| Okinawan | |
|---|---|
| |
| Pronunciation | [ʔut͡ɕinaːɡut͡ɕi] |
| Native to | Japan |
| Region | SouthernOkinawa Islands |
Native speakers | 1.2 million (2020)[1] |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | ryu |
| Glottolog | cent2126 |
| ELP | South-Central Okinawan |
| Linguasphere |
|
 Northern Okinawan orKunigami South–Central Okinawan orShuri–Naha | |
Okinawan (沖縄口,ウチナーグチ,Uchināguchi,[ʔut͡ɕinaːɡut͡ɕi]), or more preciselyCentral Okinawan, is a NorthernRyukyuan language spoken primarily in the southern half of theisland of Okinawa, as well as in the surrounding islands ofKerama,Kumejima,Tonaki,Aguni and a number of smaller peripheral islands.[3] Central Okinawan distinguishes itself from the speech of Northern Okinawa, which is classified independently as theKunigami language. Both languages are listed byUNESCO asendangered.[4]
Though Okinawan encompasses a number of local dialects,[5] theShuri–Naha variant is generally recognized as thede facto standard,[6] as it had been used as the official language of theRyukyu Kingdom[7] since the reign of KingShō Shin (1477–1526). Moreover, as the former capital of Shuri was built around the royal palace, the language used by the royal court became the regional and literary standard,[7][6] which thus flourished insongs andpoems written during that era.
Today, most Okinawans speakOkinawan Japanese, although a number of people still speak the Okinawan language, most often the elderly. Within Japan, Okinawan is often not seen as a language unto itself but is referred to as the Okinawan dialect (沖縄方言,Okinawa hōgen), or more specifically the Central and Southern Okinawan dialects (沖縄中南部諸方言,Okinawa Chūnanbu Sho hōgen). Okinawan speakers are undergoinglanguage shift as they switch to Japanese, since language use in Okinawa today is far from stable. Okinawans are assimilating and accenting standard Japanese due to the similarity of the two languages, the standardized and centralized education system, the media, business and social contact with mainlanders and previous attempts from Japan to suppress the native languages.[8] Okinawan is still kept alive in popular music, tourist shows and in theaters featuring a local drama calleduchinā shibai, which depict local customs and manners.[9]
Okinawan is aJaponic language, derived fromProto-Japonic and is therefore related toJapanese. The split between Old Japanese and the Ryukyuan languages has been estimated to have occurred as early as the 1st century AD to as late as the 12th century AD. Chinese and Japanese characters were first introduced by a Japanese missionary in 1265.[10]
Hiragana was a much more popular writing system thankanji; thus, Okinawan poems were commonly written solely inhiragana or with little kanji. Okinawan became the official language under KingShō Shin. TheOmoro Sōshi, a compilation of ancient Ryukyuan poems, was written in an early form of Okinawan, known as Old Okinawan.
After Ryukyu became a vassal ofSatsuma Domain, kanji gained more prominence in poetry; however, official Ryukyuan documents were written inClassical Chinese. During this time, the language gradually evolved into Modern Okinawan.
In 1609, the Ryukyu Kingdomwas colonized by the Satsuma Domain in the south of Japan. However, Satsuma did not fully invade the Ryukyu in fear of colliding with China, which had a stronger trading relationship with the Ryukyu at the time.[11]
When Ryukyu was annexed by Japan in 1879, the majority of people on Okinawa Island spoke Okinawan. Within 10 years, the Japanese government began an assimilation policy ofJapanization, where Ryukyuan languages were gradually suppressed. The education system was the heart of Japanization, where Okinawan children were taught Japanese and punished for speaking their native language, being told that their language was just a "dialect".
Language shift to Japanese in Ryukyu/Okinawa began in 1879 when the Japanese government annexed Ryukyu and established Okinawa Prefecture. The prefectural office mainly consisted of people fromKagoshima Prefecture where theSatsuma Domain used to be. This caused the modernization of Okinawa as well as language shift to Japanese. As a result, Japanese became the standard language for administration, education, media, and literature.[11]
In 1902, the National Language Research Council (国語調査委員会) began the linguistic unification of Japan to Standard Japanese. This caused the linguistic stigmatization of many local varieties in Japan including Okinawan. As the discrimination accelerated, Okinawans themselves started to abandon their languages and shifted to Standard Japanese.[11]
Okinawan dialect cards, similar toWelsh Not in Wales, were adopted in Okinawa, Japan.
By 1945, many Okinawans spoke Japanese, and many were bilingual. During theBattle of Okinawa, some Okinawans were killed by Japanese soldiers for speaking Okinawan.[citation needed]
Under American administration, there was an attempt to revive and standardize Okinawan, but this proved difficult and was shelved in favor of Japanese. GeneralDouglas MacArthur attempted to promote Okinawan languages and culture through education.[12] Multiple English words were introduced.
After Okinawa's reversion to Japanese sovereignty, Japanese continued to be the dominant language used, and the majority of the youngest generations only speakOkinawan Japanese. There have been attempts to revive Okinawan by notable people such asByron Fija andSeijin Noborikawa, but few native Okinawans know the language.[13]
The Okinawan language is still spoken by communities of Okinawan immigrants inBrazil. The first immigrants from the island of Okinawa to Brazil landed in thePort of Santos in 1908 drawn by the hint of work and farmable land. Once in a new country and far from their homeland, they found themselves in a place where there was no prohibition of their language, allowing them to willingly speak, celebrate and preserve their speech and culture, up to the present day. Currently the Okinawan-Japanese centers and communities in theState of São Paulo are a world reference to this language helping it to stay alive.[14] Courses in Okinawan language and literature are offered at theUniversity of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa and books in Uchinaaguchi have been published inHawaii.[15]
Okinawan is sometimes grouped with Kunigami as the Okinawan languages; however, not all linguists accept this grouping, some claiming that Kunigami is a dialect of Okinawan.[11] Okinawan is also grouped with Amami (or the Amami languages) as the Northern Ryukyuan languages.
Since the creation of Okinawa Prefecture, Okinawan has been labeled a dialect of Japanese as part of a policy of assimilation. Later, Japanese linguists, such asTōjō Misao, who studied the Ryukyuan languages argued that they are indeed dialects. This is due to the misconception that Japan is a homogeneous state (one people, one language, one nation), and classifying the Ryukyuan languages as such would discredit this assumption.[16] The present-day official stance of the Japanese government remains that Okinawan is a dialect, and it is common within the Japanese population for it to be called 沖縄方言 (okinawa hōgen) or 沖縄弁 (okinawa-ben), which means "Okinawa dialect (ofJapanese)". The policy of assimilation, coupled with increased interaction between Japan and Okinawa through media and economics, has led to the development ofOkinawan Japanese, which is a dialect of Japanese influenced by the Okinawan and Kunigami languages. Japanese and Okinawan only share 60% of the same vocabulary, despite both being Japonic languages.[17]
Okinawan linguist Seizen Nakasone states that the Ryukyuan languages are in fact groupings of similar dialects. As each community has its own distinct dialect, there is no "one language". Nakasone attributes this diversity to the isolation caused by immobility, citing the story of his mother who wanted to visit the town ofNago but never made the 25 km trip before she died of old age.[18]
The contemporary dialects in Ryukyuan language are divided into three large groups: Amami-Okinawa dialects, Miyako-Yaeyama dialects, and the Yonaguni dialect. All of them are mutually unintelligible.Amami is located in theKagoshima prefecture but it belongs to the Ryukyuan group linguistically. TheYonaguni dialect is very different in phonetics from the other groups but it comes closest to theYaeyama dialect lexically.[19]
Outside Japan, Okinawan is considered a separate language from Japanese. This was first proposed byBasil Hall Chamberlain, who compared the relationship between Okinawan and Japanese to that of theRomance languages.UNESCO has marked it as an endangered language.[20]
UNESCO listed six Okinawan language varieties as endangered languages in 2009.[21] The endangerment of Okinawan is largely due to the shift to Standard Japanese. Throughout history, Okinawan languages have been treated as dialects of Standard Japanese. For instance, in the 20th century, many schools used "dialect tags" to punish the students who spoke in Okinawan.[22] Consequently, many of the remaining speakers today are choosing not to transmit their languages to younger generations due to the stigmatization of the languages in the past.[11]
There have been several revitalization efforts made to reverse this language shift. However, Okinawan is still poorly taught in formal institutions due to the lack of support from the Okinawan Education Council: education in Okinawa is conducted exclusively in Japanese, and children do not study Okinawan as their second language at school. As a result, at least two generations of Okinawans have grown up without any proficiency in their local languages both at home and school.[11]
Okinawan vocabulary is about 39% lexically similar with Japanese[23] and The Okinawan language is only 71% lexically similar to, or cognate with, standard Japanese. Even the southernmost Japanese dialect (Kagoshima dialect) is only 72% cognate with the northernmost Ryukyuan language (Amami). The Kagoshima dialect of Japanese, however, is 80% lexically similar to Standard Japanese.[24]
| Front | Central | Back | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Close | iiː | uuː | |
| Close-Mid | eeː | ooː | |
| Open | aaː |
The Okinawan language has five vowels, all of which may be long or short, though the short vowels/e/ and/o/ are quite rare,[25] as they occur only in a few native Okinawan words with heavy syllables with the pattern/Ceɴ/ or/Coɴ/, such as/meɴsoːɾeː/mensōrē "welcome" or/toɴɸaː/tonfā. The close back vowels/u/ and/uː/ are truly rounded, rather than thecompressed vowels of standard Japanese.
