One national language and roughly 700 living local languages, many with their own scripts.
Bahasa Indonesia, a standardised form of Malay, unites a country where around 700 languages are spoken. Most Indonesians grow up bilingual, speaking a regional language at home.
Javanese, Sundanese, Balinese and Bugis once had their own scripts derived from ancient Indian writing systems, written on palm-leaf lontar manuscripts. Papua alone is home to more than 250 languages.
Good to know
- Bahasa Indonesia as a unifying language
- Around 700 living languages
- Palm-leaf lontar manuscripts
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Curious about Languages of Indonesia? Keep exploring.
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Connected to Languages of Indonesia
Where to experience itSee all in Java →
DestinationJava
Yogyakarta
Special Region of Yogyakarta
Java's cultural capital, where a living sultanate keeps court arts alive.
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DestinationPapua
Baliem Valley
Highland Papua
A high valley of the Dani people, reached only by air.
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DestinationJava
Borobudur
Magelang, Central Java
The world's largest Buddhist temple, built in the 9th century and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
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Food to trySee all in Java →
FoodJava
Gudeg
Yogyakarta
Young jackfruit stewed for hours in palm sugar and coconut milk — Yogyakarta's signature.
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FoodJava
Rawon
East Java
A black beef soup coloured and flavoured by the keluak nut.
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FoodJava
Batagor
Bandung, West Java
Fried fish dumplings and tofu from Bandung, drenched in peanut sauce.
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Culture to understandSee all in Java →
CultureJava
Wayang
Java & Bali
Shadow puppet theatre that has told epic stories through the night for more than a thousand years.
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CultureJava
Gamelan
Java & Bali
Shimmering bronze ensembles of gongs and metallophones at the heart of Javanese and Balinese music.
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CultureJava
Batik
Java and across Indonesia
The wax-resist textile art whose patterns carry meaning, rank and regional identity.
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