What is the Javanese for “on”?
English “on” says that one thing rests on the surface of another: “the book is on the table”. It also does other jobs: “on Monday”, “on the bus”, “on foot”, “on the wall”. Javanese has no single word that does all of these. It answers each one in its own way.
- On top of something: ing ndhuwur, literally “at the top of”. Bukuné ana ing ndhuwur méja, “The book is on the table.” In krama it is ing nginggil: Bukunipun wonten ing nginggil méja. - Where contact is plain from the verb, ing alone is enough, the ing of Lesson 7: Kucingé turu ing kursi, “The cat is sleeping on the chair.” Lungguh ing klasa, “sit on a mat.” - Its opposite is ing ngisor, “under, below” (krama ing ngandhap). - Days need no preposition at all: Dina Senèn, “On Monday”. Formal writing may put ing first: ing dina Senèn. - On a vehicle: numpak, “riding”, which Lessons 16 and 17 have already used: numpak sepur, “on the train”. On foot: mlaku, “walk”.
Ndhuwur is built on dhuwur, “high, tall”, with a nasal at the front: ndhuwur is the upper side of a thing, its top. Both ing ndhuwur and ing dhuwur are written; the Javanese Bible has ing dhuwur gunung, “on a hill” (Section F). This course uses ing ndhuwur in speech. The krama nginggil is built in the same way on inggil, the krama of dhuwur; ngandhap is the krama of ngisor.
Orthography: this course writes é for the close e, è for the open e and plain e for the neutral vowel (schwa). Everyday writing leaves the accents out: meja, selehna, Senen. The dh of ndhuwur is never written plain d: ndhuwur, not nduwur.
FAQ: How do I say “on” in Javanese?
Q: How do I say “on the table”? A: Ing ndhuwur méja. In krama: ing nginggil méja.
Q: How do I say “The key is on the table”? A: Kunciné ana ing ndhuwur méja. Ana, “be, be there”, comes before ing.
Q: How do I say “on Monday”? A: Dina Senèn, with no preposition.
Q: How do I say “Put it on the table”? A: Selèhna ing méja, or Selèhna ing ndhuwur méja.
Q: How do I say “under the table”? A: Ing ngisor méja. In krama: ing ngandhap méja.
Key Takeaways:
- “On top of” is ing ndhuwur (krama ing nginggil); “under” is ing ngisor (krama ing ngandhap) - Where the verb makes contact plain, ing alone is enough: turu ing kursi, lungguh ing klasa - “Is on” needs ana (krama wonten) before ing: ana ing ndhuwur méja - Days take no preposition: dina Senèn, “on Monday” - Vehicles take numpak, “riding”: numpak sepur, “on the train”; on foot is mlaku
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ndhuwur /nɖuwʊr/ — ndhu-wur: the word begins with n run straight into a retroflex dh, the tongue tip curled back. There is no vowel before the n. The last u is short and lax, as in “put”, because it stands in a closed syllable.
dhuwur /ɖuwʊr/ — dhu-wur: the same without the n.
nginggil /ŋiŋɡɪl/ — ngi-nggil: begins with the ng of “singer”; the second ng is the ng of “finger”, with the g pronounced.
ngisor /ŋisɔr/ — ngi-sor: an open o, as in British “hot”.
ngandhap /ŋanɖap/ — ngan-dhap: retroflex dh again.
ana /ɔnɔ/ — both a’s are open [ɔ]. Wonten /wɔntən/, its krama, has open o and the neutral e.
méja /meɟɔ/ — mé-ja: close é, as in French “été”, then the open [ɔ] of a word-final a.
klasa /klɔsɔ/ — both a’s are [ɔ], as in kanca of Lesson 17.
selèhna /səlɛhnɔ/ — se-lèh-na: neutral e, open è, then [ɔ].
Senèn /sənɛn/ — se-nèn: neutral e, then open è.
Final k and final g are a glottal stop: Bapak [bapaʔ], rak [raʔ], ngadeg [ŋadəʔ].