The Okinawan language counts some 20 distinctive segments shown in the chart below, with major allophones presented in parentheses.
| Labial | Alveolar | Alveolo- palatal | Palatal | Labio- velar | Velar | Uvular/ Glottal | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nasal | m | n | (ŋ) | (ɴ) | |||
| Plosive | p b | t d | t͡ɕ d͡ʑ | kʷ ɡʷ | k ɡ | ʔ | |
| Fricative | ɸ | s (z) | (ɕ) | (ç) | h | ||
| Flap | ɾ | ||||||
| Approximant | j | w |
The only consonant that can occur as a syllable coda is thearchiphoneme|n|. Many analyses treat it as an additional phoneme/N/, themoraic nasal, though it never contrasts with/n/ or/m/.
The consonant system of the Okinawan language is fairly similar to that of standard Japanese, but it does present a few differences on thephonemic andallophonic level. Namely, Okinawan retains the labialized consonants/kʷ/ and/ɡʷ/ which were lost inLate Middle Japanese (though they are retained in a handful of ModernJapanese dialects), possesses a glottal stop/ʔ/, features a voiceless bilabial fricative/ɸ/ distinct from the aspirate/h/, and has two distinctiveaffricates which arose from a number of differentsound processes. Additionally, Okinawan lacks the major allophones[t͡s] and[d͡z] found in Japanese, having historically fronted the vowel/u/ to/i/ after the alveolars/tdsz/, consequently merging[t͡su]tsu into[t͡ɕi]chi,[su]su into[ɕi]shi, and both[d͡zu]dzu and[zu]zu into[d͡ʑi]ji. It also lacks/z/ as a distinctive phoneme, having merged it into/d͡ʑ/.
The bilabial fricative/ɸ/ has sometimes been transcribed as the cluster/hw/, since, like Japanese,/h/ allophonically labializes into[ɸ] before the high vowel/u/, and/ɸ/ does not occur before the rounded vowel/o/. This suggests that an overlap between/ɸ/ and/h/ exists, and so the contrast in front of other vowels can be denoted through labialization. However, this analysis fails to take account of the fact that Okinawan has not fully undergone the diachronic change*/p/ →/ɸ/ →*/h/ as in Japanese, and that the suggested clusterization and labialization into*/hw/ is unmotivated.[26] Consequently, the existence of/ɸ/ must be regarded as independent of/h/, even though the two overlap. Barring a few words that resulted from the former change, the aspirate/h/ also arose from the odd lenition of/k/ and/s/, as well as words loaned from other dialects. Before the glide/j/ and the high vowel/i/, it is pronounced closer to[ç], as in Japanese.
The plosive consonants/t/ and/k/ historically palatalized and affricated into/t͡ɕ/ before and occasionally following the glide/j/ and the high vowel/i/:*/kiri/ →/t͡ɕiɾi/chiri "fog", and*/k(i)jora/ →/t͡ɕuɾa/chura- "beautiful". This change preceded vowel raising, so that instances where/i/ arose from*/e/ did not trigger palatalization:*/ke/ →/kiː/kī "hair". Their voiced counterparts/d/ and/ɡ/ underwent the same effect, becoming/d͡ʑ/ under such conditions:*/unaɡi/ →/ʔɴnad͡ʑi/Qnnaji "eel", and*/nokoɡiri/ →/nukud͡ʑiɾi/nukujiri "saw"; but*/kaɡeɴ/ →/kaɡiɴ/kagin "seasoning".
Both/t/ and/d/ may or may not also allophonically affricate before the mid vowel/e/, though this pronunciation is increasingly rare. Similarly, the fricative consonant/s/ palatalizes into[ɕ] before the glide/j/ and the vowel/i/, including when/i/ historically derives from/e/:*/sekai/ →[ɕikeː]shikē "world". It may also palatalize before the vowel/e/, especially so in the context oftopicalization:[duɕi]dushi →[duɕeː]dusē ordushē "(topic) friend".
In general, sequences containing the palatal consonant/j/ are relatively rare and tend to exhibit depalatalization. For example,/mj/ tends to merge with/n/ ([mjaːku]myāku →[naːku]nāku "Miyako");*/rj/ has merged into/ɾ/ and/d/ (*/rjuː/ →/ɾuː/rū ~/duː/dū "dragon"); and/sj/ has mostly become/s/ (/sjui/shui →/sui/sui "Shuri").
The voiced plosive/d/ and the flap/ɾ/ tend to merge, with the first becoming a flap in word-medial position, and the second sometimes becoming a plosive in word-initial position. For example,/ɾuː/rū "dragon" may be strengthened into[duː]dū, and/hasidu/hashidu "door" conversely flaps into[hasiɾu]hashiru. The two sounds do, however, still remain distinct in a number of words and verbal constructions.[citation needed]
Okinawan also features a distinctive glottal stop/ʔ/ that historically arose from a process of glottalization of word-initial vowels.[27] Hence, all vowels in Okinawan are predictably glottalized at the beginning of words (*/ame/ →/ʔami/ami "rain"), save for a few exceptions. High vowel loss or assimilation following this process created a contrast with glottalized approximants and nasal consonants.[27] Compare*/uwa/ →/ʔwa/Qwa "pig" to/wa/wa "I", or*/ine/ →/ʔɴni/Qnni "rice plant" to*/mune/ →/ɴni/nni "chest".[28]
Themoraic nasal/N/ has been posited in most descriptions of Okinawan phonology. Like Japanese,/N/ (transcribed using the small capital/ɴ/) occupies a fullmora and its precise place of articulation will vary depending on the following consonant. Before other labial consonants, it will be pronounced closer to asyllabicbilabial nasal[m̩], as in/ʔɴma/[ʔm̩ma]Qnma "horse". Before velar and labiovelar consonants, it will be pronounced as a syllabicvelar nasal[ŋ̍], as in/biɴɡata/[biŋ̍ɡata]bingata, a method of dying clothes. And before alveolar and alveolo-palatal consonants, it becomes a syllabicalveolar nasal/n̩/, as in/kaɴda/[kan̩da]kanda "vine". In some varieties, it instead becomes a syllabicuvular nasal[ɴ̩]. Elsewhere, its exact realization remains unspecified, and it may vary depending on the first sound of the next word or morpheme. In isolation and at the end of utterances, it is realized as a velar nasal[ŋ̍].
