/ night.before Setu /sətu/ Saturday
11.26a Pak Mr Lurah village-head mangsuli answers Inggih yes kula I gadhah have wekdal time
11.26b Pak /paʔ/ father.TITLE Lurah /lurah/ village.head mangsuli /maŋsuli/ answer.KR Inggih /ɪŋɡɪh/ yes.KR kula /kulɔ/ 1SG.KR gadhah /ɡaɖah/ have.KR wekdal /wəʔdal/ time.KR
11.27a Dina day iku that kabèh all wong people duwé have gawéan job dhéwé-dhéwé own-own
11.27b Dina /dinɔ/ day iku /iku/ that.MED kabèh /kabɛh/ all wong /wɔŋ/ person duwé /duwe/ have gawéan /ɡawean/ work-NMLZ dhéwé-dhéwé /ɖewe ɖewe/ self-RED
11.28a Bocah-bocah the-children ora not duwé have gawéan job mula so padha all dolanan play
11.28b Bocah-bocah /bocah bocah/ child-RED ora /ɔrɔ/ NEG duwé /duwe/ have gawéan /ɡawean/ work-NMLZ mula /mulɔ/ so padha /paɖɔ/ PL dolanan /dolanan/ play
11.29a Pak Mr Karto Karto ora not duwé has omah house gedhé big nanging but duwé has tangga neighbour akèh many
11.29b Pak /paʔ/ father.TITLE Karto /kartɔ/ Karto ora /ɔrɔ/ NEG duwé /duwe/ have omah /omah/ house gedhé /ɡəɖe/ big nanging /naŋɪŋ/ but duwé /duwe/ have tangga /taŋɡɔ/ neighbour akèh /akɛh/ many
11.30a Wong person sing who duwé has tangga neighbour apik good iku that wong person sugih rich
11.30b Wong /wɔŋ/ person sing /sɪŋ/ REL duwé /duwe/ have tangga /taŋɡɔ/ neighbour apik /apɪʔ/ good iku /iku/ that.MED wong /wɔŋ/ person sugih /suɡɪh/ rich
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11.16 Pak Karto duwé anak wadon loro. → “Pak Karto has two daughters.”
11.17 Sasi ngarep, Pak Karto arep duwé gawé. → “Next month Pak Karto is going to hold a celebration.”
11.18 Anaké sing mbarep arep omah-omah. → “His eldest daughter is getting married.”
11.19 Pak Karto duwé omah, nanging omahé cilik. → “Pak Karto has a house, but it is a small one.”
11.20 Dhèwèké uga ora duwé kursi akèh. → “He doesn’t have many chairs either.”
11.21 Untungé, tanggané duwé kursi satus. → “Luckily, his neighbour has a hundred chairs.”
11.22 Bu Karto duwé resep jenang saka simbahé. → “Mrs Karto has a recipe for jenang from her grandmother.”
11.23 Tangga-tanggané sing duwé wektu padha teka ngréwangi. → “The neighbours who have time all come to help.”
11.24 Pak Lurah duwé gamelan. → “The village head owns a gamelan.”
11.25 Pak Karto matur, “Menapa Pak Lurah kagungan wekdal malem Setu?” → Pak Karto asks, “Do you have time on Friday night, sir?”
11.26 Pak Lurah mangsuli, “Inggih, kula gadhah wekdal.” → The village head answers, “Yes, I have time.”
11.27 Dina iku kabèh wong duwé gawéan dhéwé-dhéwé. → “That day everyone has a job of their own.”
11.28 Bocah-bocah ora duwé gawéan, mula padha dolanan. → “The children have no job, so they play.”
11.29 Pak Karto ora duwé omah gedhé, nanging duwé tangga akèh. → “Pak Karto doesn’t have a big house, but he has many neighbours.”