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18.1a Bukuné the-book ana is ing at ndhuwur top méja table
18.1b Bukuné /bukune/ book-DEF ana /ɔnɔ/ EXIST ing /ɪŋ/ at ndhuwur /nɖuwʊr/ top méja /meɟɔ/ table
18.2a Kucingé the-cat turu sleeps ing on kursi chair
18.2b Kucingé /kuciŋe/ cat-DEF turu /turu/ sleep ing /ɪŋ/ at kursi /kursi/ chair
18.3a Dina day Senèn Monday aku I mlebu go-into sekolah school
18.3b Dina /dinɔ/ day Senèn /sənɛn/ Monday aku /aku/ 1SG mlebu /mləbu/ enter sekolah /səkolah/ school
18.4a Selèhna put-it ing on méja table
18.4b Selèhna /səlɛhnɔ/ put.down-IMP ing /ɪŋ/ at méja /meɟɔ/ table
18.5a Bukunipun the-book wonten is ing at nginggil top méja table
18.5b Bukunipun /bukunipʊn/ book-DEF.KR wonten /wɔntən/ EXIST.KR ing /ɪŋ/ at nginggil /ŋiŋɡɪl/ top.KR méja /meɟɔ/ table
18.6a HP-mu your-phone ana is ing at ndhuwur top kasur bed
18.6b HP-mu /ha pe mu/ mobile.phone-POSS.2SG ana /ɔnɔ/ EXIST ing /ɪŋ/ at ndhuwur /nɖuwʊr/ top kasur /kasʊr/ mattress
18.7a Bocah-bocah the-children lungguh sit ing on klasa a-mat ing at ngarep front omah house
18.7b Bocah-bocah /bɔcah bɔcah/ child-PL lungguh /luŋɡʊh/ sit ing /ɪŋ/ at klasa /klɔsɔ/ mat ing /ɪŋ/ at ngarep /ŋarəp/ front omah /omah/ house
18.8a Aku I mlaku walk menyang to sekolah school
18.8b Aku /aku/ 1SG mlaku /mlaku/ walk menyang /məɲaŋ/ to sekolah /səkolah/ school
18.9a Gelasé the-glass aja don’t disèlèhaké be-put ing at ndhuwur top buku book
18.9b Gelasé /ɡəlase/ glass-DEF aja /ɔɟɔ/ PROH disèlèhaké /disɛlɛhake/ PASS-put.down-CAUS ing /ɪŋ/ at ndhuwur /nɖuwʊr/ top buku /buku/ book
18.10a Kopinipun the-coffee-of Bapak Father sampun already kula I selèhaken put ing at nginggil top méja table
18.10b Kopinipun /kopinipʊn/ coffee-POSS.3.KR Bapak /bapaʔ/ father sampun /sampʊn/ PERF.KR kula /kulɔ/ 1SG.KR selèhaken /səlɛhakən/ put.down-CAUS.KR ing /ɪŋ/ at nginggil /ŋiŋɡɪl/ top.KR méja /meɟɔ/ table
18.11a Ing at ndhuwur top gunung mountain Merapi Merapi ana there-is kawah a-crater sing that gedhé big
18.11b Ing /ɪŋ/ at ndhuwur /nɖuwʊr/ top gunung /ɡunʊŋ/ mountain Merapi /mərapi/ Merapi ana /ɔnɔ/ EXIST kawah /kawah/ crater sing /sɪŋ/ REL gedhé /ɡəɖe/ big
18.12a Akèh many wong people ngadeg stand ing on sepur the-train amarga because ora not ana there-is kursi seat
18.12b Akèh /akɛh/ many wong /wɔŋ/ person ngadeg /ŋadəʔ/ stand ing /ɪŋ/ at sepur /səpʊr/ train amarga /amarɡɔ/ because ora /ɔrɔ/ NEG ana /ɔnɔ/ EXIST kursi /kursi/ chair
18.13a Bocah boy sing who lungguh sits ing at ndhuwur top pager fence kuwi that adhiku my-younger-brother
18.13b Bocah /bɔcah/ child sing /sɪŋ/ REL lungguh /luŋɡʊh/ sit ing /ɪŋ/ at ndhuwur /nɖuwʊr/ top pager /paɡər/ fence kuwi /kuwi/ that.MED adhiku /aɖiku/ younger.sibling-POSS.1SG
18.14a Dina day Kemis Thursday Pak Mr Guru Teacher nulis wrote tugas the-homework ing on papan board tulis writing
18.14b Dina /dinɔ/ day Kemis /kəmɪs/ Thursday Pak /paʔ/ father.VOC Guru /ɡuru/ teacher nulis /nulɪs/ AV-write tugas /tuɡas/ task ing /ɪŋ/ at papan /papan/ board tulis /tulɪs/ write
18.15a Yèn if kowé you arep are-going-to lunga go-out selèhna put kunci the-key omah house ing at ndhuwur top kulkas fridge supaya so-that Ibu Mother ora not bingung confused
18.15b Yèn /jɛn/ if kowé /kowe/ 2SG arep /arəp/ FUT lunga /luŋɔ/ go.away selèhna /səlɛhnɔ/ put.down-IMP kunci /kunci/ key omah /omah/ house ing /ɪŋ/ at ndhuwur /nɖuwʊr/ top kulkas /kulkas/ refrigerator supaya /supɔjɔ/ so.that Ibu /ibu/ mother ora /ɔrɔ/ NEG bingung /biŋʊŋ/ confused
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18.1 Bukuné ana ing ndhuwur méja. → “The book is on the table.”
