What is the Javanese for “for”?
English “for” marks who receives or benefits from something (“a present for you”), what a thing is meant for (“a chair for guests”), and, more rarely, a reason (“punished for lying”). Javanese uses one word for the first two jobs, kanggo, and a different word for the reason, amarga, “because”.
- Benefit and intended use: kanggo, “for”. Iki kanggo kowé, “This is for you.” In krama it is kanggé; of a person who must be honoured it is kagem: Kopi menika kagem Bapak, “This coffee is for Father.” - Doing something for someone: Javanese often puts the “for” inside the verb, with the suffix -aké: Aku nukokaké Ibu kembang, “I bought Mother flowers, I bought flowers for Mother.” In krama the suffix is -aken. - Reason: amarga (krama amargi), “because”: diukum amarga ngapusi, “punished for lying”.
Lesson 12 met kanggo before a verb, as the purpose word “(in order) to”: kanggo sinau, “to study”. This lesson teaches kanggo before a noun or pronoun: kanggo sapa?, “for whom?”, kanggo tamu, “for guests”. It is the same word, and it means “intended for, meant for”.
Where English uses “for” and Javanese does not. Many English verbs carry “for” that their Javanese equivalents do not need: ngenteni bis, “to wait for the bus”; nggolèki kunci, “to look for the key”; njaluk dhuwit, “to ask for money”. A length of time takes no preposition either: Aku wis telung taun manggon ing Sala, “I have lived in Solo for three years.”
Etymology: kanggo belongs with anggo and nganggo, “to use, to wear”: what is kanggo someone is what is meant for their use. Kanggé is its krama; kagem is a separate krama inggil word, used only of the person honoured. The suffix -aké is the same suffix that makes causatives (Lesson 12: nyiapaké, “to make ready”); with verbs of making, buying and fetching it adds a beneficiary.
Orthography: this course writes é for the close e, è for the open e and plain e for the neutral vowel (schwa). Kanggé is often written kangge, and nukokaké is often written nukokake. The city of Solo is written Sala in Javanese spelling and pronounced [sɔlɔ].
FAQ: How do I say “for” in Javanese?
Q: How do I say “This is for you”? A: Iki kanggo kowé. To an elder: Menika kagem panjenengan.
Q: How do I ask “Who is it for?” A: Kanggo sapa? Politely: Kanggé sinten?
Q: How do I say “I bought it for her”? A: Either with kanggo, Aku tuku kembang kanggo Ibu, or with -aké on the verb, Aku nukokaké Ibu kembang. Both are correct; the second is the more Javanese.
Q: How do I say “for three years”? A: With no preposition: telung taun. Aku wis telung taun manggon ing Sala.
Q: How do I say “punished for lying”? A: With amarga, “because”: diukum amarga ngapusi.
Key Takeaways:
- “For” a person or a use is kanggo (krama kanggé, krama inggil kagem): kanggo kowé, kanggo tamu - Kagem honours the person who receives, never oneself: kagem Bapak, kagem Simbah - “Do something for someone” is often a verb with -aké (krama -aken), the person straight after the verb: nukokaké Ibu kembang - “For” of reason is amarga (krama amargi); “for” of time is left out: telung taun - Wait for, look for, ask for are single verbs: ngenteni, nggolèki, njaluk
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kanggo /kaŋɡo/ — kang-go: the ng of English “finger”, with the g pronounced; the final o is close, nearer French “eau” than English “go”.
kanggé /kaŋɡe/ — kang-gé, ending in close é, as in French “été”.
kagem /kaɡəm/ — ka-gem: the e is the neutral vowel of “about”.
amarga /amarɡɔ/ — a-mar-ga: the final a is the open [ɔ] of British “hot”. Krama amargi /amarɡi/.
nukokaké /nukokake/ — nu-ko-ka-ké: five clear syllables, stress weak and even; close é at the end.
The suffix -aké /ake/ and its krama -aken /akən/: bungkusaken /buŋkʊsakən/, “wrap it for (you)”.
