Madurese language

Madurese (/ˌmadʒᵿˈriːz/ MAD-yuh-reez; Bhâsa Madhurâ, Carakan script: ꦧꦱꦩꦝꦸꦫ, Pegon script: بۤاسا مادورۤا, IPA: [bʰɤsa maʈʰurɤ]) is a language of the Madurese people, native to the Madura Island and eastern part of Java, Indonesia; it is also spoken by migrants to other parts of Indonesia, namely the Surabaya, Malang, Gresik, eastern salient of Java (comprising Pasuruan, Bondowoso, Probolinggo, Situbondo, Jember, Lumajang, to Banyuwangi), the Masalembu Islands, Raas Islands, and some on Kalimantan.^[3] It was traditionally written in the Javanese script, but the Latin script and the Pegon script (based on Arabic script) is now more commonly used. The number of speakers, though shrinking, is estimated to be 10–14 million, making it one of the most widely spoken languages in the country. Bawean language, which is a dialect of Madurese, is also spoken by Bawean people in Bawean Island, Indonesia. Then also by their descendants in Malaysia and Singapore.

Madurese
Bhâsa Madhurâ ꦧꦱꦩꦝꦸꦫ بۤاسا مادورۤا
Pronunciation	[bʰɤsa maʈʰurɤ]
Native to	Indonesia Malaysia Singapore
Region	Madura Islands (incl. Sapudi, Masalembu), Java, Singapore, and Malaysia
Ethnicity	Madurese Baweanese Pendalungan Madurese [id]
Native speakers	10–13.6 million (2008)[1]
Language family	Austronesian Malayo-Polynesian Malayo-Sumbawan (?) Madurese
Standard forms	Sumenep Madurese[2]
Dialects	Western Bangkalan Sampang Eastern Pamekasan Sumenep Pendalungan Banyuwangi Bondowoso Jember Lumajang Pasuruan Probolinggo Situbondo Bawean Daun Kepuhteluk Bawean Creole Suwari Islands Madurese Giliraja–Raas Sapudi
Writing system	Latin script (Madurese Latin alphabet (Latèn)) Javanese script (Carakan) Pegon script (Pèghu)
Official status
Regulated by	Badan Pengembangan dan Pembinaan Bahasa (in Indonesia)
Language codes
ISO 639-2	mad
ISO 639-3	mad – Standard Madurese
Glottolog	nucl1460
Areas where Madurese is spoken by a majority of the population   Areas where Madurese is spoken by a significant minority of the population
This article contains IPA phonetic symbols. Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols instead of Unicode characters. For an introductory guide on IPA symbols, see Help:IPA.

Madurese in Carakan (Javanese script).

Classification

According to K. Alexander Adelaar, Madurese is a Malayo-Sumbawan language of the Malayo-Polynesian language family, a branch of the larger Austronesian language family. Thus, despite apparent geographic spread, Madurese is more related to Balinese, Malay, Sasak, and Sundanese, than it is to Javanese, the language used on the island of Java just across Madura Island.

Links between Bali–Sasak languages and Madurese are more evident with the vernacular form (common form).^{[citation needed]}

Phonology

Latin letters are given according to the 2008 orthography.^[4]

Vowels

Madurese vowels

	Front	Central	Back
			unrounded	rounded
Close	/i/ ꦆ ⟨i⟩	/ɨ/ ꦆ ⟨e⟩		/u/ ꦈ ⟨u⟩
Mid	/ɛ/ ꦌ ⟨è⟩	/ə/ ꦄꦼ ⟨e⟩	/ɤ/ ꦄꦼꦴ ⟨â⟩	/ɔ/ ꦎ ⟨o⟩
Open		/a/ ꦄ ⟨a⟩

Vowels /a/, /ɛ/, /ə/, /ɔ/ and its higher counterparts /ɤ/, /i/, /ɨ/, /u/ are usually in complementary distribution. The last 4 vowels occur after voiced and aspirated consonants, while the first 4 vowels occur elsewhere. Consonants /l/, /r/, and /s/, although by default lower the vowels, are transparent after higher vowels, for example belli /bɨlli/ "to buy" instead of *bellè /bɨllɛ/.^[5]

