CARAKAN (AKSARA/HURUF)

Carakan in Javanese Script

Carakan is the general term for the traditional Javanese script used to write the Javanese language, and by extension, other regional languages such as Sundanese, Madurese, and even old forms of Bahasa Indonesia. It belongs to the Brahmic script family, which also includes Devanagari (used in Hindi), Thai, and Balinese scripts.

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1. Meaning of Carakan

The word Carakan refers to the basic syllabic letters of the Javanese script, which are used to represent consonant-vowel combinations. Each character inherently contains the vowel /a/ or /ɔ/ (depending on dialect).

Example:

• ꦏ (ka) is read "ka", not just "k".

• ꦢ (da) is read "da".

These basic letters are called "Aksara Nglegena" or "Carakan letters".

2. The 20 Basic Carakan Letters (Aksara Nglegena)

Here are the 20 standard Carakan characters used in modern Javanese:

Letter	Pronunciation
ꦲ	ha
ꦤ	na
ꦕ	ca
ꦫ	ra
ꦏ	ka
ꦢ	da
ꦠ	ta
ꦱ	sa
ꦮ	wa
ꦭ	la
ꦥ	pa
ꦝ	dha
ꦗ	ja
ꦪ	ya
ꦚ	nya
ꦛ	tha
ꦟ	nna
ꦒ	ga
ꦧ	ba
ꦩ	ma

Note: Each of these has a pasangan (conjunct form) and can also be modified with sandhangan (diacritics) to change the vowel.

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3. Characteristics of Carakan

• Syllabic Nature: One character = one consonant + inherent vowel.

• No capital/lowercase: All letters are in one form (no uppercase).

• Direction: Written from left to right.

• Diacritics (Sandhangan): Used to change or cancel the inherent vowel.

• Pasangan: Used to stack consonants together (as explained earlier).

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4. Extended Letters in Carakan

Besides the 20 core letters, Carakan also includes:

a. Aksara Murda (Honorific/uppercase-style letters)

Used for proper nouns, respect, or formality—similar to capital letters.

Example:

• ꦑ (Ka murda) – Used for names or titles.

b. Aksara Swara (Vowel letters)

Used to write standalone vowels or foreign words.

Example:

• ꦄ = A

• ꦆ = I

• ꦎ = O

c. Aksara Rekan (Arabic loan consonants)

Used to write Arabic-derived sounds like /f/, /z/, /kh/, etc.

Example:

• ꦥ꦳ = fa

• ꦱ꦳ = za

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5. Example Sentence Using Carakan

Latin (Javanese):
"Bapak tindak pasar dina Setu."

In Aksara Jawa (Carakan):
ꦧꦥꦏ꧀ ꦠꦶꦤ꧀ꦢꦏ꧀ ꦥꦱꦂ ꦢꦶꦤ ꦱꦼꦠꦸ

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Conclusion

Carakan is the foundation of Javanese script, composed of 20 main syllabic letters that form the basis of writing. It is supported by pasangan, sandhangan, and additional forms like murda and swara to allow full phonetic representation of the Javanese language.