18.2 Kucingé turu ing kursi. → “The cat is sleeping on the chair.”
18.3 Dina Senèn aku mlebu sekolah. → “On Monday I go to school.”
18.4 Selèhna ing méja. → “Put it on the table.”
18.5 Bukunipun wonten ing nginggil méja. → “The book is on the table.” (polite)
18.6 HP-mu ana ing ndhuwur kasur. → “Your phone is on the bed.”
18.7 Bocah-bocah lungguh ing klasa ing ngarep omah. → “The children are sitting on a mat in front of the house.”
18.8 Aku mlaku menyang sekolah. → “I go to school on foot.”
18.9 Gelasé aja disèlèhaké ing ndhuwur buku. → “Don’t put the glass on the book.”
18.10 Kopinipun Bapak sampun kula selèhaken ing nginggil méja. → “I’ve put Father’s coffee on the table.” (polite)
18.11 Ing ndhuwur gunung Merapi ana kawah sing gedhé. → “On the top of Mount Merapi there is a large crater.”
18.12 Akèh wong ngadeg ing sepur amarga ora ana kursi. → “Many people stand on the train because there are no seats.”
18.13 Bocah sing lungguh ing ndhuwur pager kuwi adhiku. → “The boy sitting on the fence is my little brother.”
18.14 Dina Kemis Pak Guru nulis tugas ing papan tulis. → “On Thursday the teacher wrote the homework on the board.”
18.15 Yèn kowé arep lunga, selèhna kunci omah ing ndhuwur kulkas, supaya Ibu ora bingung. → “If you’re going out, put the house key on top of the fridge, so that Mother isn’t left wondering.”
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18.1 Bukuné ana ing ndhuwur méja.
18.2 Kucingé turu ing kursi.
18.3 Dina Senèn aku mlebu sekolah.
18.4 Selèhna ing méja.
18.5 Bukunipun wonten ing nginggil méja.
18.6 HP-mu ana ing ndhuwur kasur.
18.7 Bocah-bocah lungguh ing klasa ing ngarep omah.
18.8 Aku mlaku menyang sekolah.
18.9 Gelasé aja disèlèhaké ing ndhuwur buku.
18.10 Kopinipun Bapak sampun kula selèhaken ing nginggil méja.
18.11 Ing ndhuwur gunung Merapi ana kawah sing gedhé.
18.12 Akèh wong ngadeg ing sepur amarga ora ana kursi.
18.13 Bocah sing lungguh ing ndhuwur pager kuwi adhiku.
18.14 Dina Kemis Pak Guru nulis tugas ing papan tulis.
18.15 Yèn kowé arep lunga, selèhna kunci omah ing ndhuwur kulkas, supaya Ibu ora bingung.
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These are the grammar rules for ing ndhuwur, and for the other ways of saying “on”, in Javanese:
1. Ing ndhuwur, “on, on top of”. Ing is the “at, in” of Lesson 7; ndhuwur is a noun, “the top, the upper side”. Ing ndhuwur méja is literally “at the top of the table”: bukuné ana ing ndhuwur méja (18.1); HP-mu ana ing ndhuwur kasur (18.6). The thing below follows ndhuwur directly, with no word for “of”, as in ing ngarep omah, “in front of the house” (18.7).
2. Ana before ing. To say that something “is on” something, Javanese puts ana, “be there, exist”, before ing: Bukuné ana ing ndhuwur méja (18.1). This is the ana ing of Lesson 7, and in careful speech the ana is kept. In krama, ana is wonten (18.5).
3. The speech levels. Ngoko ing ndhuwur; krama ing nginggil (18.5, 18.10, 18.17). Ngoko ing ngisor, “under”; krama ing ngandhap (18.21). Ing itself does not change.