| Japanese | Okinawan | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| /e/ | /iː/[29] | |
| /i/ | ||
| /a/ | /a/[29] | |
| /o/ | /u/[29] | |
| /u/ | ||
| /ai/ | /eː/ | |
| /ae/ | ||
| /au/ | /oː/ | |
| /ao/ | ||
| /aja/[citation needed] | ||
| /k/ | /k/ | /ɡ/ also occurs |
| /ka/ | /ka/ | /ha/ also occurs |
| /ki/ | /t͡ɕi/ | [t͡ɕi] |
| /ku/ | /ku/ | /hu/,[ɸu] also occurs |
| /si/ | /si/ | /hi/,[çi] also occurs |
| /su/ | /si/ | [ɕi]; formerly distinguished as[si] /hi/[çi] also occurs |
| /tu/ | /t͡ɕi/ | [t͡ɕi]; formerly distinguished as[t͡si] |
| /da/ | /ra/ | [d] and[ɾ] have merged |
| /de/ | /ri/ | |
| /do/ | /ru/ | |
| /ni/ | /ni/ | Moraic/ɴ/ also occurs |
| /nu/ | /nu/ | |
| /ha/ | /ɸa/ ~/ha/ | /pa/ also occurs, but rarely |
| /hi/ | /pi/ ~/hi/ | |
| /he/ | ||
| /mi/ | /mi/ | Moraic/ɴ/ also occurs |
| /mu/ | /mu/ | |
| /ri/ | /i/ | /iri/ is unaffected |
| /wa/ | /wa/ | Tends to become/a/ medially |
The Okinawan language was historically written using an admixture ofkanji andhiragana. The hiragana syllabary is believed to have first been introduced from mainland Japan to the Ryukyu Kingdom some time during the reign of kingShunten in the early thirteenth century.[30][31] It is likely that Okinawans were already in contact withhanzi (Chinese characters) due to extensive trade between the Ryukyu Kingdom and China, Japan and Korea. However, hiragana gained more widespread acceptance throughout the Ryukyu Islands, and most documents and letters were exclusively transcribed using this script, in contrast to in Japan where writing solely in hiragana was considered "women's script". TheOmoro Sōshi (おもろさうし), a sixteenth-century compilation of songs and poetry,[32] and a few preserved writs of appointments dating from the same century were written solely in Hiragana.[33]Kanji were gradually adopted due to the growing influence of mainland Japan and to the linguistic affinity between the Okinawan and Japanese languages.[34] However, it was mainly limited to affairs of high importance and to documents sent towards the mainland. The oldest inscription of Okinawan exemplifying its use along with Hiragana can be found on a stonestele at theTamaudun mausoleum, dating back to 1501.[35][36]
After theinvasion of Okinawa by theShimazu clan of Satsuma in 1609, Okinawan ceased to be used in official affairs.[30] It was replaced by standard Japanese writing and a form of Classical Chinese writing known askanbun.[30] Despite this change, Okinawan still continued to prosper in local literature up until the nineteenth century. Following theMeiji Restoration, the Japanese government abolished thedomain system and formally annexed the Ryukyu Islands to Japan as theOkinawa Prefecture in 1879.[37] To promote national unity, the government then introduced standard education and opened Japanese-language schools based on theTokyo dialect.[37] Students were discouraged and chastised for speaking or even writing in the local "dialect", notably through the use of "dialect cards" (方言札). As a result, Okinawan gradually ceased to be written entirely until the American takeover in 1945.
Since then, Japanese and American scholars have variously transcribed the regional language using a number of ad hoc romanization schemes or thekatakana syllabary to demarcate its foreign nature with standard Japanese. Proponents of Okinawan tend to be more traditionalist and continue to write the language using hiragana with kanji. In any case, no standard or consensus concerning spelling issues has ever been formalized, so discrepancies between modern literary works are common.
Technically, they are not syllables, but rathermorae. Each mora in Okinawan will consist of one or two kana characters. If two, then a smaller version of kana follows the normal sized kana. In each cell of the table below, the top row is the kana (hiragana to the left, katakana to the right of the dot), the middle row in rōmaji (Hepburn romanization), and the bottom row in IPA.
| Vowel | ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| a | i | u | e | o | ya | yi | yu | ye | yo | wa | wi | wu | we | wo | n | |||||
Consonant | (none) | あ・ア a [a] | い・イ i [i] | う・ウ u [u] | え・エ e [e] | お・オ o [o] | や・ヤ ya [ja] | いぃ・イィ yi [ji] | ゆ・ユ yu [ju] | えぇ・エェ ye [je] | よ・ヨ yo [jo] | わ・ワ wa [wa] | ゐ・ヰ wi [wi] | をぅ・ヲゥ wu [wu] | ゑ・ヱ we [we] | を・ヲ wo [wo] | ん・ン n [ɴ] ([n̩],[ŋ̣],[ṃ]) | |||
| Q (glottal stop) | あ・ア Qa [ʔa] | い・イ Qi [ʔi] | う・ウ Qu [ʔu] | え・エ Qe [ʔe] | お・オ Qo [ʔo] | っや・ッヤ Qya [ʔʲa] | っゆ・ッユ Qyu [ʔʲu] | っよ・ッヨ Qyo [ʔʲo] | っわ・ッワ Qwa [ʔʷa] | っゐ・ッヰ Qwi [ʔʷi] | っゑ・ッヱ Qwe [ʔʷe] | っを・ッヲ Qwo [ʔʷo] | っん・ッン Qn [ʔɴ] ([ʔn̩],[ʔṃ]) | |||||||
| k | か・カ ka [ka] | き・キ ki [ki] | く・ク ku [ku] | け・ケ ke [ke] | こ・コ ko [ko] | きゃ・キャ kya [kʲa] | きゅ・キュ kyu [kʲu] | きょ・キョ kyo [kʲo] | くゎ・クヮ kwa [kʷa] | くぃ・クィ kwi [kʷi] | くぇ・クェ kwe [kʷe] | くぉ・クォ kwo [kʷo] | ||||||||
| g | が・ガ ga [ɡa] | ぎ・ギ gi [ɡi] | ぐ・グ gu [ɡu] | げ・ゲ ge [ɡe] | ご・ゴ go [ɡo] | ぎゃ・ギャ gya [ɡʲa] | ぎゅ・ギュ gyu [ɡʲu] | ぎょ・ギョ gyo [ɡʲo] | ぐゎ・グヮ gwa [ɡʷa] | ぐぃ・グィ gwi [ɡʷi] | ぐぇ・グェ gwe [ɡʷe] | ぐぉ・グォ gwo [ɡʷo] | ||||||||
| s | さ・サ sa [sa] | すぃ・スィ si [si] | す・ス su [su] | せ・セ se [se] | そ・ソ so [so] | |||||||||||||||
| sh | しゃ・シャ sha [ɕa] | し・シ shi [ɕi] | しゅ・シュ shu [ɕu] | しぇ・シェ she [ɕe] | しょ・ショ sho [ɕo] | |||||||||||||||
| z | ざ・ザ za [za] | ずぃ・ズィ zi [zi] | ず・ズ zu [zu] | ぜ・ゼ ze [ze] | ぞ・ゾ zo [zo] | |||||||||||||||
| j | じゃ・ジャ (ぢゃ・ヂャ) ja [dʑa] | じ・ジ (ぢ・ヂ) ji [dʑi] | じゅ・ヂュ (ぢゅ・ヂュ) ju [dʑu] | じぇ・ジェ (ぢぇ・ヂェ) je [dʑe] | じょ・ジョ (ぢょ・ヂョ) jo [dʑo] | |||||||||||||||
| t | た・タ ta [ta] | てぃ・ティ ti [ti] | とぅ・トゥ tu [tu] | て・テ te [te] | と・ト to [to] | |||||||||||||||
| d | だ・ダ da [da] | でぃ・ディ di [di] | どぅ・ドゥ du [du] | で・デ de [de] | ど・ド do [do] | |||||||||||||||
| ts | つぁ・ツァ tsa [t͡sa] | つぃ・ツィ tsi [t͡si] | つ・ツ tsu [t͡su] | つぇ・ツェ tse [t͡se] | つぉ・ツォ tso [t͡so] | |||||||||||||||
| ch | ちゃ・チャ cha [t͡ɕa] | ち・チ chi [t͡ɕi] | ちゅ・チュ chu [t͡ɕu] | ちぇ・チェ che [t͡ɕe] | ちょ・チョ cho [t͡ɕo] | ya | yu | yo | ||||||||||||
| n | な・ナ na [na] | に・ニ ni [ni] | ぬ・ヌ nu [nu] | ね・ネ ne [ne] | の・ノ no [no] | にゃ・ニャ nya [ɲa] | にゅ・ニュ nyu [ɲu] | にょ・ニョ nyo [ɲo] |
| |||||||||||
| h | は・ハ ha [ha] | ひ・ヒ hi [çi] | へ・ヘ he [he] | ほ・ホ ho [ho] | ひゃ・ヒャ hya [ça] | ひゅ・ヒュ hyu [çu] | ひょ・ヒョ hyo [ço] | |||||||||||||
| f | ふぁ・ファ fa [ɸa] | ふぃ・フィ fi [ɸi] | ふ・フ fu/hu [ɸu] | ふぇ・フェ fe [ɸe] | ふぉ・フォ fo [ɸo] | |||||||||||||||
| b | ば・バ ba [ba] | び・ビ bi [bi] | ぶ・ブ bu [bu] | べ・ベ be [be] | ぼ・ボ bo [bo] | |||||||||||||||
| p | ぱ・パ pa [pa] | ぴ・ピ pi [pi] | ぷ・プ pu [pu] | ぺ・ペ pe [pe] | ぽ・ポ po [po] | |||||||||||||||
| m | ま・マ ma [ma] | み・ミ mi [mi] | む・ム mu [mu] | め・メ me [me] | も・モ mo [mo] | みゃ・ミャ mya [mʲa] | みゅ・ミュ myu [mʲu] | みょ・ミョ myo [mʲo] | ||||||||||||
| r | ら・ラ ra [ɾa] | り・リ ri [ɾi] | る・ル ru [ɾu] | れ・レ re [ɾe] | ろ・ロ ro [ɾo] | りゃ・リャ rya [ɾʲa] | りゅ・リュ ryu [ɾʲu] | りょ・リョ ryo [ɾʲo] | ||||||||||||
Okinawan follows asubject–object–verb word order and makes large use of particles as in Japanese. Okinawan retains a number of Japonic grammatical features also found inOld Japanese but lost (or highly restricted) inModern Japanese, such as a distinction between the terminal form (終止形) and the attributive form (連体形), the genitive function ofがga (lost in the Shuri dialect), the nominative function ofぬnu (cf. Japanese:のno), as well as honorific/plain distribution ofga andnu in nominative use.
