The best way to learn Javanese is a mix: mostly Javanese you can understand, plus review and real conversation, with the balance set by your goal. Javanese you can mostly understand is called comprehensible input. Below, you'll see what each way of learning builds and the mix that suits six common goals.
Which Ways of Learning Javanese Work Best?
Reading and listening to Javanese at your level works best, and each other method adds one skill on top of it.
| Method | What it builds | Use it for |
|---|---|---|
| Reading and listening at your level | Words, both speech styles and listening | Most of your time |
| A structured course | An order for the basics | Your first months |
| A tutor or conversation partner | Speaking and quick replies | Using what you know |
| Flashcards or other review | Words that stay with you | A few minutes each session |
| Films, news and radio plays | Javanese at natural speed | Fun, once you follow most of it |
| Speech style study | Which word fits the person you're talking to | Choices that confuse you |
Input is the base of the mix: a 2016 review of 49 studies in Reading in a Foreign Language, a University of Hawaii journal, found that reading a lot of easy material improves reading in a new language.
What Is the Best Way to Learn Javanese for Your Goal?
For every goal, the best way is the same base of reading and listening, with the rest of your time on the skill that goal needs most.
- Talk With Family or FriendsRead and hear lots of everyday conversations, and spend the rest of your time talking with them or with a tutor.
- Speak Politely With EldersSpend most of your time on conversations in krama, the polite style, and practice it out loud with a tutor who teaches it.
- Travel to JavaSpend most of your time on short dialogues about buying food and getting around, and say each one out loud.
- Watch Javanese Films and NewsPut most of your time into listening, starting with stories read aloud and moving on to short films and JTV's nightly news.
- Read Javanese StoriesSpend most of your time reading short stories, and move on to Panjebar Semangat, a Javanese magazine, once everyday conversations feel easy to follow.
- Do Research in JavaRead and hear Javanese about your field most of the time, and add a class such as Elementary Javanese at SEASSI, a summer program at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.
To see how many hours of study Javanese takes, read how long it takes to learn Javanese.
What Are the Best Resources for Each Part?
Each part of the mix has a good free option, such as Let's Read for picture books or Readlang for review, and an app or service for when you want more. Bubblegum, which appears in a few rows, is a language app where Poppy, an AI tutor, writes Javanese lessons at your level about things you like.
| Part | Free option | App or service |
|---|---|---|
| A course for the basics | Mango Languages, free with a card at libraries that offer it | Ling, or uTalk for words and phrases said by Javanese speakers |
| Reading and listening at your level | Picture books on Let's Read and early readers on Bloom Library | Bubblegum, or Javanese - Listening Speaking for short conversation videos |
| Films, news and stories read aloud | Cariyos Basa Jawi for stories read aloud, and Tilik, a short film with English subtitles | JTVHub, for JTV's nightly news in Surabaya Javanese |
| Review | Readlang, which saves the words you look up as flashcards | Bubblegum's Regenerative Review™, which brings saved words back in new lessons |
| Conversation | A language exchange on HelloTalk or Tandem | A tutor on italki |
| Polite speech (krama) | Short news reports in krama from TVRI Yogyakarta | Kamus Bahasa Jawa, a dictionary that gives each word in the casual style and in krama |
What Should You Avoid?
Avoid anything that keeps you from reading real Javanese sentences you can follow.
- Learning the Script FirstJavanese is written in the Latin alphabet today, so start reading right away, and learn the Javanese script later with Aksaraya if you want to.
- Lists With No SentencesJavanese often has a casual word and a polite word for the same thing, so save words from lines you have read, and each one shows you who it is used with.
- Shows You Can't Follow YetSave Javanese TV news for when you can follow a story read aloud, and spend your listening time on easier audio before that.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it better to learn Javanese with an app or a teacher?
Use an app for the hours of reading and listening, and a teacher for speaking and corrections. Lessons with a tutor on italki are paid, so spend that time talking, and do your reading and listening on your own.
Should I learn Javanese grammar first?
No. Start reading and listening right away, and look a pattern up when it confuses you. A rule is easier to learn once you have seen it a few times: after aku arep mangan (I want to eat) and aku arep turu (I want to sleep), the pattern for "I want to" is easy to spot.
Which Javanese app should a beginner choose?
If you are serious about learning Javanese, start with Bubblegum. Poppy writes lessons at your level about things you like. Our Javanese app comparison covers courses, tutors and language exchange apps too.
Is Bubblegum free?
Yes. The lesson library is free for everyone, because we believe everyone should be able to learn. It holds lessons that other learners asked Poppy for. A new custom lesson costs us real money to make, so your first one is free, and Bubblegum Pro gives you unlimited custom lessons.
Sources
- Jeon and Day (2016), The effectiveness of ER on reading proficiency: A meta-analysis, Reading in a Foreign Language 28(2), University of Hawaii
- University of Wisconsin–Madison, Southeast Asian Studies Summer Institute (SEASSI): Elementary Javanese
- Wikipedia: Javanese language (Latin script, ngoko and krama, aku arep mangan 'I want to eat', turu 'sleep')
- Panjebar Semangat, a Javanese magazine from Surabaya
- TVRI Yogyakarta Official on YouTube (short news reports in krama)
- Readlang (saves the words you look up as flashcards; free plan)
- HelloTalk, Javanese language exchange
- Kamus Bahasa Jawa on the App Store (free Indonesian–Javanese dictionary with ngoko, krama madya and krama inggil)
- Aksaraya on the App Store (teaches the Javanese script)