4. Ing alone. Where the verb already shows that one thing rests on another, ing alone is used: turu ing kursi, “sleep on the chair” (18.2); lungguh ing klasa, “sit on a mat” (18.7); ngadeg ing sepur, “stand on the train” (18.12); nulis ing papan tulis, “write on the board” (18.14); selèhna ing méja, “put it on the table” (18.4). Ing ndhuwur is added when the top surface matters, or to set it against ing ngisor: lungguh ing ndhuwur pager, “sit on top of the fence” (18.13). The Javanese Bible says ditumpangaké ing jodhog, “put on the lampstand”, with ing alone (Section F).
5. Days: no preposition. Dina Senèn, “on Monday” (18.3); dina Kemis, “on Thursday” (18.14); dina Minggu, “on Sunday” (18.25). The day phrase usually comes first. Formal writing may use ing dina Senèn.
6. Vehicles and feet. “On the bus, on a motorbike” is usually numpak, “riding”: numpak sepur, numpak motor (Lessons 16 and 17). Where one is already aboard, ing is used: ngadeg ing sepur (18.12). “On foot” is the verb mlaku, “walk”: Aku mlaku menyang sekolah (18.8).
7. Putting things on: selèh. Selèh, “put down, lay down”, gives selèhna, “put it down” (18.4, 18.15), with the imperative suffix -na of Lesson 17’s tukokna. The passive is disèlèhaké, “be put down” (18.9, 18.26); the active is nyelèhaké, “put down” (18.30). The krama is selèhaken: sampun kula selèhaken, “I have put it” (18.10), the krama dak- passive of Lesson 15 (kula lampahi).
8. Aja with the passive. Gelasé aja disèlèhaké ing ndhuwur buku, “Don’t put the glass on the book” (18.9), is literally “the glass must not be put on the book”. Javanese often makes the thing the subject of the sentence and puts the verb in the di- passive.
9. The -é of “the”. Bukuné, kucingé, gelasé, kunciné (18.1, 18.2, 18.9, 18.24): the suffix -é / -né, which Lesson 16 taught as “his”, also points to a thing already known, like English “the”. In krama it is -ipun / -nipun: bukunipun (18.5).
10. Dhuwur and ndhuwur. Dhuwur is the adjective “high, tall”; ndhuwur is “the top”. In ing dhuwur and ing ndhuwur both spellings are found, and both mean “on, on top of, above”. The Javanese Bible writes ing dhuwur gunung (Section F).
Common Mistakes:
- Leaving ana out in careful speech: Bukuné ing ndhuwur méja. Better: Bukuné ana ing ndhuwur méja. - Putting a preposition before a day: *ing Senèn. Correct: dina Senèn, or formally ing dina Senèn. - Using ing ndhuwur where contact is plain and the top does not matter: lungguh ing kursi is the ordinary way to say “sit on a chair”. - Using ndhuwur in krama: *wonten ing ndhuwur méja. Correct: wonten ing nginggil méja. - Writing nduwur with plain d. Correct: ndhuwur, with the retroflex dh.
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Sitting on the floor. Lungguh ing klasa (18.7): the klasa, a woven mat, is laid on the floor for guests, for family meals, for meetings and for prayer gatherings. Many Javanese eating places, called lesehan, have no chairs: customers sit on mats at low tables. To sit on the floor with others is not a lack of comfort but a sign of ease and equality.
Days with two names. Dina Senèn (18.3) is the seven-day week. The Javanese calendar also runs a five-day market week, the pasaran: Legi, Pahing, Pon, Wagé, Kliwon. Every day has both names, as Senèn Legi or Jemuah Kliwon, and the combination falls again every 35 days. A person’s weton, the day pair of their birth, is still consulted for weddings and other ceremonies.
Merapi. Gunung Merapi (18.11), north of Yogyakarta, is one of the most active volcanoes in Indonesia. Its name is commonly explained as meru api, “mountain of fire”. For the court of Yogyakarta it has a place in the traditional order of the land, with the palace in the middle and the sea to the south.
The top of the fridge. Sentence 18.15 and the dialogue below show a common household habit: keys, glasses and small things are put on top of the fridge, on a shelf, or on a table by the door, and are then looked for every morning.
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Matthew 5:14–15, from the Javanese Bible of the Lembaga Alkitab Indonesia (version “Jawa”), as published by alkitab.mobi. The published text omits accents; this course adds those the verses need, in kowé, manèh, ditumpangaké and kabèh. The words are from the Sermon on the Mount: Jesus tells his disciples that they are the light of the world, and that a light is not meant to be hidden.
