Indonesian and Javanese kinship terms explained
Updated
Indonesian and Javanese have their own words for relatives, and Javanese names every generation up to ten above and below you. This reference lists the common terms with their English equivalents, so you can label a family tree correctly.
1. Generations in Javanese
| Generation | Up (ancestors) | Down (descendants) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | bapak / ibu (wong tuwa) | anak |
| 2 | simbah, mbah, eyang | putu |
| 3 | buyut | buyut |
| 4 | canggah | canggah |
| 5 | wareng | wareng |
| 6 | udheg-udheg | udheg-udheg |
| 7 | gantung siwur | gantung siwur |
| 8 | gropak senthe | gropak senthe |
| 9 | debog bosok | debog bosok |
| 10 | galih asem | galih asem |
Javanese uses the same word for the ancestor and the descendant at the same distance: your buyut is your great-grandparent, and you are your great-grandparent's buyut. From the third generation on, the words are identical in both directions.
2. The same generations in English and Indonesian
| Javanese | Indonesian | English |
|---|---|---|
| anak | anak | child |
| putu | cucu | grandchild |
| mbah, eyang | kakek, nenek | grandfather, grandmother |
| buyut | buyut; cicit (downward) | great-grandparent; great-grandchild |
| canggah | canggah; piut (downward) | great-great-grandparent; great-great-grandchild |
| wareng | wareng | 3× great-grandparent or grandchild |
| udheg-udheg | udheg-udheg | 4× great-grandparent or grandchild |
| gantung siwur | gantung siwur | 5× great-grandparent or grandchild |
Everyday Indonesian mostly stops at buyut and cicit; beyond that people say leluhur or nenek moyang (ancestors) and keturunan (descendants), or borrow the Javanese words. Spelling and the order of the furthest generations vary by region.
3. Siblings, uncles, aunts and cousins
| Indonesian | Javanese | English |
|---|---|---|
| kakak / adik | mas, mbak (kangmas, mbakyu) / adhi | older / younger sibling |
| saudara kandung | sedulur sekandung | full sibling |
| paman, om / bibi, tante | pakdhe, budhe (parent's older sibling); paklik, bulik (parent's younger sibling) | uncle / aunt |
| sepupu | sedulur misanan (misan) | first cousin |
| sepupu dua kali | sedulur mindhoan (mindho) | second cousin |
| sepupu tiga kali | sedulur mentelu | third cousin |
| keponakan | ponakan | nephew / niece |
Pakdhe and budhe are also used for the spouses of a parent's older siblings, and paklik and bulik for the spouses of their younger siblings. Whether an uncle is pakdhe or paklik depends on his age relative to your parent, not to you.
4. Relatives by marriage
| Indonesian | Javanese | English |
|---|---|---|
| suami / istri | bojo, garwa | husband / wife |
| mertua | maratuwa | parent-in-law |
| menantu | mantu | son- or daughter-in-law |
| ipar | ipe | brother- or sister-in-law |
| besan | besan | the parents of your child's spouse |
Besan has no single English word: it is the relationship between two sets of parents whose children married each other.
5. Kinds of parents and children
| Indonesian | English | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| kandung | birth | biological parent or child |
| angkat | adoptive | adopted into the family |
| tiri | step | the child or parent of a spouse from another marriage |
| asuh | foster | raised by the family without adoption |
| wali | guardian | legal or customary guardian |
| susuan | milk | milk kinship: nursed by the same woman, recognized in Islam |
Sakdulur records each of these parent kinds, and groups siblings as full, half, step or foster. The app is available in Indonesian and English.
Questions
What comes after buyut?
In Javanese: buyut (3rd generation), canggah (4th), wareng (5th), udheg-udheg (6th), gantung siwur (7th), gropak senthe (8th), debog bosok (9th) and galih asem (10th). The same words are used for ancestors and descendants.
What is the difference between pakdhe and paklik?
Pakdhe is your parent's older brother (or the husband of their older sister); paklik is your parent's younger brother (or the husband of their younger sister). Budhe and bulik are the female equivalents.
What does besan mean?
Besan are the parents of your child's spouse: when two children marry, their parents become each other's besan.
What is a cicit?
Cicit is the Indonesian word for a great-grandchild, the child of your grandchild. In Javanese the same person is your buyut.
Start your family tree
Free and private, in the browser or as an app. Invite your family to build it with you.
Create a free tree