| 書ちゅん "to write" Classical Japanese:書くkaku | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shuri | Classical Japanese | ||||
| Irrealis | 未然形 | 書か | kaka- | 書か | kaka- |
| Continuative | 連用形 | 書ち | kachi- | 書き | kaki- |
| Terminal | 終止形 | 書ちゅん | kachun | 書く | kaku |
| Attributive | 連体形 | 書ちゅる | kachuru | 書く | kaku |
| Realis | 已然形 | 書き | kaki- | 書け | kake- |
| Imperative | 命令形 | 書き | kaki | 書け | kake |
One etymology given for the-un and-uru endings is the continuative form suffixed withuri ("to be; to exist", cf.Classical Japanese:居りwori):-un developed from the terminal formuri;-uru developed from the attributive formuru, i.e.:
A similar etymology is given for the terminal-san and attributive-saru endings for adjectives: the stem suffixed withさsa (nominalises adjectives, i.e. high → height, hot → heat), suffixed withari ("to be; to exist; to have", cf. Classical Japanese:有りari), i.e.:
| Nature of the part of speech in a sentence | Part of speech | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independent | No conjugation | Can become a subject | Noun (名詞) | ||||
| Pronoun (代名詞) | |||||||
| Cannot become a subject | Other words come after | Modifies | Modifies a declinable word | Adverb (副詞) | |||
| Modifies a substantive | Prenominal adjective (連体詞) | ||||||
| Connects | Conjunction (接続詞) | ||||||
| Other words may not come after | Interjection / exclamation (感動詞) | ||||||
| Conjugates | Declinable word | Shows movements | Conclusive form ends in "ん (n)" | Verb (動詞) | |||
| Shows the property or state | Conclusive form ends in "さん (san)" | Adjective (形容詞) | |||||
| Shows existence or decision of a certain thing | "やん (yan)" attaches to a substantive such as a noun | Existential-identificative verb (存在動詞) | |||||
| Shows state of existence of events | "やん (yan)" attaches to the word that shows state | Adjectival verb (形容動詞) | |||||
| Dependent | Conjugates | Makes up for the meanings of conjugated words | Conclusive form ends in "ん (n)" | Auxiliary Verb (助動詞) | |||
| No conjugation | Attaches to other words and shows the relationship between words | Particle (助詞) | |||||
| Attaches to the head of a word and adds meaning or makes a new word | Prefix (接頭語) | ||||||
| Attaches to the end of a word and adds meaning or makes a new word | Suffix (接尾語) | ||||||
Nouns are classified as independent, non-conjugating part of speech that can become a subject of a sentence
Pronouns are classified the same as nouns, except that pronouns are more broad.
| Singular | Plural | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Personal | Demonstrative | Personal | Demonstrative | ||||||
| Thing | Place | Direction | Thing | Place | Direction | ||||
| 1st person |
|
| |||||||
| 2nd person |
|
| |||||||
| 3rd person | Proximal | くり (kuri) | くり (kuri) | くま (kuma) |
| くったー (kuttā) | くったー (kuttā) | くま (kuma) |
|
| Medial | うり (uri) | うり (uri) | うま (uma) |
| うったー (uttā) | うったー (uttā) | うま (uma) |
| |
| Distal | あり (ari) | あり (ari) | あま (ama) |
| あったー (attā) | あったー (attā) | あま (ama) |
| |
| Indefinite |
| じる (jiru) | まー (mā) |
| たったー (tattā) | じる (jiru) | まー (mā) |
| |
Adverbs are classified as an independent, non-conjugating part of speech that cannot become a subject of a sentence and modifies a declinable word (用言; verbs, adverbs, adjectives) that comes after the adverb. There are two main categories to adverbs and several subcategories within each category, as shown in the table below.
| Adverbs that shows state or condition | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Okinawan | Japanese | English | Example | |
Time | ひっちー (hitchī) |
| Always | あぬ Anu 夫婦 fitundā ひっちー、 hitchī, たっくゎいむっくゎい takkwaimukkwai びけーそーん。 bikēsōn. あぬ夫婦ひっちー、 たっくゎいむっくゎい びけーそーん。 Anu fitundā hitchī, takkwaimukkwai bikēsōn. あの Ano 夫婦 fūfu は wa いつも、 itsumo, 寄り添って yorisotte ばかり bakari いる。 iru. あの 夫婦 はいつも、 寄り添って ばかり いる。 Ano fūfu wa itsumo, yorisotte bakari iru. That couple isalways sticking close. |
| まーるけーてぃ (mārukēti) | たまに (tamani) | Occasionally | 子ー Kwā まーるけーてぃ、 mārukēti, 親 uya ぬ nu 加勢しーが kashīshīga 行ちゅん。 ichun. 子ーまーるけーてぃ、親 ぬ加勢しーが行ちゅん。 Kwā mārukēti, uya nu kashīshīga ichun. 子供 Kodomo は wa たまに、 tamani, 親 oya の no 手伝い tetsudai に ni 行く。 iku. 子供 はたまに、 親 の 手伝い に 行く。 Kodomo wa tamani, oya no tetsudai ni iku. The kidoccasionally goes to help his/her parent. | |
| ちゃーき (chāki) | 直ぐ (sugu) | Already | くぬ Kunu 車ー kurumā ちゃーき、 chāki, けーやんでぃとーんたん。 kēyanditōntan. くぬ車ーちゃーき、 けーやんでぃとーんたん。 Kunu kurumā chāki, kēyanditōntan. この Kono 車 kuruma は wa 直ぐ、 sugu, 壊れて kowarete しまっていた。 shimatteita. この 車 は直ぐ、 壊れて しまっていた。 Kono kuruma wa sugu, kowarete shimatteita. This car brokealready. | |
| やがてぃ (yagati) | やがて | Shortly | やがてぃ、 Yagati, 太陽 tida ぬ nu 落てぃゆしが、 utiyushiga, 御所ー unjuō 来ーん。 kūn. やがてぃ、太陽 ぬ落てぃゆしが、御所ー来ーん。 Yagati, tida nu utiyushiga, unjuō kūn. やがて、 Yagate, 太陽 taiyō が ga 落ちるが、 ochiruga, あなた anata は wa こない。 konai. やがて、 太陽 が 落ちるが、 あなた は こない。 Yagate, taiyō ga ochiruga, anata wa konai. The sun will disappearshortly, but you are not here. | |