F.1a Kowé you iku are padha all dadi become pepadhanging the-light-of jagad the-world
F.1b Kowé /kowe/ 2SG iku /iku/ that.DIST padha /pɔɖɔ/ PL dadi /dadi/ become pepadhanging /pəpaɖaŋɪŋ/ light-GEN jagad /ɟaɡat/ world
F.2a Kutha a-city kang that ana is ing at dhuwur top gunung mountain iku that ora not bisa can kaling-kalingan be-hidden
F.2b Kutha /kuʈɔ/ city kang /kaŋ/ REL ana /ɔnɔ/ EXIST ing /ɪŋ/ at dhuwur /ɖuwʊr/ top gunung /ɡunʊŋ/ mountain iku /iku/ that.DIST ora /ɔrɔ/ NEG bisa /bisɔ/ can kaling-kalingan /kalɪŋ kaliŋan/ RED-screen-PASS
F.3a Lan and manèh moreover wong people nyumed light diyan a-lamp iku that ora not banjur then dikurebi is-covered tompo with-a-basket
F.3b Lan /lan/ and manèh /manɛh/ again wong /wɔŋ/ person nyumed /ɲumət/ AV-light diyan /dijan/ oil.lamp iku /iku/ that.DIST ora /ɔrɔ/ NEG banjur /banɟʊr/ then dikurebi /dikurəbi/ PASS-face.down-APPL tompo /tompo/ basket
F.4a nanging but ditumpangaké is-set ing on jodhog a-lampstand supaya so-that bisa it-can madhangi give-light-to wong people saomah the-whole-house kabèh all
F.4b nanging /naŋɪŋ/ but ditumpangaké /ditumpaŋake/ PASS-mount-CAUS ing /ɪŋ/ at jodhog /ɟɔɖɔʔ/ lampstand supaya /supɔjɔ/ so.that bisa /bisɔ/ can madhangi /maɖaŋi/ AV-bright-APPL wong /wɔŋ/ person saomah /saomah/ one-house kabèh /kabɛh/ all
Kowé iku padha dadi pepadhanging jagad. Kutha kang ana ing dhuwur gunung iku ora bisa kaling-kalingan. Lan manèh wong nyumed diyan iku ora banjur dikurebi tompo, nanging ditumpangaké ing jodhog, supaya bisa madhangi wong saomah kabèh.
“You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, so that it gives light to everyone in the house.”
Kowé iku padha dadi pepadhanging jagad. Kutha kang ana ing dhuwur gunung iku ora bisa kaling-kalingan. Lan manèh wong nyumed diyan iku ora banjur dikurebi tompo, nanging ditumpangaké ing jodhog, supaya bisa madhangi wong saomah kabèh.
The two verses show both ways of saying “on” taught in this lesson. Kutha kang ana ing dhuwur gunung, “a city that is on a hill”, uses ana ing and dhuwur, “the top”, in the spelling without n (Section D, rule 10): the city is on the top of the hill, and so seen from far off. Ditumpangaké ing jodhog, “set on the lampstand”, uses ing alone (rule 4): the verb tumpang, “lie on top of, be placed on”, already says that the lamp rests on the stand.
The verses set up and down against each other: the lamp is not dikurebi tompo, covered by an upturned basket, but put up high where it lights the house. Dikurebi is built on kureb, “face down, upside down”, with the passive di- and the suffix -i: “have something turned upside down over it”. A tompo is a basket; English Bibles have “bushel” or “basket”.
Kang is the literary form of sing, the “who, which” of Lessons 16 and 17: kutha kang ana, “a city which is”. Iku, “that”, is the literary form of kuwi, and here marks the subject off: Kowé iku, “You (are)”. Padha, “all, together”, before a verb marks a plural subject: Kowé iku padha dadi, “you all are”. Pepadhanging jagad, “the light of the world”, is pepadhang, “light”, from padhang, “bright”, with the literary -ing, “of”, of Lesson 17’s wekasaning jaman.
Madhangi, “give light to”, is built on the same padhang with the nasal prefix and the suffix -i. Saomah, “one house, the whole house”, is omah with sa-, “one”: wong saomah kabèh, “everyone in the house”.
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A father cannot find his motorbike key, and his daughter helps him look; then a short narrative tells what happened afterwards. The people are invented for the lesson. The father speaks ngoko to his daughter and calls her Nduk; she answers him in krama.