Consonants

Madurese consonants

		Labial	Dental/ Alveolar	Retroflex	Palatal	Velar	Glottal
Nasal		/m/ ꦩ ⟨m⟩ ⟨م⟩	/n̪/ ꦤ ⟨n⟩ ⟨ن⟩	/ɳ/ ꦟ ⟨ṇ⟩ ⟨ن⟩	/ɲ/ ꦚ ⟨ny⟩ ⟨ۑ⟩	/ŋ/ ꦔ ⟨ng⟩ ⟨ڠ⟩
Plosive	voiceless	/p/ ꦥ ⟨p⟩ ⟨ڤ⟩	/t̪/ ꦠ ⟨t⟩ ⟨ت⟩	/ʈ/ ꦛ ⟨ṭ⟩ ⟨ڟ⟩	/c/ ꦕ ⟨c⟩ ⟨چ⟩	/k/ ꦏ ⟨k⟩ ⟨ك⟩	/ʔ/ ꦃ ⟨'⟩ ⟨ء⟩
	voiced	/b/ ꦧ ⟨b⟩ ⟨ب⟩	/d̪/ ꦢ ⟨d⟩ ⟨د⟩	/ɖ/ ꦣ ⟨ḍ⟩ ⟨ڊ⟩	/ɟ/ ꦗ ⟨j⟩ ⟨ج⟩	/ɡ/ ꦒ ⟨g⟩ ⟨ࢴ⟩
	aspirated	/pʰ/ ꦧ ⟨bh⟩ ⟨ب⟩	/t̪ʰ/ ꦢ ⟨dh⟩ ⟨د⟩	/ʈʰ/ ꦣ ⟨ḍh⟩ ⟨ڊ⟩	/cʰ/ ꦗ ⟨jh⟩ ⟨ج⟩	/kʰ/ ꦒ ⟨gh⟩ ⟨ࢴ⟩
Fricative			/s/ ꦱ ⟨s⟩ ⟨س⟩				/h/ ꦲ ⟨h⟩ ⟨ه⟩
Trill			/r/ ꦫ ⟨r⟩ ⟨ر⟩
Approximant			/l/ ꦭ ⟨l⟩ ⟨ل⟩		/j/ ꦪ ⟨y⟩ ⟨ي⟩	/w/ ꦮ ⟨w⟩ ⟨و⟩

Madurese has more consonants than its neighboring languages due to it having voiceless unaspirated, voiceless aspirated (traditionally often transcribed as voiced aspirated), and voiced unaspirated. Similar to Javanese, it has a contrast between dental and alveolar (even retroflex) stops.^[6][7]

The letters ⟨f⟩, ⟨q⟩, ⟨v⟩, ⟨x⟩, and ⟨z⟩ are used in loanwords.^[8]

Writing system

Alphabet letters

Currently Madurese is mainly used the Latin script than other scripts, the Latin alphabet in Madurese is known as Alfabet Latèn. The Latin alphabet letters used in Madurese spelling are as follows. The name of each letter is listed next to it.^[9]

Letter	Name	Letter	Name	Letter	Name
A a	a	J j	je	S s	es
B b	be	K k	ka	T t	te
C c	ce	L l	el	U u	u
D d	de	M m	em	V v	ve
E e	e	N n	en	W w	we
F f	ef	O o	o	X x	ex
G g	ge	P p	pe	Y y	ye
H h	ha	Q q	qi	Z z	zet
I i	i	R r	er

Vowels

Vowels	Examples at the Beginning of Words	Examples in the Middle of Words	Example at the End of the Word
a	alos (fine) apoy (fire)	market (market) abâs (see)	sala (false) bâbâ (bottom)
e	eppa' (father) ella (don't)	nèser (pity) seksek (suffocation)
è	èntar (go) ènga' (remember)	sèksèk (iris) malèng (thief)	talè (rope) sapè (cow)
i	yesâ (yes)	bhiru (green) raddhin (beautiful)	manḍi (bathing) mandhi (efficacious)
o	olo' (weak) olok (call)	rèpot (busy) dokar (dokar)	pao (mango) rao (weed)
u		dhuri (split, prick) thorn (thorn)	paju (sell) pumpkin (fall)