| 未だ (nāda) | まだ (mada) | Yet | 彼女が Ariga 胆 chimō 未だ、 nāda, 直らん。 nōran. 彼女が胆未だ、直らん。 Ariga chimō nāda, nōran. 彼女 Kanojo の no 機嫌 kigen は wa まだ、 mada, 直らない。 naoranai. 彼女 の 機嫌 はまだ、 直らない。 Kanojo no kigen wa mada, naoranai. Her mood hasyet to become better. | |
| ちゃー (chā) | いつも (itsumo) | Always | あま Ama ぬ nu 犬 inō ちゃー、 chā, あびとーん。 abitōn. あま ぬ犬ちゃー、 あびとーん。 Ama nu inō chā, abitōn. あそこ Asoko の no 犬 inu は wa いつも、 itsumo, 吠えている。 hoeteiru. あそこ の 犬 は いつも、 吠えている。 Asoko no inu wa itsumo, hoeteiru. The dog over there isalways barking. | |
| ちゅてーや (chutēya) |
| A little | ちゅてーや、 Chutēya, 待っちょーきよー。 matchōkiyō. ちゅてーや、待っちょーきよー。 Chutēya, matchōkiyō. 少しは、 Sukoshiwa, 待っておいてよ。 matteoiteyo. 少しは、 待っておいてよ。 Sukoshiwa, matteoiteyo. Waita little. | |
| あっとぅむす (attumusu) | 急に (kyūni) | Suddenly | どぅし Dushi ぬ nu あっとぅむす、 attumusu, はっ来ょーたんどー。 hachōtandō. どぅし ぬあっとぅむす、 はっ来ょーたんどー。 Dushi nu attumusu, hachōtandō. 友達 Tomodachi が ga 急に、 kyūni, 来ていたよ。 kiteitayo. 友達 が急に、 来ていたよ。 Tomodachi ga kyūni, kiteitayo. My friend suddenly came. | |
| まるひーじーや (maruhījīya) | 普段は (fudanwa) | Normally | 隣 Tunai ぬ nu 三郎主 Sandāsū や ya まるひーじーや maruhījīya 寝んてぃどぅ居ゆる。 nintidūyuru. 隣 ぬ三郎主 やまるひーじーや寝んてぃどぅ居ゆる。 Tunai nu Sandāsū ya maruhījīya nintidūyuru. 隣 Tonari の no 三郎爺は Sandā-jī 普段は fudanwa 寝ている。 neteiru. 隣 の 三郎爺は普段は 寝ている。 Tonari no Sandā-jī fudanwa neteiru. Sanda is normally sleeping. | |
| いっとぅちゃー (ittuchā) | しばらくは (shibarakuwa) | A little while | いっとぅちゃー、 Ittuchā, 門口 jōguchi んじ nji 待っちょーけー。 matchōkē. いっとぅちゃー、門口 んじ待っちょーけー。 Ittuchā, jōguchi nji matchōkē. しばらくは、 Shibarakuwa, 門 mon で de 待っておけ。 matteoke. しばらくは、 門 で 待っておけ。 Shibarakuwa, mon de matteoke. Wait at the gatea little while. | |
Quantity | いふぃ (ifi) | 少し (sukoshi) | A little | 三郎、 Sandā, いふぇー、 ifē, 汝 yā たまし tamashi から kara 分きてぃ取らせー。 wakititurasē. 三郎、いふぇー、汝 たまし から分きてぃ取らせー。 Sandā, ifē, yā tamashi kara wakititurasē. 三郎、 Sandā, 少し sukoshi は wa 君 kimi の no 分 bun から kara 分けてくれ。 waketekure. 三郎、少し は 君 の 分 から 分けてくれ。 Sandā, sukoshi wa kimi no bun kara waketekure. Sanda, please share a little bit of yours. |
| ちゃっさきー (chassakī) | 沢山 (takusan) | Many, a lot of | 御主前 Usumē や ya 山 yama から kara ちゃっさきー、 chassakī, 薪、 tamun, 持ち来ぇーん。 muchichēn. 御主前 や山 からちゃっさきー、薪、持ち来ぇーん。 Usumē ya yama kara chassakī, tamun, muchichēn. お爺さん Ojī-san は wa 山 yama から kara 沢山、 takusan, 薪 maki を wo 持ってきてある。 mottekitearu. お爺さん は 山 から沢山、 薪 を 持ってきてある。 Ojī-san wa yama kara takusan, maki wo mottekitearu. The old man brought a lot of firewood. | |
| はてぃるか (hatiruka) | 随分 (zuibun) | A lot | 昨日 Chinū や ya はてぃるか、 hatiruka, 歩っちゃん。 atchan. 昨日 やはてぃるか、歩っちゃん。 Chinū ya hatiruka, atchan. 昨日 Kinō は wa 随分、 zuibun, 歩いた。 aruita. 昨日 は随分、 歩いた。 Kinō wa zuibun, aruita. I walked a lot yesterday. | |
| ぐゎさない (gwasanai) | わんさか (wansaka) | Abundant | 我達 Wattā 畑 haru んかい nkai や ya 黍 ūjē ぐゎさない、 gwasanai, まんどーんどー。 mandōndō. 我達畑 んかい や黍ぐゎさない、 まんどーんどー。 Wattā haru nkai ya ūjē gwasanai, mandōndō. 私達 Watashitachi の no 畑 hatake に ni は wa 砂糖黍 satōkibi は wa わんさか wansaka あるよ。 aruyo. 私達 の 畑 に は 砂糖黍 はわんさか あるよ。 Watashitachi no hatake ni wa satōkibi wa wansaka aruyo. We have abundant sugar cane in our farm. | |
| 一杯 (ippai) | A lot | 芋 Nmu やれー、 yarē, しんめーん shinmēn 鍋 nābi んかい nkai 満っちゃきー mitchakī （満っちゃかー）、 (mitchakā), あんどー。 andō. 芋 やれー、 しんめーん鍋 んかい満っちゃきー （満っちゃかー）、 あんどー。 Nmu yarē, shinmēn nābi nkai mitchakī (mitchakā), andō. 芋 Imo なら nara 大鍋 ōnabe に、 ni, 一杯、 ippai, あるよ。 aruyo. 芋 なら 大鍋 に、一杯、 あるよ。 Imo nara ōnabe ni, ippai, aruyo. We have a lot of potatoes in the big pot. | |
| ゆっかりうっさ (yukkariussa) | 随分 (zuibun) | A lot | 糸満 Ikuman んかい nkai や ya 清ら顔 churakāgi ぬ nu ゆっかりうっさ、 yukkariussa, 居ゆ uyu んでぃ。 ndi. 糸満 んかい や清ら顔 ぬゆっかりうっさ、居ゆ んでぃ。 Ikuman nkai ya churakāgi nu yukkariussa, uyu ndi. 糸満 Itoman に ni は wa 美人 bijin が ga 随分、 zuibun, いる iru そうだ。 sōda. 糸満 に は 美人 が随分、 いる そうだ。 Itoman ni wa bijin ga zuibun, iru sōda. I heard that there are a lot of beautiful women in Itoman. | |
| うすまさ (usumasa) | 恐ろしく (osoroshiku) | Extremely, a lot of | がじゃん坂 Gajanbira んかい nkai や ya うすまさ、 usumasa, がじゃん gajan ぬ nu 居ゆた uyuta んでぃ。 ndi. がじゃん坂 んかい やうすまさ、 がじゃん ぬ居ゆた んでぃ。 Gajanbira nkai ya usumasa, gajan nu uyuta ndi. ガジャンビラ Gajanbira に ni は wa 恐ろしく、 osoroshiku, 蚊 ka が ga いた ita そうだ。 sōda. ガジャンビラ に は恐ろしく、 蚊 が いた そうだ。 Gajanbira ni wa osoroshiku, ka ga ita sōda. I heard that there were a lot of mosquitoes in Gajanbira. | |
| まんたきー (mantakī) | 一杯 (ippai) | Full, a lot | 水ー Mijī まんたきー、 mantakī, 入りてぃ、 iriti, たじらしよー。 dajirashiyō. 水ーまんたきー、入りてぃ、 たじらしよー。 Mijī mantakī, iriti, dajirashiyō. 水 Mizu は wa 一杯、 ippai, 入れて、 irete, 焚いてね。 taitene. 水 は一杯、 入れて、 焚いてね。 Mizu wa ippai, irete, taitene. Put full of water and heat it. | |
| なーふぃん (nāfin) | もっと (motto) | More | くぬ Kunu 湯 yu んかい nkai 水、 mijē, なーふぃん、 nāfin, んべーてぃ呉れー。 nbētikwirē. くぬ湯 んかい水、なーふぃん、 んべーてぃ呉れー。 Kunu yu nkai mijē, nāfin, nbētikwirē. この Kono お湯 oyu に ni 水 mizu を wo もっと、 motto, 足してくれ。 tashitekure. この お湯 に 水 をもっと、 足してくれ。 Kono oyu ni mizu wo motto, tashitekure. Add more water to this hot water. | |
