Jeng in the Indonesian Language

Halo semuanya. Ketemu lagi dengan saya, Iman Prabawa. This time, I want to talk to you about the meaning of the word [jeng] in the Indonesian language, and as always, we will watch scenes from movies where the word [jeng] is spoken.

If you have any questions regarding the Indonesian language, you can ask me directly. You can see how to do that on my About Me page. 

If you are a beginner in the Indonesian language, you can learn step by step with My Lesson Here.

So, let's talk about this.

Jeng in the Indonesian Language

[Jeng] is short for [diajeng]. It comes from the Javanese language, one of the indigenous languages in Indonesia. [Jeng] is an honorific title to address a woman, just like [mba], but [jeng] is more intimate. 

If you are a woman and you are called with the honorific title [jeng], it means the person who's calling you feels that she is very close to you. She honors you. [Jeng] is usually used by women to address other women. In Jakarta, [jeng] is usually used by women of the high class to address between them.

[Jeng] is not to be confused with [jeng jeng], like in this comic below.

[Jeng] and [jeng jeng] have a different meaning. [Jeng jeng] is usually used to accentuate something, usually used when telling a story, and then you want to emphasize the climax part.

[Jeng jeng] is like the sound of a guitar when being strummed, and it sounded like the clip below.

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In this short clip, it has 3 jengs, but then it's the same. That's how you pronounce [jeng jeng], which is different than the pronunciation of the honorific title [jeng].

How to Pronounce Jeng

Here is how you pronounce [jeng] in bahasa Indonesia.

Next, let's look at examples of how Indonesians use the word [jeng].

Examples of Jeng In Use

In this section, I will gather examples that I found from movies, YouTube videos, comics, and whatnot where the word [jeng] is spoken.

The first scene we are about to watch is taken from Devil On Top (2021). Let's watch the scene below.

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The conversation from the scene with English translations is as follows.

Waitress: Silakan. Pesen apa? (What can I get you?)

Rudi: Bentar ya, mba. (Just a second, miss.)

Waitress: Mba? Kuno! Kurang milenial. Panggil jeng. (Mba? It’s so old-fashioned! Not hip. Call me, jeng.)

Rudi: Iya, jeng. (Okay, jeng.)

Boni: Aku kek biasa, ya. (I’ll have the usual.)

Richard: Nasi goreng satu ya, mba. (I’ll have Nasi Goreng.)

Waitress: Iya. (Okay.)

Angga: Aku bebek bakar, ya. (I’ll have a roast duck.)

Waitress: Oke, mas. (Okay, sir.)

Rudi: Saya sama kaya Boni aja. (I’ll have exactly like what Boni ordered.)

In this scene, the waitress wants to be called with an honorific title [jeng] because she likes him. It's unusual and rare that a man called a woman with an honorific title [jeng]. Usually, men just use [mba] instead of [jeng] to address women.

Vocabulary From the Scene

[Silakan] is used when you want to let somebody do something politely.

[Pesen] is the colloquial form of [pesan] = to order. [Pesen apa] is short for [mau pesen apa?]. [Mau pesan apa?] is usually asked by waiters or waitresses in a restaurant.

[Panggil.. ] is usually used when you want someone to call you something. For example, My name is Iman Prabawa, and I want other people to call me [iman] then I will say, [panggil saya Iman]. [saya] = I.

The second example is taken from Wedding Proposal (2021). Let's watch the clip below.

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The conversation from the scene with English translations is as follows.

Sari: Jeng Hesti. Apa kabar, jeng? (How are you, Mrs. Hesti?)

Mr. Pras’ Wife: Baik. Sendirian? (I’m good. Are you come here by yourself?)

Sari: Ya, gini lah jeng. Namanya juga ndak punya pasangan. (Well, yeah. Since I don’t have any partners.)

Mr. Pras’ Wife: Kalah dong sama truk gandengan? (Really? Even a truck has a trailer.)

Mr. Pras: Ibu. (Oh, honey.)

Sari: Ya udah kalo gitu, permisi dulu ya. (All right then. I’ll see you guys later.)

In this scene, Sari addressed Mr. Pras' Wife with the honorific title [jeng]. In Jakarta, women who use [jeng] to address other women are usually from high-class society. But that's not the case in Jogjakarta.

Vocabulary From the Scene

[Apa kabar?] is used to ask about someone's health or situation. The most common reply for this type of question is [baik] like in this scene.

[Sendirian] = alone.

[Ya, gini lah] in literal translation is [yeah, just like this].

[Ya udah kalo gitu] is usually used to end a conversation.

[Kalo] is the colloquial way of saying [kalau] = if.

     Read also: Mba in the Indonesian Language

So, I guess this will wrap up this article, and if I find another scene where the word [jeng] is spoken, Insha Allah, I will update this article again.

Thank you for reading this article, and I'll see you soon. Bye now.