18.16a Bapak Father Nduk dear kunci the-key motorku of-my-motorbike ora not ana is ing at ndhuwur top méja table
18.16b Bapak /bapaʔ/ father Nduk /nɖʊʔ/ girl.VOC kunci /kunci/ key motorku /motorku/ motorbike-POSS.1SG ora /ɔrɔ/ NEG ana /ɔnɔ/ EXIST ing /ɪŋ/ at ndhuwur /nɖuwʊr/ top méja /meɟɔ/ table
18.17a Sari Sari Sampun already dipadosi been-looked-for ing at nginggil top kulkas fridge Pak Father
18.17b Sari /sari/ Sari Sampun /sampʊn/ PERF.KR dipadosi /dipadosi/ PASS-seek.KR-APPL ing /ɪŋ/ at nginggil /ŋiŋɡɪl/ top.KR kulkas /kulkas/ refrigerator Pak /paʔ/ father.VOC
18.18a Bapak Father Wis already Ing at ndhuwur top kulkas fridge mung only ana is kacamataku my-glasses
18.18b Bapak /bapaʔ/ father Wis /wɪs/ PERF Ing /ɪŋ/ at ndhuwur /nɖuwʊr/ top kulkas /kulkas/ refrigerator mung /mʊŋ/ only ana /ɔnɔ/ EXIST kacamataku /kacamataku/ glasses-POSS.1SG
18.19a Sari Sari Cobi try dipadosi looking ing at nginggil top kasur bed Pak Father
18.19b Sari /sari/ Sari Cobi /cobi/ try.KR dipadosi /dipadosi/ PASS-seek.KR-APPL ing /ɪŋ/ at nginggil /ŋiŋɡɪl/ top.KR kasur /kasʊr/ mattress Pak /paʔ/ father.VOC
18.20a Bapak Father Ing at ndhuwur top kasur bed ora not ana is mung only ana is kucing the-cat sing which lagi is turu sleeping
18.20b Bapak /bapaʔ/ father Ing /ɪŋ/ at ndhuwur /nɖuwʊr/ top kasur /kasʊr/ mattress ora /ɔrɔ/ NEG ana /ɔnɔ/ EXIST mung /mʊŋ/ only ana /ɔnɔ/ EXIST kucing /kucɪŋ/ cat sing /sɪŋ/ REL lagi /laɡi/ PROG turu /turu/ sleep
18.21a Sari Sari Menawi what-if wonten it-is ing at ngandhap underside kasur bed
18.21b Sari /sari/ Sari Menawi /mənawi/ if.KR wonten /wɔntən/ EXIST.KR ing /ɪŋ/ at ngandhap /ŋanɖap/ underside.KR kasur /kasʊr/ mattress
18.22a Bapak Father Ing at ngisor underside kasur bed ya also ora not ana is Mung only ana is sandhal sandals
18.22b Bapak /bapaʔ/ father Ing /ɪŋ/ at ngisor /ŋisɔr/ underside kasur /kasʊr/ mattress ya /jɔ/ also ora /ɔrɔ/ NEG ana /ɔnɔ/ EXIST Mung /mʊŋ/ only ana /ɔnɔ/ EXIST sandhal /sanɖal/ sandal
18.23a Sari Sari Pak Father menika this napa what Wonten it-is ing at nginggil top helm the-helmet Bapak of-Father
18.23b Sari /sari/ Sari Pak /paʔ/ father.VOC menika /mənikɔ/ this.KR napa /nɔpɔ/ what.KR Wonten /wɔntən/ EXIST.KR ing /ɪŋ/ at nginggil /ŋiŋɡɪl/ top.KR helm /hɛlm/ helmet Bapak /bapaʔ/ father
18.24a Bapak Father Lho oh iya yes Kunciné the-key ana is ing at ndhuwur top helm helmet
18.24b Bapak /bapaʔ/ father Lho /lo/ INTERJ iya /ijɔ/ yes Kunciné /kuncine/ key-DEF ana /ɔnɔ/ EXIST ing /ɪŋ/ at ndhuwur /nɖuwʊr/ top helm /hɛlm/ helmet
18.25a Dina day Minggu Sunday Bapak Father tuku bought rak a-shelf cilik small kanggo for kunci keys
18.25b Dina /dinɔ/ day Minggu /mɪŋɡu/ Sunday Bapak /bapaʔ/ father tuku /tuku/ buy rak /raʔ/ shelf cilik /cilɪʔ/ small kanggo /kaŋɡo/ for kunci /kunci/ key
18.26a Saiki now kunci-kunci the-keys kabèh all disèlèhaké are-put ing at ndhuwur top rak shelf kuwi that