| 軽ってんぐゎ (kattengwa) | 少しだけ (sukoshidake) | A little | 今日 Chiyū ぬ nu 持飯 muchiban めーや mēya 軽ってんぐゎ、 kattengwa, 容りてぃ取らせー。 irititurasē. 今日 ぬ持飯 めーや軽ってんぐゎ、容りてぃ取らせー。 Chiyū nu muchiban mēya kattengwa, irititurasē. 今日 Kyō の no 弁当 bentō は wa 少しだけ、 sukoshidake, 入れてちょうだい。 iretechōdai. 今日 の 弁当 は少しだけ、 入れてちょうだい。 Kyō no bentō wa sukoshidake, iretechōdai. Please give me just a little for today'sbento box. | |
Degree | でーじな (dējina) | 大変 (taihen) | Very | 御所 Unju が ga 三線 sanshin ぬ nu 皮 kā や ya でーじな、 dējina, 上等 jōtō やんやー。 yan'yā 御所 が三線 ぬ皮 やでーじな、上等 やんやー。 Unju ga sanshin nu kā ya dējina, jōtō yan'yā あなた Anata の no 三味線 shamisen の no 皮 kawa は wa 大変、 taihen, 上等 jōtō ですね。 desune. あなた の 三味線 の 皮 は大変、 上等 ですね。 Anata no shamisen no kawa wa taihen, jōtō desune. The leather of yourshamisen is expensive. |
| じまま (jimama) | 随分 (zuibun) | Fairly, quite | 我んねー Wannē 若さいに wakasainī ーや ya じまま、 jimama, 勉強 binchō しゃん。 shan. 我んねー 若さいに ーやじまま、勉強 しゃん。 Wannē wakasainī ya jimama, binchō shan. 私 Watashi は wa 若い頃 wakaikoro は、 wa, 随分、 zuibun, 勉強 benkyō した。 shita. 私 は 若い頃 は、随分、 勉強 した。 Watashi wa wakaikoro wa, zuibun, benkyō shita. When I was young, I used to study quite a lot. | |
| よねー (yonē) | そんなには (sonnaniwa) | Not too much | 今度 Kundu ぬ nu 正月 shōgwachi え e よねー、 yonē, ゆくららんさー。 yukuraransā. 今度 ぬ正月 えよねー、 ゆくららんさー。 Kundu nu shōgwachi e yonē, yukuraransā. 今度 Kondo の no 正月 shōgatsu は、 wa, そんなには、 sonnaniwa, 休めないな。 yasumenaina. 今度 の 正月 は、そんなには、 休めないな。 Kondo no shōgatsu wa, sonnaniwa, yasumenaina. I cannot rest too much during this New Year's celebration. | |
| いーるく (īruku) | 良く (yoku) | Often |
Kunu umi nji e īruku, uijundō.
Kono umi de wa, yoku, oyoguyo.
| |
| にりるか (niriruka) | うんざりするほど (unzarisuruhodo) | To a sickening degree |
Chinū ya niriruka, nī, kayāchan.
Kinō wa, unzarisuruhodo, ni wo hokonda.
| |
| わじるか (wajiruka) | 怒るほど (okoruhodo) | To the extent someone gets irritated |
Jirā ga chukutaru shorui ya kachō ga wajiruka, bappētōtan.
Jirā ga tsukutta shorui wa kachō ga okoruhodo, machigetteita.
| |
| あいゆか (aiyuka) | とても (totemo) | Very |
Wannē aiyuka, wata nu yadi, hirakitōtan.
Watashi wa totemo, onaka ga itakute, shagandeita.
| |
| ゆくん (yukun) | 余計 (yokei) | Even more |
Ittā yatchī ya yukun, chijiduyaru.
Kimitachi no ani wa yokei, dame da.
| |
| たった (tatta) | 余計 (yokei) | Even more |
Jikan nu tachīnē, ari ga yanmē ya tatta, wassanayundō.
Jikan ga tateba, kare no byōki wa yokei, warukunaruyo.
| |
| ちゅふぁーら (chufāra) | 一杯 (ippai) | Full, enough |
Munō nā, chufāra, kadan.
Shokuji wa mō, ippai, tabeta.
| |
| あんすかー (ansukā) | それほどは (sorehodowa) | Not so... |
Sū ya sanshin ya ansukā, jōji earan.
Otō-san wa shamisen sorehodowa jōzu dewanai.
| |
| 散ん散んとぅ (chinchintu) | 散り散りに (chirijirini) | Dispersed, scattered |
Kuma nu mangurā chinchintu du, yā yātaru.
Kono atari wa chirijirini ie ga natta.
| |
Situation | 早く (hēku) | 早く (hayaku) | Quickly |
Chū ya hēku, sutiturashiyō.
Kyō wa hayaku, atsumattekureyo.
|
| ようんなー (younnā) | ゆっくり (yukkuri) | Slowly |
Munō awatiran'youi, younnā, kamē.
Shokuji wa awatezu, yukkuri, tabeyo.
| |
| なんくる (nankuru) | 自ずと (onozuto) | Naturally |
Tōnainē, nankuru, jinbunmen njitichūsani.
Iza to nareba, onozuto, chie mo detekuru darō.
| |
| ゆったいくゎったい (yuttaikwattai) | どんぶらこと (donburakoto) | Adverb for something heavy floating down on water |
Kā nu ui nu hata kara magi mumu nu yuttaikwattai, rūritichan.
Kawa no ue no hō kara ōkina momo ga donburakoto, nagaretekita.
| |
| なぐりなぐりとぅ (nagurinaguritu) | なごりなごりと (nagorinagorito) | Reluctantly, Nostalgically |
Nagurinaguritu, wakari nu ēsachi sun.
Nagorinagorito, wakare no aisatsu wo suru.
| |
| しんじんとぅ (shinjintu) | しみじみと (shimijimito) | Nostalgically |
Shinjintu, fushiuta yatin, utatinda.
Shimijimito, fushiuta demo, utattemiyō.
| |
| 次第次第 (shidēshidē) | 次第に (shidaini) | Gradually |
Tidā irī nkai shidēshidē, utitīchun.
Taiyō wa nishi he shidaini, shizundeiku.
| |
| ちゅらーさ (churāsa) | 残らず (nokorazu) | Completely |
Garasā nu chiribukuru, churāsa, kizāchinēran.
Karasu ga gomibukuro, nokorazu, asatteshimatta.
| |
| どぅく (duku) | あまりにも (amarinimo) | Too much, excessively |
Duku, yukushi bikē, shīnē, bachi, kanjun.
Amarinimo, uso bakari tsuitara, batsu ga ataru.
| |
| だんだんだんだん (dandandandan) | 段々 (dandan) | Gradually |
Nā fansō nu utu o dandandandan, mashinatōn.
Anata no fue no oto wa dandan, yokunatteiru.
| |
| 次第に (shidēni) | 次第に (shidaini) | Gradually |
Igaroun, shidēni, tushi, tutan'yā.
Wareware mo shidaini toshi wo totta ne.
| |
| どぅくだら (dukudara) | ひどく (hidoku) | Badly |
Dukudara, himichi shīnē, isa nkai mishirandē.
Hidoku, seki kondara, isha ni misenaito.
| |
| まっすぐ (massugu) | まっすぐ (massugu) | Straight |
Kuma kara ama nkai massugu, ichīnē, umi nkai njiyun.
Koko kara asoko he, massugu, ikuto, umi ni deru.
| |
| まっとうば (mattouba) | 正しく (tadashiku) | Correctly |
Nā ya uchināguchē mattouba, chikariyō.
Kimi wa okinawago wo tadashiku tsukatteyo.
| |
| だってぃどぅ (dattidu) | ちゃんと (chanto) | Properly |
Yā ya dattidu, chukuyundō.
Ie wa chanto, tsukurundayo.
| |
| だてん (daten) | きちんと (kichinto) | Neatly |
Anmā ya chū ya daten, sugatōn.