Final k is a glottal stop: jarik [ɟarɪʔ], bathik [baʈɪʔ], awak [awaʔ], anak [anaʔ], entèk [əntɛʔ]. When the last two syllables both end in a, both are [ɔ]: sapa [sɔpɔ], sega [səɡɔ], gula jawa [ɡulɔ ɟɔwɔ], Sala [sɔlɔ].
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14.1a Iki this kanggo for kowé you
14.1b Iki /iki/ this.PROX kanggo /kaŋɡo/ for kowé /kowe/ 2SG
14.2a Kanggo for sapa whom
14.2b Kanggo /kaŋɡo/ for sapa /sɔpɔ/ who
14.3a Kursi chair iki this kanggo for tamu guests
14.3b Kursi /kʊrsi/ chair iki /iki/ this.PROX kanggo /kaŋɡo/ for tamu /tamu/ guest
14.4a Oleh-oleh present kanggo for adhiku my-younger-sibling
14.4b Oleh-oleh /oləh oləh/ RED-get kanggo /kaŋɡo/ for adhiku /aɖiku/ younger.sibling-POSS.1SG
14.5a Kopi coffee menika this kagem for Bapak Father
14.5b Kopi /kopi/ coffee menika /mənikɔ/ this.KR kagem /kaɡəm/ for.KI Bapak /bapaʔ/ father
14.6a Aku I tuku bought kembang flowers kanggo for Ibu Mother
14.6b Aku /aku/ 1SG tuku /tuku/ buy kembang /kəmbaŋ/ flower kanggo /kaŋɡo/ for Ibu /ibu/ mother
14.7a Aku I nukokaké bought-for Ibu Mother kembang flowers
14.7b Aku /aku/ 1SG nukokaké /nukokake/ AV-buy-BEN Ibu /ibu/ mother kembang /kəmbaŋ/ flower
14.8a Wedang drink jahé ginger apik good kanggo for awak body
14.8b Wedang /wədaŋ/ hot.drink jahé /ɟahe/ ginger apik /apɪʔ/ good kanggo /kaŋɡo/ for awak /awaʔ/ body
14.9a Ibu Mother masak cooked sega rice kanggo for kabèh all wong people
14.9b Ibu /ibu/ mother masak /masaʔ/ cook sega /səɡɔ/ cooked.rice kanggo /kaŋɡo/ for kabèh /kabɛh/ all wong /wɔŋ/ person
14.10a Mbak Miss Sri Sri nggawèkaké made-for adhiné her-younger-brother layangan kite
14.10b Mbak /mbaʔ/ elder.sister.VOC Sri /sri/ Sri nggawèkaké /ŋɡawɛkake/ AV-make-BEN adhiné /aɖine/ younger.sibling-POSS.3 layangan /lajaŋan/ kite
14.11a Kula I tumbas bought buku book menika this kanggé for anak child kula my
14.11b Kula /kulɔ/ 1SG.KR tumbas /tumbas/ buy.KR buku /buku/ book menika /mənikɔ/ this.KR kanggé /kaŋɡe/ for.KR anak /anaʔ/ child kula /kulɔ/ 1SG.KR
14.12a Dhèwèké he diukum was-punished guru teacher amarga because ngapusi lied
14.12b Dhèwèké /ɖɛwɛke/ 3SG diukum /diukʊm/ PASS-punish guru /ɡuru/ teacher amarga /amarɡɔ/ because ngapusi /ŋapusi/ AV-deceive
14.13a Aku I wis already telung three taun years manggon live ing in Sala Solo
14.13b Aku /aku/ 1SG wis /wɪs/ already telung /tələŋ/ three.LIG taun /taun/ year manggon /maŋɡɔn/ AV-dwell ing /ɪŋ/ in Sala /sɔlɔ/ Solo
14.14a Ibu Mother mundhut bought obat medicine kagem for Simbah Grandma
14.14b Ibu /ibu/ mother mundhut /mʊnɖʊt/ buy.KI obat /obat/ medicine kagem /kaɡəm/ for.KI Simbah /simbah/ grandparent
14.15a Kabèh all iki this daklakoni I-do kanggo for kowé you lan and anak-anakmu your-children
14.15b Kabèh /kabɛh/ all iki /iki/ this.PROX daklakoni /daʔlakɔni/ 1.PASS-do-APPL kanggo /kaŋɡo/ for kowé /kowe/ 2SG lan /lan/ and anak-anakmu /anaʔ anaʔmu/ child-PL-POSS.2SG
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14.1 Iki kanggo kowé. → “This is for you.”