18.26b Saiki /saiki/ now kunci-kunci /kunci kunci/ key-PL kabèh /kabɛh/ all disèlèhaké /disɛlɛhake/ PASS-put.down-CAUS ing /ɪŋ/ at ndhuwur /nɖuwʊr/ top rak /raʔ/ shelf kuwi /kuwi/ that.MED
18.27a Kacamatané the-glasses-of Bapak Father uga also ana are ing at ndhuwur top rak shelf
18.27b Kacamatané /kacamatane/ glasses-POSS.3 Bapak /bapaʔ/ father uga /uɡɔ/ also ana /ɔnɔ/ EXIST ing /ɪŋ/ at ndhuwur /nɖuwʊr/ top rak /raʔ/ shelf
18.28a Nanging but kucingé the-cat uga also seneng likes turu sleeping ing at ndhuwur top rak shelf
18.28b Nanging /naŋɪŋ/ but kucingé /kuciŋe/ cat-DEF uga /uɡɔ/ also seneng /sənəŋ/ like turu /turu/ sleep ing /ɪŋ/ at ndhuwur /nɖuwʊr/ top rak /raʔ/ shelf
18.29a Ésuk morning iki this kunci the-key motoré of-the-motorbike-of Bapak Father tiba fell ing at ngisor underside rak shelf manèh again
18.29b Ésuk /esʊʔ/ morning iki /iki/ this.PROX kunci /kunci/ key motoré /motore/ motorbike-POSS.3 Bapak /bapaʔ/ father tiba /tibɔ/ fall ing /ɪŋ/ at ngisor /ŋisɔr/ underside rak /raʔ/ shelf manèh /manɛh/ again
18.30a Bapak Father ngguyu laughed banjur then nyelèhaké put kucing cat kuwi that ing at ndhuwur top kasur bed
18.30b Bapak /bapaʔ/ father ngguyu /ŋɡuju/ AV-laugh banjur /banɟʊr/ then nyelèhaké /ɲəlɛhake/ AV-put.down-CAUS kucing /kucɪŋ/ cat kuwi /kuwi/ that.MED ing /ɪŋ/ at ndhuwur /nɖuwʊr/ top kasur /kasʊr/ mattress
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18.16 Bapak: “Nduk, kunci motorku ora ana ing ndhuwur méja.” → Father: “Love, my motorbike key isn’t on the table.”
18.17 Sari: “Sampun dipadosi ing nginggil kulkas, Pak?” → Sari: “Have you looked on top of the fridge, Dad?”
18.18 Bapak: “Wis. Ing ndhuwur kulkas mung ana kacamataku.” → Father: “Yes. There’s nothing on the fridge but my glasses.”
18.19 Sari: “Cobi dipadosi ing nginggil kasur, Pak.” → Sari: “Try looking on the bed, Dad.”
18.20 Bapak: “Ing ndhuwur kasur ora ana, mung ana kucing sing lagi turu.” → Father: “It’s not on the bed. There’s only the cat, asleep.”
18.21 Sari: “Menawi wonten ing ngandhap kasur?” → Sari: “What if it’s under the bed?”
18.22 Bapak: “Ing ngisor kasur ya ora ana. Mung ana sandhal.” → Father: “It’s not under the bed either. There are only sandals.”
18.23 Sari: “Pak, menika napa? Wonten ing nginggil helm Bapak.” → Sari: “Dad, what’s this? It’s on top of your helmet.”
18.24 Bapak: “Lho, iya! Kunciné ana ing ndhuwur helm.” → Father: “Well, so it is! The key’s on the helmet.”
18.25 Dina Minggu Bapak tuku rak cilik kanggo kunci. → “On Sunday Father bought a small shelf for keys.”
18.26 Saiki kunci-kunci kabèh disèlèhaké ing ndhuwur rak kuwi. → “Now all the keys are put on that shelf.”
18.27 Kacamatané Bapak uga ana ing ndhuwur rak. → “Father’s glasses are on the shelf too.”
18.28 Nanging kucingé uga seneng turu ing ndhuwur rak. → “But the cat likes sleeping on the shelf too.”
18.29 Ésuk iki kunci motoré Bapak tiba ing ngisor rak manèh. → “This morning Father’s motorbike key fell under the shelf again.”
