The
Javanese language has a
decimal numeral system with distinct words for the 'tweens' from 21 to 29, called ''likuran''.
The basic numerals 1–10 have independent and combining forms, the latter derived via a suffix ''-ng''. The combining forms are used to form the tens, hundreds, thousands, and millions. The numerals 1–5 and 10 have distinct high-
register (''halus'', or in Javanese ''krama'') and low register (''ngoko'') forms. The ''halus'' forms are listed below in italics. (''Dasa'' 10 is derived from Sanskrit ''daśa''.)
Like English, Javanese has compound forms for the teens; however, it also has a series of compound 'tweens', 21–29. The teens are based on a root ''-(wə)las'', the tweens on ''-likur'', and the tens are formed by the combining forms. Hyphens are not used in the orthography, but have been added to the table below to clarify their derivation.
Final orthographic ''-a'' tends to in many dialects, as does any preceding ''a'' (as in ''sanga'' 9).
Parallel to the tens are the hundreds (''satus, rongatus''); the thousands (''séwu, rongéwu''), and the millions (''sayuta, rongyuta''), except that the compounds of five and six are formed with ''limang-'' and ''nem-'' (''séket'' 50 and ''suwidak''/''sewidak'' 60 are
suppletive In linguistics and etymology, suppletion is traditionally understood as the use of one word as the inflected form of another word when the two words are not cognate. For those learning a language, suppletive forms will be seen as "irregular" or even ...
).
Old Javanese numerals
The names of the Old Javanese numerals were derived from their
names
A name is a term used for identification by an external observer. They can identify a class or category of things, or a single thing, either uniquely, or within a given context. The entity identified by a name is called its referent. A persona ...
in the
Sanskrit language
Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the lat ...
.
See also
*
Balinese numerals, a related but yet more complex numeral system.
References
{{Reflist
Javanese language
Numerals