11.30 Wong sing duwé tangga apik iku wong sugih. → “Whoever has good neighbours is a rich man.”
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Pak Karto Duwé Gawé
11.16 Pak Karto duwé anak wadon loro.
11.17 Sasi ngarep, Pak Karto arep duwé gawé.
11.18 Anaké sing mbarep arep omah-omah.
11.19 Pak Karto duwé omah, nanging omahé cilik.
11.20 Dhèwèké uga ora duwé kursi akèh.
11.21 Untungé, tanggané duwé kursi satus.
11.22 Bu Karto duwé resep jenang saka simbahé.
11.23 Tangga-tanggané sing duwé wektu padha teka ngréwangi.
11.24 Pak Lurah duwé gamelan.
11.25 Pak Karto matur, “Menapa Pak Lurah kagungan wekdal malem Setu?”
11.26 Pak Lurah mangsuli, “Inggih, kula gadhah wekdal.”
11.27 Dina iku kabèh wong duwé gawéan dhéwé-dhéwé.
11.28 Bocah-bocah ora duwé gawéan, mula padha dolanan.
11.29 Pak Karto ora duwé omah gedhé, nanging duwé tangga akèh.
11.30 Wong sing duwé tangga apik iku wong sugih.
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Duwé gawé and gawéan. The story turns on two uses of gawé, “work”. Duwé gawé (11.17) is the fixed idiom “to hold a celebration”; duwé gawéan (11.27–11.28), with the noun suffix -an, is literally “to have a job, a task”. The two sound alike but mean different things: a family that is duwé gawé gives everyone else gawéan.
Arep marks the future or an intention: arep duwé gawé, “is going to hold a celebration” (11.17); arep omah-omah, “is going to marry” (11.18). Omah-omah, the doubled form of omah (“house”), means “to set up house”, that is, to marry.
Pak and Bu, short for bapak (“father”) and ibu (“mother”), are the ordinary titles for adult men and women: Pak Karto, Bu Karto. Pak Lurah is “Mr Village Head”, the title used as a name.
Speech levels in dialogue. The narrative is ngoko, but when Pak Karto addresses the village head he switches to krama. Matur (11.25) is the humble verb “to say (to a superior)”, used of the speaker’s own speech; mangsuli (11.26) is the krama “to answer”. Menapa is the krama question word (ngoko apa), and Pak Karto uses kagungan for the village head. The village head, speaking of himself, answers with gadhah, not kagungan. Addressing someone by their title (Pak Lurah kagungan …, “does the village head have …”) instead of “you” is a very common Javanese politeness.
Malem Setu (11.25) is the evening before Saturday, that is, Friday night: in the Javanese reckoning the day begins at sunset, and malem + day name always refers to the night before that day.
Reduplication. Doubling a noun can mark a plural or variety: bocah-bocah, “the children” (11.28); tangga-tanggané, “his neighbours” (11.23). Dhéwé-dhéwé (11.27), from dhéwé (“self”), means “each their own”.
Jenang (11.22) is a sweet, thick pudding made from rice flour, coconut milk and palm sugar, stirred for hours in a large pan. It is served at almost every Javanese celebration.
The final saying (11.30) repeats the pattern of 11.15: Wong … sing duwé …, iku wong sugih, “The one who has … is a rich man.”
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The three e’s. Javanese Latin spelling distinguishes é /e/ (close, as in duwé, gawé, désa), è /ɛ/ (open, as in akèh, kabèh, nduwèni) and plain e /ə/ (the neutral vowel of English “about”, as in wektu, legawa, gedhé, jenang). Accents are often left out in everyday writing (duwe, gawe, akeh), and the reader must know the word. This course writes them.
é to è before a suffix. When a suffix is added to a word ending in é, the vowel usually opens to è: duwé → nduwèni, duwèn-duwèn.
Final a as [ɔ]. The last a of a word in an open syllable is pronounced [ɔ]: kula [kulɔ], arta [artɔ], désa [desɔ]. If the syllable before it also has a, it too becomes [ɔ]: ora [ɔrɔ], sapa [sɔpɔ], legawa [ləɡɔwɔ]. When a suffix follows, the a returns: tangga [taŋɡɔ] but tanggané [taŋɡane].
Closed-syllable vowels. In a syllable ending in a consonant, i and u are more open, [ɪ] and [ʊ]: kucing [kucɪŋ], wis [wɪs], payung [pajʊŋ], durung [durʊŋ].
Retroflex and dental. Javanese distinguishes dental d, t from retroflex dh, th. Dhuwit [ɖuwɪt], adhiku [aɖiku], gadhah [ɡaɖah], gedhé [ɡəɖe] all have the retroflex. Spelling mistakes here (gadah for gadhah) are common but do not change the word.
Glottal k. Final k is a glottal stop: anak [anaʔ], apik [apɪʔ], cilik [cilɪʔ], Pak [paʔ]. Before a consonant it is also glottal: wektu [wəʔtu], wekdal [wəʔdal].
Nasal clusters at the start of a word: nd- in nduwèni, mb- in mbésuk and mbarep, ng- in ngarep and ngréwangi, ny- in nyuwun and nyambut. Each is one onset: do not insert a vowel before it.
IPA in this lesson is broad. It does not mark the slack (breathy) voice of b, d, dh, g, j, and it does not mark stress, which in Javanese is weak and not contrastive. The palatal stops c and j are written [c] and [ɟ].
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✓ Lesson 11 Javanese complete — duwé (have)
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