In English, if you want to be polite, you might swap “Gimme the salt” for “Could you please pass the salt?” You change a few words, soften your tone, and add a magic word. But what if politeness wasn’t just an add-on? What if the entire vocabulary—the words for “you”, “eat”, “house”, and “go”—had to change depending on who you were talking to? Welcome to the world of Javanese, a language where social hierarchy is woven into the very fabric of its grammar.

This intricate system of speech levels, known in Javanese as undha-usuk basa, is a fascinating and complex feature that goes far beyond the simple formal/informal distinctions found in languages like French (tu/vous) or German (du/Sie). It’s a linguistic GPS that constantly pinpoints your position relative to the person you’re addressing, encoding respect, familiarity, age, and social status in every sentence.

The Two Poles of Speech: Ngoko and Krama

At the heart of the Javanese speech level system are two primary registers: Ngoko and Krama. Think of them as the North and South poles of a linguistic spectrum. Every conversation requires a quick, almost subconscious calculation: who am I talking to, and where do they stand in relation to me?

Ngoko: The Language of Intimacy

Ngoko is the “low”, informal, or basic level of Javanese. This is the language you learn first as a child, the default setting for communication. It’s used in situations of familiarity and equality, or when speaking to someone of a lower social status or younger age.

You would use Ngoko when speaking to:

• Close friends and peers.
• Family members of the same age or younger, like siblings or your own children.
• Someone you know well and have a very casual relationship with.
• (Traditionally) A superior speaking to a subordinate (e.g., a boss to an employee).

Ngoko is direct, intimate, and efficient. It uses the base vocabulary of the language. For example:

Aku arep mangan sega.
(I want to eat rice.)

Omahmu ing ngendi?
(Where is your house?)

The key words here are aku (I), mangan (eat), omah (house), and the -mu suffix for “your.” These are pure Ngoko.

Krama: The Language of Respect

Krama is the “high”, formal, and polite level. It involves swapping out a large portion of the Ngoko vocabulary for a completely different set of words. Using Krama demonstrates respect and maintains a polite social distance. It’s the language of formality, deference, and public life.

You would use Krama when speaking to:

• Elders (parents, grandparents, older community members).
• Strangers.
• People of higher social status (teachers, government officials, your boss).
• In-laws.
• During formal occasions like ceremonies or public speeches.

Let’s look at the same sentences, but this time elevated to the Krama level:

Kula badhé nedha sekul.
(I want to eat rice.)

Griya panjenengan wonten pundi?
(Where is your house?)

Notice the transformation. Every key word has changed:

• aku (I) becomes kula
• arep (want to) becomes badhé
• mangan (eat) becomes nedha
• sega (cooked rice) becomes sekul
• omah (house) becomes griya
• -mu (your) becomes panjenengan (you, formal)
• ing ngendi (where) becomes wonten pundi

It’s practically a different language. To a non-speaker, the two sentences would sound completely unrelated, yet they carry the exact same base meaning.

More Than Just Two Levels: The Nuanced Spectrum

Saying Javanese only has Ngoko and Krama is a simplification. The reality is a spectrum with several sub-levels that allow for fine-tuning the degree of respect. The two most important intermediate levels are Ngoko Alus (Polite Ngoko) and Krama Alus (Polite/Refined Krama).

The core principle is this: you elevate the words that refer to the person you’re honoring, while sometimes keeping the words that refer to yourself at a lower or neutral level.

Ngoko Alus (Polite Informal): The sentence structure is Ngoko, but you substitute certain words—especially pronouns and verbs related to the person you’re speaking to—with their Krama equivalents. This is a common way to show respect without being overly stiff. For example, you might use it with an older friend or a brother-in-law.

Panjenengan arep tindak menyang pasar?
(Are you (formal) going (formal) to the market?)

Here, panjenengan (you) and tindak (to go) are Krama words, but the rest of the sentence structure (arep...menyang) is Ngoko.

Krama Alus (Refined Formal): This is an even higher level of Krama, used when speaking to or about someone deserving of the highest respect. It uses the most refined vocabulary (known as Krama Inggil words) for the person being honored.

To illustrate the difference, here’s a quick comparison of some common words:

Why Speak Up or Down? The Cultural Logic

This system isn’t arbitrary. It’s a direct reflection of traditional Javanese cultural values that prioritize social harmony, respect for elders, and a clear understanding of one’s place in society (tata krama). Speaking correctly is not just about being polite; it’s about being proper, civilized, and showing you understand the social order.

For learners, this is an immense challenge. You’re not just learning one set of vocabulary, but two or three. For native speakers, it’s a constant, fluid social calculation. A mistake can be a minor embarrassment or a serious faux pas. Using Ngoko with an elder could be seen as deeply insulting, while using Krama with a close childhood friend could create an awkward, distancing effect, as if you’re putting on airs.

In modern Indonesia, especially in urban areas and among younger generations, the lines are blurring. The national language, Bahasa Indonesia, which has no such speech levels, is often used as a neutral, egalitarian alternative. However, in the heartlands of Central and East Java, the undha-usuk basa system remains a vital and living part of daily communication, a beautiful, if complex, testament to how deeply language and culture can intertwine.