Note:
1. The vowel /a/ has two sound variations, namely [a] and [â]; The vowel /a/ will sound [a] if the consonant is attached to it are voiceless consonants and consonants nasal, will sound [â] if the consonant is attached to it in the form of voiced consonants. For practical purposes, second The sound symbol /a/ is both used.
2. The diacritical mark (') on the vowel /è/ is still used because /è/ and /e/ in Madurese are phonemes different, as in the words seksek (shortness) and sèksèk (iris), tèmbhâng (weigh) and tembhâng (Iagu).

Consonant letters

Consonant Letters	Examples at the Beginning of Words	Examples in the Middle of Words	Example at the End of the Word
b	bârâ (swelling)	lobâr (finished)	sabâb (cause)
c	cangkem (chin)	moncar (published) lonca' (jump)
d	dumeng (stupid)	badal (deputy)	morèd (pupil)
ḍ	ḍârâ (blood)	buḍu (rotten [for fish])
f	faker (fakir)	shroud (shroud)	wâkaf (waqf)
g	gâmbus (orchestral)	anggâ' (arrogant, haughty)
h	halal (lawful)	aher (end)
j	jâḍiyâ (sana)	paju (sale)
k	you (less)	sakè' (sick)	otek (brain)
l	ban (expensive)	malo (embarrassed)	ship (ship)
m	marè (already)	ambu (stop)	ḍâlem (in)
n	neser (pity)	penang (betel nut)	board (board)
p	perrèng (plate) perrèng (bamboo)	nompa (spill)	kèlap (lightning)
q	quran (Quran)	furqan (furqan)
r	rammè (crowded)	sarè (search)	kasor (mattress)
s	sèyang (afternoon)	moso (enemy)	bherrâs (rice)
t	tèkos (rat)	matta (raw)	sèsèt (dragonfly)
v	vitamin (vitamin)	revolution (revolution)
w	wâjib (obligatory)	towa (old)
y	yâkèn (sure)	rèya (this)
z	zâkat (zakat)	mu'jizât (miracle)

Note:
1. The consonants /f/, /q/, /v/, /x/, and /z/ are used in Madurese to write words that are loanwords.
2. For practical purposes, the hamzah or glottal stop sound ([?]) is symbolized by an apostrophe (..'..). This symbol is used because the velar /k/ ([k]) and the glottal /k/ ([?]) are different phonemes in Madurese. Furthermore, glottal stops in Madurese are often placed in the middle of words. Examples include: "paka" [paka?] (astringent taste), "cèlo" (sour taste), and "pa'a" [pa?a?] (tatah [tool for hollowing wood]).

Consonant Combinations

In Madurese, there are five letter combinations that represent consonants: "kh," "ng," "ny," "sy," and "th," as well as five aspirated consonants. In Madurese, aspirated and unaspirated consonants are distinct phonemes and therefore require different symbols. For example, bârâ (swelling) and bhârâ (lungs); ḍâḍâ (chest) and ḍhâḍhâ (quickly tired); bâjâ (moment, time) and bâjhâ (steel [a type of metal]) as well as bâgi (share) and bâghi (give).

Consonant Letters	Examples at the Beginning of Words	Examples in the Middle of Words	Example at the End of the Word
kh	khoso' (solemn)	èkhlas (sincere)
ng	ngoḍâ (young)	bângal (brave)	sarong (sarong)
ny	comfortable (tasty)	bânnya' (a lot)
sy	condition (condition)	society (society)
bh	bhârâ (lungs)	cabbhi (chili pepper)
th	thokthok (tap)	ketthok (cut)
dh	dhârâ (dove)	dhudhul (dodol [a type of food])
ḍh	ḍhenḍheng (dizzy)	aḍḍhâng (block)
gh	ghâghâman (sharp weapon)	bighi (seed)
jh	jhârân (horse)	tajhin (porridge [a type of food])

Diphthongs

In Madurese, there are three diphthongs symbolized by ay, oy, and uy.

