DIACTRITICAL MARKS (SANDHANGAN)

Sandhangan are diacritical marks used in Javanese script to:

1. Modify the vowel of a syllable (from the inherent vowel “a” to another vowel sound).

2. Indicate nasal sounds, final consonants, or other phonetic modifications.

3. Complement the meaning or pronunciation of a word.

They are essential for writing accurate Javanese because the basic Carakan letters only contain the consonant + default vowel “a”.

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🔤 Categories of Sandhangan

Sandhangan are divided into three main types:

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1. Sandhangan Swara (Vowel Modifiers)

These change the vowel that follows a consonant.

Sandhangan	Form	Sound	Example	Notes
ꦶ	wulu	/i/	ꦏ + ꦶ = ki	Placed above the letter
ꦼ	pepet	/ə/	ꦏ + ꦼ = kə	Placed above
ꦺ	taling	/e/	ꦏ + ꦺ = ke	Placed before the letter
ꦻ	taling tarung	/ai/	ꦏ + ꦻ = kai	Also placed before
ꦺ + ꦴ	taling + tarung	/o/	ꦏ + ꦺ + ꦴ = ko	Composite vowel
ꦷ	suku mendut	/ī/ (long i)	Less common
ꦺꦴ	/o/	ꦏ + ꦺꦴ = ko	Combined symbols
ꦴ	tarung	/aː/ (long a)	ꦏ + ꦴ = kā	Placed at the end

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2. Sandhangan Wyanjana (Consonant/Nasal Modifiers)

These modify or add final consonants or nasal sounds.

Sandhangan	Form	Sound	Description	Example
ꦁ	cecak	/ŋ/ (ng)	Final nasal	ꦏ + ꦁ = kang
ꦂ	layar	/r/	Final 'r' sound	ꦥ + ꦂ = par
ꦃ	wignyan	/h/	Final 'h' sound	ꦏ + ꦃ = kah
꦳	pengkal	Arabic/consonant modifier	Used in foreign sounds	ꦥ꦳ = fa

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3. Sandhangan Panyigeg (Virama-like)

These are used to suppress the inherent vowel "a", allowing a consonant to stand alone or combine with a following consonant via pasangan.

Symbol	Name	Use
꧀	pangkon	Cancels the vowel /a/ and allows for pasangan use

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✍️ Usage Examples

1. ꦏ + ꦶ = ꦏꦶ → "ki"

2. ꦧ + ꦺ = ꦧꦺ → "be"

3. ꦱ + ꦁ = ꦱꦁ → "sang"

4. ꦠ + ꦺ + ꦴ = ꦠꦺꦴ → "to"

5. ꦩ + ꧀ + ꦤ = ꦩ꧀ꦤ → "mna" (with pasangan)

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💡 Notes

• Sandhangan are visually placed above, below, before, or after the main syllable depending on their type.

• Some sandhangan can combine (like taling + tarung for the vowel /o/).

• Correct placement is crucial for clarity and aesthetics in traditional writing.

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📝 Summary Table

Function	Sandhangan	Sound	Position
Vowel /i/	ꦶ (wulu)	i	Above
Vowel /u/	ꦸ (suku)	u	Below
Vowel /e/	ꦺ (taling)	e	Front/Left
Vowel /ai/	ꦻ (taling tarung)	ai	Front/Left
Vowel /o/	ꦺ + ꦴ	o	Front + End
Vowel /ə/	ꦼ (pepet)	ə	Above
Final -ng	ꦁ (cecak)	ŋ	Above
Final -r	ꦂ (layar)	r	After
Final -h	ꦃ (wignyan)	h	Above
Cancel vowel	꧀ (pangkon)	–	After consonant