Javanese→English

Translate Javanese to English the way locals mean it.

Javanese often wraps refusal, annoyance, or reassurance in particles and speech levels, so a textbook translation can sound much blunter or more literal than the message intends.

Going the other way? English to Javanese

474 local dialects

AIRTranslate on iPhone choosing between Javanese varieties

What locals actually say

Yo wis, ora popo kok.

It’s okay, don’t worry about it.

“Yo wis” signals acceptance or resignation, while “kok” softens the reassurance and pushes back against the idea that something is wrong.

Kowe ki piye toh?

What on earth are you doing?

“Ki” highlights the person or situation and “toh” adds exasperation, so the phrase is usually annoyed or incredulous rather than a neutral question.

Panjenengan sampun dhahar dereng?

Have you eaten yet?

The krama forms “panjenengan,” “sampun,” and “dhahar” mark respect, and this question often works as a polite social greeting rather than a literal request for information.

Dhuwitku kari sithik, aja tuku sing kuwi dhisik.

I’m running low on money, so don’t buy that yet.

Kari sithik means “only a little left,” while aja ... dhisik is a casual ngoko construction for telling someone not to do something yet.

Saka kéné terus wae, mengko belok kiwa ing prapatan.

Just go straight from here, then turn left at the intersection.

Kéné means “here,” kiwa means “left,” and wae gives the relaxed ngoko sense of “just.”

Mbah putri wis teka saka Solo.

Grandma has arrived from Solo.

Mbah putri is a Javanese kinship term for a grandmother, and wis marks that something has already happened in casual ngoko.

Aku kudu lembur bengi iki, ana laporan sing durung rampung.

I have to work late tonight because there’s a report that isn’t finished yet.

Durung means “not yet,” a distinctly Javanese time marker, and kudu signals obligation in an informal ngoko sentence.

Udané deres banget, nggawa payung, ya.

The rain’s really heavy, so bring an umbrella, okay?

Udané uses the Javanese noun udan with the -é ending to refer to the current rain, while nggawa means “bring” and ya softens the casual request.

Notes like these come with every AIRTranslate translation, so you learn why locals phrase it that way as you go.

How Javanese differs

Javanese. Speech levels matter: ngoko for casual peers, krama for respect — match the source tone; Yogyakarta/Solo standard.

Sound like a local everywhere, not just here.

Every one of 474 dialects, with voice, camera, a keyboard for any app, and offline packs.

Choosing Spanish (Peru) from 471 local variants

Localization Notes explaining why locals say it that way