Consonant Letters	Examples at the Beginning of Words	Examples in the Middle of Words	Examples at the End of Words
ay		nyaynyay (soft)	tapay (tapai, tape) labây (woven thread)
oy		loyloy (tired, powerless)	kompoy (grandson)
uy			kerbhuy (buffalo)

Morphology

Madurese nouns are not inflected for gender and are pluralized via reduplication. Its basic word order is subject–verb–object. Negation is expressed by putting a negative particle before the verb, adjective or noun phrase. As with other similar languages, there are different negative particles for different kinds of negation.^[10]

Vocabulary

Madurese		Indonesian	English
Latin	Pèghu
lakè’	لاكَيء‎	laki-laki	male
binè’	بِينَيء‎	perempuan	female
iyâ	إيۤا‎	iya	yes
enja′	أٓنجاْء‎	tidak	no
aèng [aɛŋ]	أئَيڠ‎	air	water
arè	أرَي‎	matahari	sun
mata	ماتا‎	mata	eye
sengko'	سَيڠكَوء‎	aku/saya	I/me
bâ'na	بۤاءنا‎	kamu/engkau	you

Numerals

Madurese		Indonesian	English
Latin	Pèghu
sèttong	سَيتَّوڠ‎	satu	one
duwâ'	دووۤاء‎	dua	two
tello'	تٓلَّوء‎	tiga	three
empa'	اۤمڤاء‎	empat	four
lèma’	لَيماء‎	lima	five
ennem	اۤنّٓم‎	enam	six
pètto’	ڤَيتَّوء‎	tujuh	seven
bâllu’	بۤالّوء‎	delapan	eight
sanga′	ساڠاء‎	sembilan	nine
sapolo	ساڤَولَو‎	sepuluh	ten

Language levels

Madurese, like Sasak, Javanese and Balinese, also has levels/register, but they differ slightly in that they are divided into only three:

• The Most Polite, Most Formal Sentence Form (Èngghi-Bhunten)

Èngghi-Bhunten is the most polite and refined form of speech used to show respect for the person being spoken to or discussed. This includes addressing parents, elders, teachers, people of higher rank, community leaders, and other respected figures.

• Polite, Natural, Formal Sentence Form (Engghi-Enten)

• Casual, Informal, Familiar Sentence Form (Enjâ'-Iyâ)

Enjâ'-Iyâ is a sentence form used in familiar situations among peers or younger people. Enjâ'-Iyâ is often used in everyday social situations. Enjâ'-Iyâ is not commonly used in first meetings; speakers usually ask permission to use Enjâ'-Iyâ after getting to know each other. With younger speakers or children, Enjâ'-Iyâ is common and acceptable to use without asking permission first.

Using Enjâ'-Iyâ towards a senior or someone older or in a higher position without permission is considered impolite. Enjâ'-Iyâ is only used with people of the same age, younger, or (if with someone older) with their permission.

If the age or status of the person you are talking to is unknown, it is better not to use Enjâ'-Iyâ. However, if you know the person is younger, you may use Enjâ'-Iyâ, but for the sake of comfort, it is better to ask permission first before using Enjâ'-Iyâ.

Example:

• "¿Saponapa arghâèpon pao panèka?" : How much are the mangoes? (Èngghi-Bhunten)
• "¿Sanapè arghâna paona?" : How much are the mangoes? (Engghi-Enten)
• "¿Bârâmpa arghâna paona?" : How much does the mango cost? (Enjâ'-Iyâ)

Dialects

(See also: Madurese dialects [id])

 

Map of the distribution of Madurese dialects.

Madurese language also has dialects spread throughout the region where it is spoken. There are several dialects that are commonly used, such as:^[11]

1. Western Madurese
   1. Bangkalan dialect (in Bangkalan)
   2. Sampang dialect (in Sampang)
2. Eastern Madurese
   1. Pamekasan dialect [id] (in Pamekasan)
   2. Sumenep dialect (in Sumenep)
3. Pendalungan Madurese (in eastern salient of Java region; also known as Tapal Kuda)
   1. Banyuwangi dialect (in Banyuwangi)
   2. Bondowoso dialect (in Bondowoso)
   3. Jember dialect (in Jember)
   4. Lumajang dialect (in Lumajang)
   5. Pasuruan dialect (in regency and city of Pasuruan)
   6. Probolinggo dialect (in regency and city of Probolinggo)
   7. Situbondo dialect (in Situbondo)
4. Bawean dialect (in Bawean Island)
   1. Daun subdialect
   2. Kepuhteluk subdialect
   3. Bawean Creole subdialect
   4. Suwari subdialect
5. Islands Madurese
   1. Giliraja–Raas dialect (in Giliraja [id] and Raas Islands)
   2. Sapudi dialect (in Sapudi Island)