Haha wa kyō wa kichinto, minari wo totonoeteiru.
| |
| さっぱっとぅ (sappattu) | さっぱり (sappari) | Freshly |
Danpachi sāni, sappattu, sōn.
Sanbatsu wo shite, sappari shiteiru.
| |
| しかっとぅ (shikattu) | しっかり (shikkari) | Carefully |
Uya nu yushi, shikattu, chichoukiyō.
Oya no iukoto wo shikkari, kiiteokeyo.
| |
| うかっとぅお (ukattuo) | うかつには (ukatsuniwa) | Thoughtlessly, carelessly |
Anshin, shikennō, ukattuo, ukiraran.
Soredemo, shiken wa ukatsuniwa ukerarenai.
| |
| たった (tatta) | 余計 (yokei) | Even more |
Unu yanmē ya nijīnē, tatta, wassanayundō.
Sono byōki wa gaman suru to, yokei, warukunaruyo.
| |
| Adverbs that shows judgement | ||||
| Okinawan | Japanese | English | Example | |
Assumption | むし (mushi) | もし (moshi) | If | むし、 Mushi, 言いばっぺえしいねえ、 ībappēshīnē, 如何 icha すか。 suka. むし、 言いばっぺえしいねえ、如何 すか。 Mushi, ībappēshīnē, icha suka. もし、 Moshi, 言い間違えたら、 iimachigaetara, どう dō するか。 suruka. もし、 言い間違えたら、 どう するか。 Moshi, iimachigaetara, dō suruka. What would we doif we said something wrong. |
| たとぅい (tatui) | 例え (tatoe) | Even if | たとぅい、 Tatui, 大風 ufukaji ぬ nu 吹ちん、 fuchin, くぬ kunu 家 yā や ya 倒おりらん。 tōoriran. たとぅい、大風 ぬ 吹ちん、 くぬ家 や倒おりらん。 Tatui, ufukaji nu fuchin, kunu yā ya tōoriran. 例え、 Tatoe, 大風 ōkaze が ga 吹いても、 fuitemo, この kono 家 ie は wa 倒れない。 taorenai. 例え、 大風 が 吹いても、 この 家 は 倒れない。 Tatoe, ōkaze ga fuitemo, kono ie wa taorenai. Even if a strong wind blew, this house will not fall down. | |
| 例れー (taturē) | 例えば (tatoeba) | For example, if you compare | 例れー、 Taturē, 沖縄 Uchinā や ya 大和 Yamatu ぬ nu ハワイ Hawai やさ。 yasa. 例れー、沖縄 や大和 ぬ ハワイ やさ。 Taturē, Uchinā ya Yamatu nu Hawai yasa. 例えば Tatoteba 沖縄 Okinawa は wa 日本 Nihon の no ハワイ Hawai さ。 sa. 例えば 沖縄 は 日本 の ハワイ さ。 Tatoteba Okinawa wa Nihon no Hawai sa. If you compare, Okinawa is like Japan's Hawaii. | |
Supposition | いやりん (iyarin) | きっと（いかにも） (kitto (ikanimo)) | Indeed, surely | いやりん、 Iyarin, くぬ kunu 鳥 sūsā や ya 山原 yanbaru くぇーな kwēna どぅ du やさに。 yasani. いやりん、 くぬ鳥 や山原 くぇーな どぅ やさに。 Iyarin, kunu sūsā ya yanbaru kwēna du yasani. きっと Kitto （いかにも）、 (ikanimo), この kono 鳥 tori は wa 山原 yanbaru クイナ kuina なの nano だろうか。 darōka. きっと（いかにも）、 この 鳥 は 山原 クイナ なの だろうか。 Kitto (ikanimo), kono tori wa yanbaru kuina nano darōka. Surely this bird must be anOkinawa rail. |
| まさか (masaka) | まさか (masaka) | No way, no idea, unlikely, it is impossible that... | まさか、 Masaka, ちゅ chu 村 shima んかい nkai 従弟 ichiku ぬ nu しまゆ shimayu んでー、 ndē, 思んたん。 umāntan. まさか、 ちゅ村 んかい従弟 ぬ しまゆ んでー、思んたん。 Masaka, chu shima nkai ichiku nu shimayu ndē, umāntan. まさか、 Masaka, 同じ onaji 村 mura に ni 従弟 itoko が ga 住んでいる sundeiru とは towa 思わなかった。 omowanakatta. まさか、 同じ 村 に 従弟 が 住んでいる とは 思わなかった。 Masaka, onaji mura ni itoko ga sundeiru towa omowanakatta. I had no idea that my cousin lived in the same village. | |
| むしや (mushiya) | もしや (moshiya) | By chance |
| |
| むしか (mushika) | もしや (moshiya) | Perhaps |
| |
| まさか (masaka) | まさか (masaka) | No way, no idea, unlikely, it is impossible that... |
Masaka chūya umachī ndē umāntan
| |
| あたまに (atamani) | ほんとに (hontoni) | Really (intensifier) |
| |
Wish | どうでぃん (doudin) | どうか (dōka) | Please |
|
| たんでぃ (tandi) | どうぞ (dōzo) | Please |
| |
| 必じ (kannaji) | 必ず (kanarazu) | Always, have to |
| |
| 如何しん (chāshin) | どうしても (dōshitemo) | Have to, at any cost |
| |
Doubt | 如何し (chāshi) | どうやって (dōyatte) | How |
|
| みったい (mittai) | 一体 (ittai) | Really |
| |
| あんすか (ansuka) | そんなに (sonnani) | So much, really |
| |
| 何んち (nūnchi) | 何故 (naze) | Why |
| |
Denial or negation | あちらん (achiran) | 一向に (ikkōni) | Completely, at all |
|
| じょーい (jōi) | 絶対 (zettai) | Definitely |
| |
| ちゃっさん (chassan) | 度を超して (do o koshite) | Go too far |
| |
| いふぃん (ifin) | 少しも (sukoshimo) | At all |
| |
| 如何ん (chān) | どうすることも (dōsurukotomo) | Cannot do anything |
| |
Decision | じゅんに (junni) | 本当に (hontōni) | Really, truly |
|
| 必じ (kannaji) | 必ず (kanarazu) | Definitely |
| |
| うん如おりー (ungutuorī) | そのような事 (sonoyōnakoto) | Such a thing |
| |
Others | いちゃんだん (ichandan) | むやみに (muyamini) | Recklessly |
|
| うったてぃ (uttati) | わざと (wazato) | On purpose |
| |
| なー (nā) | もう (mō) | Already |
| |
| Prenominal adjectives are classified the same as adverbs, except instead of modifying a declinable word, it modifies a substantive (体言; nouns and pronouns). | ||
| Okinawan | Japanese | English |
|---|---|---|
| いぃー (yī) | 良い (ii) | good |
| Conjunctions are classified as an independent, non-conjugating part of speech that connects words coming after to words coming before. | ||
| Okinawan | Japanese | English |
|---|---|---|
| あんさびーくとぅ (ansabīkutu) | そういうわけですから (sō iu wake desukara) | "For that reason" |
| あんし (anshi) |
| "And then" |
| やくとぅ (yakutu) | だから (dakara) | "So" |
| やしが (yashiga) |
| "But" |
| Interjections are classified as an independent, non-conjugating part of speech, where it does not modify or connect anything, and other words may not come after it. | |||
| Okinawan | Japanese | English | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| あい (ai) | おや (oya) | Oh / wow | 驚きの気持ちを表す Expression of surprise |
| あきさみよー (akisamiyō) | あらまあ (aramā) | Oh dear | Expression of dismay, concern, or worry |
| あきとーなー (akitōnā) | おやまあ (oyamā) | Oh dear | 失敗した時や驚いた時などに発する Expression of dismay, concern, or worry |
| うー (ū) | はい (hai) | Yes | Honorific "yes" |
| いいえ (īe) | No | 目上の人に対して用いる Honorific "no" |
| だー (dā) |
| Hey | |
| とー (tō) |
| All right | Expression of pleasure, joy, or permission |
| とーとー (tōtō) |
| ||
| はっさみよー (hassamiyō) | おやまあ (oyamā) | Oh dear | 呆れ返った時などに発する語 |
| んちゃ (ncha) |
| Sure enough, As I expected | |
Verbs are classified as an independent, conjugating part of speech that shows movements. The conclusive form ends in ん (n).
Adjectives are classified as an independent, conjugating part of speech that shows property or state. The conclusive form ends in さん (san).