14.2 Kanggo sapa? → “Who is it for?”
14.3 Kursi iki kanggo tamu. → “This chair is for guests.”
14.4 Oleh-oleh kanggo adhiku. → “A present for my little brother.”
14.5 Kopi menika kagem Bapak. → “This coffee is for Father.” (polite)
14.6 Aku tuku kembang kanggo Ibu. → “I bought flowers for Mother.”
14.7 Aku nukokaké Ibu kembang. → “I bought Mother some flowers.”
14.8 Wedang jahé apik kanggo awak. → “Ginger tea is good for you.”
14.9 Ibu masak sega kanggo kabèh wong. → “Mother cooked rice for everyone.”
14.10 Mbak Sri nggawèkaké adhiné layangan. → “Sri made her little brother a kite.”
14.11 Kula tumbas buku menika kanggé anak kula. → “I bought this book for my child.” (polite)
14.12 Dhèwèké diukum guru amarga ngapusi. → “He was punished by the teacher for lying.”
14.13 Aku wis telung taun manggon ing Sala. → “I have lived in Solo for three years.”
14.14 Ibu mundhut obat kagem Simbah. → “Mother bought medicine for Grandma.”
14.15 Kabèh iki daklakoni kanggo kowé lan anak-anakmu. → “I do all this for you and your children.”
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14.1 Iki kanggo kowé.
14.2 Kanggo sapa?
14.3 Kursi iki kanggo tamu.
14.4 Oleh-oleh kanggo adhiku.
14.5 Kopi menika kagem Bapak.
14.6 Aku tuku kembang kanggo Ibu.
14.7 Aku nukokaké Ibu kembang.
14.8 Wedang jahé apik kanggo awak.
14.9 Ibu masak sega kanggo kabèh wong.
14.10 Mbak Sri nggawèkaké adhiné layangan.
14.11 Kula tumbas buku menika kanggé anak kula.
14.12 Dhèwèké diukum guru amarga ngapusi.
14.13 Aku wis telung taun manggon ing Sala.
14.14 Ibu mundhut obat kagem Simbah.
14.15 Kabèh iki daklakoni kanggo kowé lan anak-anakmu.
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These are the grammar rules for kanggo, and for the other ways of saying “for”, in Javanese:
1. Kanggo + noun or pronoun: “for, meant for”. Kanggo stands before the person or thing that receives or benefits: kanggo kowé (14.1), kanggo tamu (14.3), kanggo adhiku (14.4), kanggo Ibu (14.6), kanggo kabèh wong (14.9). The phrase may follow a noun (oleh-oleh kanggo adhiku) or a whole sentence (Ibu masak sega kanggo kabèh wong). Like the demonstratives, it needs no verb “is”: Iki kanggo kowé, “This (is) for you.”
2. The question. Kanggo sapa?, “For whom?” (14.2); in krama Kanggé sinten? For a thing’s use, Lesson 12’s Kanggo apa?, “What is it for?”
3. Three speech levels:
- kanggo — ngoko - kanggé — krama: kanggé anak kula (14.11) - kagem — krama inggil: kagem Bapak (14.5), kagem Simbah (14.14)
Kagem is chosen by the person who receives, not by the person spoken to: Ibu mundhut obat kagem Simbah (14.14) is a ngoko sentence honouring Grandma. Never use kagem of yourself: a thing for me is kanggo aku, or krama kanggé kula.
4. Kanggo after adjectives: “good for, suitable for”. Apik kanggo awak, “good for the body” (14.8); pas kanggo wayah udan, “just right for rainy weather” (Lesson 5). The same pattern gives angel kanggo bocah, “hard for a child”.
