wayang
/ˈwɑjɑŋ/noun, verb, adjective
wayang is spelled W-A-Y-A-N-G: 6 letters. It appears about once in every 13 million words in written English, the 109,062nd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, wayang means “A theatrical performance of mythological events employing puppets or human dancers in Malaysia and Indonesia (especially Java)” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of wayang is wayangs.
How many letters and syllables are in wayang?
| Letters | 6: W-A-Y-A-N-G |
|---|---|
| In writing | about once in every 13 million words; the 109,062nd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is wayang?
Wayang appears about once in every 13 million words in written English, the 109,062nd most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce wayang?
- /ˈwɑjɑŋ/
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Forms of wayang
- wayangs plural
- wajang
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does wayang mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A theatrical performance of mythological events employing puppets or human dancers in Malaysia and Indonesia (especially Java).
- 2
A shadow theatre performance, or such performances in general.
- 3
Any traditional theatrical work, combining drama, music, song and sometimes dance.
- 4
Traditional Chinese opera, performed outdoors. The equivalent term in Mandarin is 街戲 /街戏 (jiēxì, literally “street opera”).
- 5
Insincere behaviour; an act meant to deceive or mislead.
verb
- 1
To put up a front, to pretend (e.g., to be hard at work when one’s superiors are watching) or behave in a false and misleading way, especially if it puts one at an advantage.
adjective
- 1
For show, insincere or fake; ostentatious and showy.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Where does wayang come from?
Transliteration of Javanese ꦮꦪꦁ (wayang, “shadow; imagination; puppetry”), from Old Javanese wayaṅ via Malay wayang. Cognate with Dutch wajang.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).