存在動詞 are classified as an independent, conjugating part of speech that shows existence or decision of a certain thing. やん (yan) attaches to a substantive.
Adjectival verbs are classified as an independent, conjugating part of speech that shows the state of existence of events. やん (yan) attaches to words that shows state.
| Auxiliary verbs are classified as a dependent, conjugating part of speech that makes up the meanings of conjugated words. The conclusive form ends in ん (n). | |||
| Okinawan | Japanese | English | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| しつつある (shitsutsuaru) | ||
| ぎさん (gisan) | そうだ (sōda) | ||
| ぐとーん (gutōn) | のようだ (noyōda) | ||
| させる (saseru) | ||
| ぶさん (busan) | したい (shitai) | want to | |
| みしぇーびーん (mishēbīn) | なさいます (nasaimasu) | ||
| みしぇーん (mishēn) | なさる (nasaru) | ||
| ゆーすん (yūsun) | ことができる (kotogadekiru) | be able to | |
|
| ||
| Case markers (格助詞) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Attaches to a substantive and marks the relationship between other words. | |||
| Okinawan | Japanese | Notes/English | Example |
| が (ga) | Nominative case. Normally ぬ (nu), but が (ga) is used for pronouns and names. |
|
| ぬ (nu) | の (no) | Genitive case; possessor. |
|
| Ø (Archaic: ゆ (yu)) | を (wo) | Accusative case. Modern Okinawan does not use a direct object particle, like casual Japanese speech. "yu" exists mainly in old literary composition. | |
| っし (sshi) | で (de) | Instrumental case; the means by which something is achieved. |
|
| さーに (sāni) |
| ||
| なかい (nakai)・んかい (nkai) | へ (e)・に (ni) | Dative case; indirect object, benefactor, goal of motion. 手段・方法 |
|
| をぅとーてぃ (wutōti)・をぅてぃ (wuti) | Locative case; marks the location where an action takes place, usually pertaining to an animate subject. Derives from the participle form of the verb をぅん wun "to be, to exist". |
| |
| やか (yaka) | より (yori) | "as much as"; upper limit |
|
| から (kara) | から (kara) | Ablative case; source, cause. 起点 | |
| なーりー (nārī) | 場所・位置 | ||
| んじ (nji) | で (de) | 場所 | |
| ん (n) | 所属等 | ||
| ぬ→「〜している」「〜である」「〜い・しい」pp459. | |||
| とぅ (tu) | と (to) | 相手 | |
| んでぃ (ndi) | と (to) | Quotative. | |
| に (ni) | 時・場所等 | ||
| Adverbial Particles (副助詞) | |||
| Okinawan | Japanese | Notes/English | Example |
| びけー (bikē) | だけ (dake) | ||
| びけーん (bikēn) | ばかり (bakari) | "only; limit" |
|
| だき (daki) | だけ (dake) | ||
| までぃ (madi) | まで (made) | "up to, until, as far as" |
|
| くれー (kurē) | ぐらい (gurai) | "around, about, approximately" |
|
| ふどぅ (fudu) | ほど (hodo) | ||
| あたい (atai) | ぐらい (gurai)等 | as much as; upper limit. |
|
| んちょーん (nchōn) | さえ (sae) | ||
| うっさ (ussa) | だけ (dake)等 | ||
| うっぴ (uppi) | だけ (dake)等 |
| |
| うひ (uhi) | だけ (dake)等 | ||
| さく (saku) | ほど (hodo)、だけ (dake) | ||
| Binding particles (係助詞) | |||
| Okinawan | Japanese | Notes/English | Example |
| や (ya) | は (wa) | Topic particle for long vowels, proper nouns, or names. For other nouns, the particle fuses with short vowels. a → ā, i → ē, u → ō, e → ē, o → ō, n → nō.Pronoun 我ん (wan?) (I) becomes topicalized as 我んねー (wannē?) instead of 我んのー (wannō?) or 我んや (wan'ya?), although the latter does appear in some musical or literary works. | |
| あー (ā) | |||
| えー (ē) | |||
| おー (ō) | |||
| のー (nō) | |||
| ん (n) | も (mo) | "Also" | |
| やてぃん (yatin) | でも (demo) | "even, also in" |
|
| がん (gan) | でも (demo) | ||
| ぬん (nun) | でも (demo) | ||
| しか (shika) | しか (shika) | ||
| てぃらむん (tiramun) | たるもの (tarumono) | ||
| とぅか (tuka) |
| ||
| どぅ (du) |
| ||
| る (ru) |
| ||
| Sentence-ending particles (終助詞) | |||
| Okinawan | Japanese | Notes/English | Example |
| が (ga) やが (yaga) | か (ka) | Final interrogatory particle | |
| み (mi) | か (ka) | Final interrogatory particle | |
| に (ni) | 可否疑問 | ||
| い (i) | 強調疑問 | ||
| がやー (gayā) | かな (kana) | ||
| さに (sani) | だろう (darō) | ||
| なー (nā) | の (no) | Final particle expressing 問いかけ・念押し | |
| ばー (bā) | 軽い疑問 | ||
| どー (dō) |
| ||
| よ (yo) | よ (yo) | ||
| ふー (fū) | 軽く言う | ||
| な (na) | な (na) | Prohibitive | |
| え (e) | 命令 | ||
| さ (sa) | さ (sa) | ||
| でむね (demune) | 断定 | ||
| せー (sē) | 断定 | ||
| Interjectory Particles (間投助詞) | |||
| Okinawan | Japanese | Notes/English | Example |
| てー (tē) | ね (ne)等 | ||
|
| ||
|
| ||
| なー (nā) | ね (ne)等 | ||
| さり (sari) | ねえ (nē)等 | ||
| ひゃー (hyā) | 意外、軽蔑 | ||
| Conjunctive particles (接続助詞) | |||
| Okinawan | Past tense | Japanese | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A[clarify] | ます (masu) | −2 | です (desu) | −3 | やいびーん (yaibīn) | −4 | でーびる (dēbiru) | A[clarify] | −5 | でございます (degozaimasu) |
| Okinawan | Japanese | English |
|---|---|---|
| いくち (ikuchi) | いくつ (ikutsu) | "How much" |
| いち (ichi) | いつ (itsu) | "When" |
| じる (jiru) | どれ (dore) | "Which" |
| たー (tā) | 誰 (dare) | "Who" |
| たったー (tattā) | 誰々 (daredare) | "Who" (plural) |
| ちゃー (chā) | どう (dō) | "How" (in what way) |
| ちぁっさ (chassa) |
| "How much" |
| どれほど (dorehodo) | "How" |
| ちゃぬ (chanu) |
| "What kind" |
| ぬー (nū) | 何 (nani) | "What" |
| ぬーんち (nūnchi) | どうして (dōshite) | "Why" |
| まー (mā) | どこ (doko) | "Where" |
The basic word order issubject–object–verb.
Okinawan is amarked nominative language (with the accusative being unmarked) that also shows minoractive–stative variation in intransitive verbs relating to existence or emergence. In existence or emergence verbs, the subject may be optionally unmarked (except for pronouns and proper names, which must be marked withga), and marked human subjects cannot usega anymore, but rather always with the often-inanimate markernu.[38]
人間ー誰ん生まりやぎーなー自由やい、また、胴大切に思ゆる肝とぅ胴守らんでぃる肝ー、誰やてぃんゆぬ如授かとーるむんやん。人間ー元からいー矩ぬ備わとーくとぅ、互ーに兄弟やんでぃる考ーさーに事に当たらんだれーならん。(without ruby)
人間ー誰ん生まりやぎーなー自由やい、また、胴大切に思ゆる肝とぅ胴守らんでぃる肝ー、誰やてぃんゆぬ如授かとーるむんやん。人間ー元からいー矩ぬ備わとーくとぅ、互ーに兄弟やんでぃる考ーさーに事に当たらんだれーならん。(with ruby)
Ninjinō tā n 'nmariyagīnā jiyu yai, mata, dū tēshichi ni umuyuru chimu tu dū mamurandiru chimō, tā yatin yunugutu sajakatōru mun yan. Ninjinō mūtu kara īka ni nu sunawatōkutu, tagē ni chōdēyandiru kangēsā ni kutu ni atarandarē naran.(UDHR Article 1)
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| Ryukyuan |
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| History | |||||||||||||