5. The benefactive -aké: “for” inside the verb. With verbs of making, buying, fetching and the like, the suffix -aké makes the beneficiary the direct object, placed right after the verb, with the thing after it:
- Aku tuku kembang kanggo Ibu. — I bought flowers for Mother. (14.6) - Aku nukokaké Ibu kembang. — I bought Mother flowers. (14.7)
The two say the same thing; the second is the more idiomatic. Sound changes: the stem’s last vowel u becomes o (tuku → nukokaké), and é becomes è (gawé → nggawèkaké, 14.10). The active verb takes the nasal prefix as usual (t → n, g → ngg). In krama the suffix is -aken: bungkusaken, “wrap (it) for (you)” (14.26).
6. Kanggo in the passive. With dak- (“I”) and kok- (“you”) passives, kanggo still names the beneficiary: Kabèh iki daklakoni kanggo kowé, “All this I do for you” (14.15).
7. “For” of reason: amarga. English “punished for lying” states a cause. Javanese states it with amarga, “because” (krama amargi): diukum amarga ngapusi (14.12). Kanggo would mean that the punishment was meant to produce lying.
8. “For” of time: nothing. A length of time stands without a preposition: telung taun, “(for) three years” (14.13). Telung is the linking form of telu, “three”, used before a measure word.
9. Verbs that contain “for”. Ngenteni, “to wait for”; nggolèki, “to look for”; njaluk, “to ask for”: the object follows directly. Aku ngenteni bis, “I’m waiting for the bus.”
Common Mistakes:
- Adding kanggo after verbs that already contain it: *Aku ngenteni kanggo bis. Correct: Aku ngenteni bis. - Using kanggo for a length of time: *Aku manggon ing Sala kanggo telung taun. Correct: Aku wis telung taun manggon ing Sala. - Using kanggo for a reason: *diukum kanggo ngapusi. Correct: diukum amarga ngapusi. - Using kagem of oneself: *Iki kagem kula. Correct: Menika kanggé kula. - With -aké, putting the thing before the person: *nukokaké kembang Ibu, which means “bought Mother’s flowers (for someone)”. Correct: nukokaké Ibu kembang.
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Frequency and register. Kanggo is one of the commonest prepositions of everyday ngoko. Kanggé belongs to polite talk with strangers, shopkeepers and acquaintances; kagem is heard whenever a gift, a dish or a seat is offered to an elder: Mangga lenggah, Pak, kursi menika kagem panjenengan, “Please sit, sir, this chair is for you.”
Giving and receiving. A thing offered “for” someone is handed over with the right hand, or with both hands to an elder; the left hand is not used. The polite words and the polite gesture go together.
Oleh-oleh. Oleh-oleh are the presents a traveller brings home for family, neighbours and colleagues, usually food or cloth from the place visited. Before the end of Ramadan, when many Javanese travel home (mudik) for Lebaran, markets fill with people buying oleh-oleh for the whole household, and the question Kanggo sapa? is heard at every stall. The dialogue below takes place at such a time.
Batik and sarong. A jarik (also jarit) is a long rectangle of batik cloth worn wrapped as a skirt, especially by older women; a sarung is the tubular cloth that men wear, among other occasions, to the mosque. Both are traditional presents for parents. Gula jawa, palm sugar, is the sweetener of Javanese cooking.
Prices. Indonesian prices run into thousands of rupiah, so èwu, “thousand”, is constantly in use: satus sèket èwu, “one hundred and fifty thousand”.
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Mark 2:27–28, from the Javanese Bible of the Lembaga Alkitab Indonesia, as published by Alkitab SABDA (version “Jawa”). The published text omits accents; they are added here in this course’s spelling. Jesus answers the Pharisees, who have found fault with his disciples for plucking ears of grain on the Sabbath. The saying turns on kanggo, used twice, the second time with the terms reversed.