The dialect used as the standard form of Madurese is the Sumenep dialect, because in the past Sumenep was the center of the Madurese kingdom and culture. The other dialects are rural dialects that gradually blended with the mobilization of Madurese society. Meanwhile, in the eastern salient of Java, these dialects often mix with Javanese language, and this dialect itself is called the Pendalungan dialect. The Pendalungan Madurese people outside Situbondo, Bondowoso, and the eastern part of Probolinggo, generally master the Javanese language, in addition to the Madurese language.

For example, in the case of the pronoun 'you':

• The word bâ'en 'you' is commonly used in Bangkalan. However, the word bâ'na is used in Sumenep and Bawean.
• The word kakè 'you' is commonly used in eastern part of Bangkalan and Sampang.
• The words hèdâ and sèdâ 'you' are used in rural areas of Bangkalan.

Sample text

From Article 1 of the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Latin

Sâdhâjâna orèng lahèr mardhika èsarengè dhrâjhât klabân ha'-ha' sè padâ. Sâdhâjâna èparèngè akal sareng nurani bân kodhu areng-sareng akanca kadhi tarètan.

Aksara Pèghu

^{[original research?]} ساڊۤاجۤانا عَورَيڠ لاهَير مارڊيكا عَيسارۤڠَي ڊ‎رۤاجۤات کلابۤان هاء۲ سَي پادۤا. ساڊۤاجۤانا عَيڤارَيڠَي أکال سارۤڠ نوراني كَوڊو أرۤڠ-سارۤڠ أكانچا كاڊي تارَيتان.‎

Translation

"All Human Beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights, they are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood."

References

1. "Perilaku Bahasa Orang Madura" (PDF). Kemdikbud (in Indonesian). Retrieved 7 March 2024.
2. "Bahasa Madura Dan Peran Tim Nabara Kabupaten Sumenep". sumenepkab.go.id (in Indonesian). Sumenep Regency Government. 11 May 2016. Retrieved 21 July 2025.
3. Rusiandi, Awaludin; Patrianto, Hero (2011). "Kajian Dialektologi Terhadap Bahasa Madura di Madura Kepulauan: Pulau Giliraja dan Raas". Jurnal Penelitian Bahasa (in Indonesian). Data Pokok Kebahasaan dan Kesastraan, Kementerian Pendidikan dan Kebudayaan Republik Indonesia. Retrieved 15 June 2025.
4. see Davies (2010), p. 59
5. Davies 2010, p. 29
6. Davies (2010), p. 59
7. Stevens, Alan (2001). "Madurese". In Garry, J.; Rubino, C. (eds.). Facts About the World's Languages. New York: H. W. Wilson.
8. Ejaan Bahasa Madura yang Disempurnakan (in Indonesian). Departemen Pendidikan Nasional, Pusat Bahasa, Balai Bahasa Surabaya. 2008. p. 3.
9. Sofyan, Akhmad (2012). General Guidelines for Improved Madurese Spelling, Revised Edition. East Java Provincial Language Center. ISBN 978-602-8334-28-0.
10. see Davies (2010), p. 273-275
11. Hammarström, Harald; Forkel, Robert; Haspelmath, Martin (2019). "Maduresic". Jena, Germany: Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History. Maduresic: Kangeanese and Madurese

Bibliography

 

Madurese edition of Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

Wikivoyage has a phrasebook for Madurese.

• Davies, W. D. (2010). A Grammar of Madurese. Berlin: De Gruyter Mouton. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
• Kiliaan, H. N. (1897). Madoereesche Spraakkunst (in Dutch). Batavia: Landsdrukkerij.