Sawai is a member of the South Halmahera branch of the Eastern Malay-Polynesian language family. It is spoken by about 12,000 people on the island of Halmahera in North Maluku Province in northern Indonesia. In particular, it is spoken in the Weda, Weda Tengah, Weda Selatan, Weda Utara and Weda Timur districts of the Central Halmehra Regency, and in the Gane Timur district of the South Halmahera Regency in the east and south of Halmahera Island.
Sawai is also known as Weda or Weda-Sawai. Dialects include Weda, Sawai, Foya-Mafa and Mesa-Dotte. The Weda dialect has the most speakers. Sawai is written with the Latin alphabet, and about 50% of Sawai speakers are literate in their language.
Download an alphabet chart for Sawai (Excel)
Cogo ... pegéle balo isó i ré ntu isó. Ntu nje pempine mya i, ngósno ne Nita. Si rtolen po pnuwe mya isó ni. Etne ngenngane riri yabe masolo rfan neléw banglao, sé reyó ay tapene ga rwage po pnuw ta npelóy nye ni.
In a village there lived a widow with her daughter, Nita. Every day they would look for firewood in the forest, and then sell it in the city.
Source: Mepine mya ta ndadi tófel i nje by Yulis Brunama and Ronald Whisler. 1998.
Information about Sawai | Numbers
Information about Sawai
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sawai_language
http://language-archives.org/language/szw?lang=en
https://www.sil.org/resources/search/language/szw
Alorese, Ambai, Ambel, Anuki, Baduy, Balinese, Batuley, Biak, Bima, Chamorro, Enggano, Fijian, Fordata, Gayo, Iban, Javanese, Kei, Komering, Lamaholot, Lampung, Ledo Kaili, Madurese, Mbula, Mentawai, Mualang, Musi, Ngaju, Nias, Nuaulu, Ogan, Palauan, Sasak, Sawai, Selaru, Sumbawa, Sundanese, Toqabaqita, Wamesa, Yamdena
Languages written with the Latin alphabet
Page created: 09.10.25. Last modified: 10.10.25
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