F.1a Banjur then ngandika he-said manèh again
F.1b Banjur /banɟʊr/ then ngandika /ŋandikɔ/ AV-speak.KI manèh /manɛh/ again
F.2a Dina day Sabat Sabbath iku the dianakaké was-made kanggo for manungsa man ora not kok indeed manungsa man kanggo for dina day Sabat Sabbath
F.2b Dina /dinɔ/ day Sabat /sabat/ Sabbath iku /iku/ that.MED dianakaké /dianakake/ PASS-exist-CAUS kanggo /kaŋɡo/ for manungsa /manʊŋsɔ/ human ora /ɔrɔ/ NEG kok /kɔʔ/ PTCL manungsa /manʊŋsɔ/ human kanggo /kaŋɡo/ for dina /dinɔ/ day Sabat /sabat/ Sabbath
F.3a dadi so Putraning the-Son-of Manungsa Man iku the uga also Gustiné the-Lord-of dina day Sabat Sabbath
F.3b dadi /dadi/ so Putraning /putranɪŋ/ son.KR-GEN Manungsa /manʊŋsɔ/ human iku /iku/ that.MED uga /uɡɔ/ also Gustiné /ɡustine/ lord-DEF dina /dinɔ/ day Sabat /sabat/ Sabbath
Banjur ngandika manèh: “Dina Sabat iku dianakaké kanggo manungsa, ora kok manungsa kanggo dina Sabat, dadi Putraning Manungsa iku uga Gustiné dina Sabat.”
Then he said again: “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath; so the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath.”
Banjur ngandika manèh: “Dina Sabat iku dianakaké kanggo manungsa, ora kok manungsa kanggo dina Sabat, dadi Putraning Manungsa iku uga Gustiné dina Sabat.”
The saying is built on one preposition used twice. Dina Sabat iku dianakaké kanggo manungsa: the day exists for the benefit of people. Then the terms are swapped and denied: ora kok manungsa kanggo dina Sabat. The second half has no verb at all. Javanese, like English “not man for the Sabbath”, lets the preposition phrase carry the meaning alone, because kanggo needs no verb “is” (Section D, rule 1).
Dianakaké is the passive of anakaké, “to cause to exist, to institute”, from ana, “there is”, with the causative -aké seen in this lesson’s nukokaké: di- + ana + -aké, “was made to exist”. Kok after ora gives the denial its edge: ora kok …, “not, mind you, …”, rejecting what the hearers assumed.
The literary register shows in two forms. Ngandika is the krama inggil verb for the speaking of Jesus, as dipirsani was for God’s seeing in Lesson 13. Putraning Manungsa, “the Son of Man”, uses the old genitive -ing, “of”, joined to putra, “son” (krama). Gustiné is gusti, “lord”, with -é, “the lord (of)”. Iku, the written “that” of Lesson 10, here does the work of English “the”, marking the subject.
Compare the Indonesian of the same verse, Hari Sabat diadakan untuk manusia dan bukan manusia untuk hari Sabat: Indonesian untuk does the same work as kanggo, and dianakaké matches diadakan form for form.
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Wulan and her elder brother Bayu are at the market buying presents to take home for Lebaran. They speak ngoko to each other; with the stallholder, Bu Darmi, Wulan speaks krama, and Bu Darmi answers her in krama, as a seller to a customer.
14.16a Bayu Bayu Lan Lan kowé you tuku buy apa what kanggo for Bapak Father
14.16b Bayu /baju/ Bayu Lan /lan/ Wulan.VOC kowé /kowe/ 2SG tuku /tuku/ buy apa /ɔpɔ/ what kanggo /kaŋɡo/ for Bapak /bapaʔ/ father
14.17a Wulan Wulan Aku I arep will tuku buy sarung sarong kanggo for Bapak Father
14.17b Wulan /wulan/ Wulan Aku /aku/ 1SG arep /arəp/ FUT tuku /tuku/ buy sarung /sarʊŋ/ sarong kanggo /kaŋɡo/ for Bapak /bapaʔ/ father
14.18a Bayu Bayu Yèn if kanggo for Ibu Mother apa what