18.30 Bapak ngguyu, banjur nyelèhaké kucing kuwi ing ndhuwur kasur. → “Father laughed, and put the cat on the bed.”
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Kunci Motoré Bapak
18.16 Bapak: “Nduk, kunci motorku ora ana ing ndhuwur méja.”
18.17 Sari: “Sampun dipadosi ing nginggil kulkas, Pak?”
18.18 Bapak: “Wis. Ing ndhuwur kulkas mung ana kacamataku.”
18.19 Sari: “Cobi dipadosi ing nginggil kasur, Pak.”
18.20 Bapak: “Ing ndhuwur kasur ora ana, mung ana kucing sing lagi turu.”
18.21 Sari: “Menawi wonten ing ngandhap kasur?”
18.22 Bapak: “Ing ngisor kasur ya ora ana. Mung ana sandhal.”
18.23 Sari: “Pak, menika napa? Wonten ing nginggil helm Bapak.”
18.24 Bapak: “Lho, iya! Kunciné ana ing ndhuwur helm.”
18.25 Dina Minggu Bapak tuku rak cilik kanggo kunci.
18.26 Saiki kunci-kunci kabèh disèlèhaké ing ndhuwur rak kuwi.
18.27 Kacamatané Bapak uga ana ing ndhuwur rak.
18.28 Nanging kucingé uga seneng turu ing ndhuwur rak.
18.29 Ésuk iki kunci motoré Bapak tiba ing ngisor rak manèh.
18.30 Bapak ngguyu, banjur nyelèhaké kucing kuwi ing ndhuwur kasur.
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Ngoko and krama side by side. Father says ing ndhuwur and ing ngisor (18.16, 18.18, 18.22); Sari, speaking up to her father, says ing nginggil and ing ngandhap (18.17, 18.19, 18.21, 18.23). The two sets mean the same: the level follows the listener, as karo and kaliyan did in Lesson 17.
Up and down. The search moves from on top to underneath: ing ndhuwur méja, ing ndhuwur kulkas, ing ndhuwur kasur, then ing ngisor kasur (18.22), and at the end ing ngisor rak (18.29). Ing ngisor is built like ing ndhuwur: ing, then the noun ngisor, “the underside”, then the thing above it.
Dipadosi, “looked for”. Pados is the krama of golèk, “look for”; dipadosi is the passive with -i, as the ngoko digolèki. Sampun dipadosi?, “Has it been looked for?” (18.17), is the polite way to ask “Have you looked?” without saying “you” to a parent. Cobi, the krama of coba, “try”, softens a suggestion (18.19).
Mung ana, “there is only”. Mung, “only”, before ana: Ing ndhuwur kulkas mung ana kacamataku, “On the fridge there is only my glasses” (18.18).
Ya, “also, either”. In Ing ngisor kasur ya ora ana (18.22), ya is not “yes” but “also”: “not under the bed either”.
Menika napa?, “What is this?” (18.23): menika is the krama of iki, “this”; napa the krama of apa, “what”. Menawi, the krama of menawa, “if, what if” (18.21).
Days. Dina Minggu, “on Sunday” (18.25), with no preposition, as dina Senèn and dina Kemis in Section A. Ésuk iki, “this morning” (18.29), likewise.
Other words: kulkas, “refrigerator”; kacamata, “glasses” (Lesson 17); kasur, “mattress, bed”; sandhal, “sandals”; helm, “helmet”; rak, “shelf”; tiba, “fall”; ngguyu, “laugh”; Lho!, an exclamation of surprise; Nduk, the affectionate address to a girl (Lesson 16).
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Ndhuwur. The word begins with a nasal joined to the retroflex dh: [nɖuwʊr]. Do not put a vowel before it: the n and dh begin the same syllable, as in Nduk [nɖʊʔ]. The last u is lax [ʊ] in the closed syllable.
The a of ana, méja and klasa. A written a that ends a word is [ɔ], and an a in the syllable before it becomes [ɔ] too: ana [ɔnɔ], klasa [klɔsɔ], napa [nɔpɔ]. Where the next syllable has another vowel, a stays [a]: kacamataku [kacamataku], kulkas [kulkas].
Ng and ngg. Nginggil [ŋiŋɡɪl] has both: the first ng as in “singer”, the second followed by a pronounced g, as in “finger”. Ngisor [ŋisɔr] and ngandhap [ŋanɖap] begin with the plain ng.
The three e’s. é /e/ is close (méja, bukuné, kucingé, gedhé, ésuk), è /ɛ/ is open (selèhna, Senèn, akèh, kabèh, manèh), and plain e is the neutral vowel /ə/ (sekolah, ngadeg, pager, seneng, wonten). Everyday writing prints them all as e.
Glottal k and g. Final k and final g are a glottal stop: Bapak, rak, cilik, ésuk, ngadeg [ŋadəʔ], jodhog [ɟɔɖɔʔ].
HP-mu is read [ha pe mu]: the letters of HP, then the suffix -mu.
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 18 Javanese complete — ing ndhuwur (on)
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