14.18b Bayu /baju/ Bayu Yèn /jɛn/ if kanggo /kaŋɡo/ for Ibu /ibu/ mother apa /ɔpɔ/ what
14.19a Wulan Wulan Kanggo for Ibu Mother jarik cloth bathik batik
14.19b Wulan /wulan/ Wulan Kanggo /kaŋɡo/ for Ibu /ibu/ mother jarik /ɟarɪʔ/ wrap.cloth bathik /baʈɪʔ/ batik
14.20a Bayu Bayu Aku I nukokaké buy-for Simbah Grandma gula sugar jawa palm amarga because Simbah Grandma seneng likes masak cooking
14.20b Bayu /baju/ Bayu Aku /aku/ 1SG nukokaké /nukokake/ AV-buy-BEN Simbah /simbah/ grandparent gula /ɡulɔ/ sugar jawa /ɟɔwɔ/ Javanese amarga /amarɡɔ/ because Simbah /simbah/ grandparent seneng /sənəŋ/ like masak /masaʔ/ cook
14.21a Wulan Wulan Bu Ma’am jarik cloth ingkang that biru blue menika this pinten how-much
14.21b Wulan /wulan/ Wulan Bu /bu/ mother.VOC jarik /ɟarɪʔ/ wrap.cloth ingkang /ɪŋkaŋ/ REL.KR biru /biru/ blue menika /mənikɔ/ this.KR pinten /pintən/ how.much.KR
14.22a Bu Mrs Darmi Darmi Satus hundred sèket fifty èwu thousand Mbak Miss Kanggé for sinten whom
14.22b Bu /bu/ mother.VOC Darmi /darmi/ Darmi Satus /satʊs/ one.hundred sèket /sɛkət/ fifty èwu /ɛwu/ thousand Mbak /mbaʔ/ elder.sister.VOC Kanggé /kaŋɡe/ for.KR sinten /sintən/ who.KR
14.23a Wulan Wulan Kanggé for ibu mother kula my Bu Ma’am
14.23b Wulan /wulan/ Wulan Kanggé /kaŋɡe/ for.KR ibu /ibu/ mother kula /kulɔ/ 1SG.KR Bu /bu/ mother.VOC
14.24a Bu Mrs Darmi Darmi Menawi if kanggé for ibu a-mother ingkang the-one ijem green menika this langkung more pantes suitable
14.24b Bu /bu/ mother.VOC Darmi /darmi/ Darmi Menawi /mənawi/ if.KR kanggé /kaŋɡe/ for.KR ibu /ibu/ mother ingkang /ɪŋkaŋ/ REL.KR ijem /ijəm/ green.KR menika /mənikɔ/ this.KR langkung /laŋkʊŋ/ more.KR pantes /pantəs/ fitting
14.25a Wulan Wulan Inggih yes kula I pendhet take ingkang the-one ijem green
14.25b Wulan /wulan/ Wulan Inggih /ɪŋɡɪh/ yes.KR kula /kulɔ/ 1SG.KR pendhet /pənɖət/ take.KR ingkang /ɪŋkaŋ/ REL.KR ijem /ijəm/ green.KR
14.26a Bu Mrs Darmi Darmi Sekedhap a-moment kula I bungkusaken wrap-for-you
14.26b Bu /bu/ mother.VOC Darmi /darmi/ Darmi Sekedhap /səkəɖap/ moment.KR kula /kulɔ/ 1SG.KR bungkusaken /buŋkʊsakən/ wrap-BEN.KR
14.27a Bayu Bayu Lan Lan kowé you ora not tuku buy apa-apa anything kanggo for awakmu your-body dhéwé self
14.27b Bayu /baju/ Bayu Lan /lan/ Wulan.VOC kowé /kowe/ 2SG ora /ɔrɔ/ NEG tuku /tuku/ buy apa-apa /ɔpɔ ɔpɔ/ RED-what kanggo /kaŋɡo/ for awakmu /awaʔmu/ body-POSS.2SG dhéwé /ɖewe/ self
14.28a Wulan Wulan Ora no Dhuwitku my-money wis already entèk used-up kanggo for oleh-oleh presents
14.28b Wulan /wulan/ Wulan Ora /ɔrɔ/ NEG Dhuwitku /ɖuwɪtku/ money-POSS.1SG wis /wɪs/ already entèk /əntɛʔ/ used.up kanggo /kaŋɡo/ for oleh-oleh /oləh oləh/ RED-get
14.29a Bayu Bayu Ya well wis then aku I nukokaké buy-for kowé you es iced dawet dawet
14.29b Bayu /baju/ Bayu Ya /jɔ/ yes wis /wɪs/ already aku /aku/ 1SG nukokaké /nukokake/ AV-buy-BEN kowé /kowe/ 2SG es /es/ ice dawet /dawət/ dawet
14.30a Wulan Wulan Matur say nuwun thanks Mas brother Sing the-one iki this kanggo for aku me dhéwé alone
14.30b Wulan /wulan/ Wulan Matur /matʊr/ say.KR nuwun /nuwʊn/ request.KR Mas /mas/ elder.brother.VOC Sing /sɪŋ/ REL iki /iki/ this.PROX kanggo /kaŋɡo/ for aku /aku/ 1SG dhéwé /ɖewe/ self
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14.16 Bayu: “Lan, kowé tuku apa kanggo Bapak?” → Bayu: “Lan, what are you getting for Dad?”
14.17 Wulan: “Aku arep tuku sarung kanggo Bapak.” → Wulan: “I’m going to buy Dad a sarong.”
14.18 Bayu: “Yèn kanggo Ibu, apa?” → Bayu: “And for Mum, what?”
14.19 Wulan: “Kanggo Ibu, jarik bathik.” → Wulan: “For Mum, a batik cloth.”
14.20 Bayu: “Aku nukokaké Simbah gula jawa, amarga Simbah seneng masak.” → Bayu: “I’m buying Grandma palm sugar, because she loves cooking.”
14.21 Wulan: “Bu, jarik ingkang biru menika pinten?” → Wulan: “Excuse me, how much is this blue cloth?”
14.22 Bu Darmi: “Satus sèket èwu, Mbak. Kanggé sinten?” → Bu Darmi: “A hundred and fifty thousand, miss. Who is it for?”
14.23 Wulan: “Kanggé ibu kula, Bu.” → Wulan: “For my mother.”
14.24 Bu Darmi: “Menawi kanggé ibu, ingkang ijem menika langkung pantes.” → Bu Darmi: “If it’s for your mother, this green one would suit her better.”
14.25 Wulan: “Inggih, kula pendhet ingkang ijem.” → Wulan: “All right, I’ll take the green one.”
14.26 Bu Darmi: “Sekedhap, kula bungkusaken.” → Bu Darmi: “Just a moment, I’ll wrap it for you.”
14.27 Bayu: “Lan, kowé ora tuku apa-apa kanggo awakmu dhéwé?” → Bayu: “Lan, aren’t you buying anything for yourself?”
14.28 Wulan: “Ora. Dhuwitku wis entèk kanggo oleh-oleh.” → Wulan: “No. All my money’s gone on presents.”
14.29 Bayu: “Ya wis, aku nukokaké kowé es dawet.” → Bayu: “Well then, I’ll buy you an iced dawet.”
14.30 Wulan: “Matur nuwun, Mas. Sing iki kanggo aku dhéwé.” → Wulan: “Thanks. This one’s just for me.”
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Oleh-oleh Kanggo Wong Omah
14.16 Bayu: “Lan, kowé tuku apa kanggo Bapak?”
14.17 Wulan: “Aku arep tuku sarung kanggo Bapak.”
14.18 Bayu: “Yèn kanggo Ibu, apa?”
14.19 Wulan: “Kanggo Ibu, jarik bathik.”
14.20 Bayu: “Aku nukokaké Simbah gula jawa, amarga Simbah seneng masak.”
14.21 Wulan: “Bu, jarik ingkang biru menika pinten?”
14.22 Bu Darmi: “Satus sèket èwu, Mbak. Kanggé sinten?”
14.23 Wulan: “Kanggé ibu kula, Bu.”
14.24 Bu Darmi: “Menawi kanggé ibu, ingkang ijem menika langkung pantes.”
14.25 Wulan: “Inggih, kula pendhet ingkang ijem.”
14.26 Bu Darmi: “Sekedhap, kula bungkusaken.”
14.27 Bayu: “Lan, kowé ora tuku apa-apa kanggo awakmu dhéwé?”
14.28 Wulan: “Ora. Dhuwitku wis entèk kanggo oleh-oleh.”
14.29 Bayu: “Ya wis, aku nukokaké kowé es dawet.”
14.30 Wulan: “Matur nuwun, Mas. Sing iki kanggo aku dhéwé.”
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Two levels, one preposition. Between the siblings “for” is kanggo (14.16–14.19, 14.27, 14.28, 14.30); with the stallholder it is kanggé (14.22, 14.23, 14.24). Wulan says kanggé ibu kula, not kagem, to a stranger: the plain krama is the safe choice when speaking of one’s own family to an outsider, and it never sounds presumptuous.
Kanggo without a verb. Kanggo Ibu, jarik bathik (14.19), “for Mum, a batik cloth”: the kanggo phrase is put first as the topic and the answer follows. Yèn kanggo Ibu, apa? (14.18), literally “if for Mum, what?”, is the usual way to say “And what about for Mum?”
Three benefactives. Nukokaké Simbah gula jawa (14.20) and nukokaké kowé es dawet (14.29) put the person straight after the verb. Bu Darmi’s bungkusaken (14.26), from bungkus, “to wrap”, is the krama -aken: “wrap (it) for (you)”. The beneficiary is not named; the situation supplies it.
Amarga in a dialogue. In 14.20 amarga gives a reason: amarga Simbah seneng masak, “because Grandma likes cooking”. The sentence has both kinds of “for”: the benefit is inside the verb nukokaké (the sugar is for Simbah), and the reason follows amarga (her cooking).
Entèk kanggo. Dhuwitku wis entèk kanggo oleh-oleh (14.28), “my money is used up on presents”: kanggo names what the money went on. English says “spent on”, Javanese “finished for”.
Awakmu dhéwé, “yourself” (14.27): awak, “body”, with -mu and dhéwé, “own, self”. Kanggo aku dhéwé (14.30), “for me myself, just for me”.
Krama words in the dialogue: pinten (ngoko pira) “how much”; sinten (sapa) “who”; menawi (yèn) “if”; ijem (ijo) “green”; langkung (luwih) “more”; pendhet (jupuk) “take”; sekedhap (sedhéla) “a moment”. Matur nuwun, “thank you”, is krama by origin but used by everyone, even in ngoko.
Prices and numbers. Satus, “one hundred”; sèket, “fifty”, a special word, not “five tens”; èwu, “thousand”.
Es dawet is a sweet iced drink of green rice-flour jelly in coconut milk and palm sugar, sold at markets and roadsides.
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The three e’s. é /e/ is close (kowé, kanggé, jahé, dhéwé, adhiné, Gustiné), è /ɛ/ is open (kabèh, manèh, sèket, èwu, entèk, nggawèkaké), and plain e is the neutral vowel /ə/ (kagem, kembang, seneng, pinten, pantes, ijem, wedang). Accents are usually left out in everyday writing (kangge, kabeh, nukokake), and the Javanese Bible prints none; this course writes them.
Kanggo and kanggé differ only in the last vowel: close o against close é. Make both clearly: kang-go, kang-gé.
The suffixes. -aké /ake/ ends in a close é; krama -aken /akən/ ends in a neutral e and an n: nukokaké, bungkusaken.
Final a as [ɔ]. In sapa [sɔpɔ], apa [ɔpɔ], jawa [ɟɔwɔ], Sala [sɔlɔ], both a’s are [ɔ]; when only the last syllable has a, only that one is: amarga [amarɡɔ], gula [ɡulɔ], manungsa [manʊŋsɔ], menika [mənikɔ].
Retroflex dh and th: adhiku, dhéwé, dhuwit, pendhet, sekedhap, mundhut with [ɖ]; bathik with [ʈ]. Curl the tongue tip back.
Glottal k. Final k is a glottal stop: apik, awak, anak, masak, entèk, jarik, bathik, Mbak, Bapak. Before another consonant it is also glottal: daklakoni [daʔlakɔni], awakmu [awaʔmu].
Sala and Solo. The city is written Sala in Javanese spelling, since its vowels are [ɔ]; Indonesian and English spell it as it sounds, Solo.
IPA in this lesson is broad. It does not mark the slack (breathy) voice of b, d, dh, g, j, nor 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 14 Javanese complete — kanggo (for)
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