Uchinaaguchi Dictionary

oh! ah! (an exclamation made when feeling deeply about something)

sea lettuce

to shout; to yell; to howl

tomorrow

autumn; fall

hot (to the touch); hot (of weather)

calmly, quietly; in a dilute way

to rise; to ascend; to improve; to be finished, to be done

ouch, ow

east

ant

dawn, daybreak

rain

an American, a person from the United States

to be

oil; fat; fuel

older sister

mom; mother

no; it is not

Aran, chigayun. — No, that's different.

day after tomorrow

sweat; foot

frog

meat (well made)

Okinawan distilled spirit

Awamori ya Uchinaa nu sake. — Awamori is Okinawa's spirit.

pale; light

liver

garlic chive (Allium tuberosum)

a song, poem or musical piece

fat, obese

person, human

chanpuru (an Okinawan stir-fried dish of tofu, vegetables, and oil)

suffix attached to Okinawan numerals (tii-, taa-, mii-, ...), used to count almost anything

butt

head; an intelligent person

headache

moon

fox

to hear, to listen (to); to ask

inkstone

blood

dog

heartfelt compassion; shared pain/kindness

Chimugurisa nu kukuru — A compassionate heart

kimono, clothes

face

counter for number of people

to make

beautiful, lovely, pretty, elegant; clean, pure, chaste

good day (formal greeting)

Chuu uganabira. — Good day to you.

to come

to be (polite)

friend

body; oneself (reflexive pronoun)

leaf

dolphin

light

to decrease

garlic

foot, leg

counter for long cylindrical objects, films or TV shows, home runs or goals

bone

star

shoe

winter

to dig

genitive marker (of, -'s); nominative marker (subject); interrogative particle (in wh-questions)

glasses, spectacles

crow, raven

bitter melon

Gooyaa chanpuruu — Bitter melon stir-fry

bitter melon chanpuru (stir-fry)

whale

a castle, fortress, stronghold; a sacred place (gusuku)

month

tooth

needle

snake, viper, Okinawan habu

bee; wasp; hornet

to peel

hello

hello (used by males)

Haisai, genki? — Hello, how are you?

hello (used by females)

Haitai, choodee? — Hello, how are you?

mint

box

nose

conversation, speech, story

to speak, to talk

to jump, to hop, to bounce

to clear (of weather)

scissors

hello

hello

broom

narrow, confined

once we meet, we are family

Ichariba choodee. — Once we meet, we are family.

five (things)

to live

strawberry

English; the English language

finger

breath

few; fewer; less; very little; not so many

dream

to demand

to say, to tell somebody

life

west

doctor

stone

fish

to enter; to need

firefly

freedom

bat (small flying mammal)

river; roof tile

to write; to draw; to paint

mirror

wind

eat (eat up!)

Mina, kamee! — Everyone, eat up!

newspaper

prayer

to eat

cute; pretty; dear; adorable; (old) beautiful; (Middle Okinawan) sad

sweet potato; creeper plant, vine

prison

Chinese character (kanji)

thunder

hair

spicy

Cheers! (a common toast when drinking in company)

good fortune; happiness; auspiciousness

Kariyushi nu kukuru — A heart of good fortune

hair, fur; tree

cucumber

wound

child, children

this

neck

voice

last year

nine (things)

heart

here; this place (near the speaker)

cloud

as for this (topicalized form of kuri, 'this')

this

car, wheel

brown sugar

black

grass

this year

language, speech, dialect, word(s)

spider

today

hello, good day (a greeting used when meeting someone)

where

delicious

Kunu muN, maasan! — This food is delicious!

to die

spirit

to wait (for)

big

to excel, to surpass

cat

counter for flat thin objects or sheets

welcome

Mensoore, Uchinaa! — Welcome to Okinawa!

honey

eye; sight

three (things)

new

new house

water

water buffalo

ear

hello (used when answering the telephone)

to have, to possess, to hold

peach

thing

talkative

six (things)

son-in-law; bridegroom

name

back

a mainlander; someone from mainland Japan

to become; to be; to reach

living room

seven (things)

love

to give birth

earth

to wither, to wilt; to become weak

to be muddy; to be turbid; to be impure

thank you

Nifee deebiru, tasukatan. — Thank you, that helped.

root

marriage, wedding

north

to go out

locative marker: at, in, to

horse

went (conjunctive form of ichun, 'to go')

surname, family name, last name

to not be; to not have; there is not

genitive marker (of, -'s); nominative marker (subject)

warm

to drink; to swallow

what

throat

ryuka (a form of Okinawan poetry/song)

sugar

sata andagi (an Okinawan doughnut)

comb

to drop; to descend

alcoholic beverage (e.g., wine, whisky, or sake)

mountain

coral

sanshin (a three-stringed Okinawan lute, precursor to the shamisen)

photograph

person; someone

lip, tongue

tongue

beard

underwear

cool (weather); cold (weather)

a job; an occupation; work

knife

older sibling; older brother; older sister; senior

nature

to go by, to pass across

world, society

island; community

the local language or dialect of an island, especially of Okinawa or Amami

to blow one's nose

to turn white

to abandon

salty

teacher

first month of the year; New Year

soy sauce

to like; to be fond of; to fancy

book

to do; (suffix) creates verbs out of nouns

sky

to gather

early morning

father, dad

two (things)

father

to stand

stuck together like mochi

cabbage

soul, spirit, mind

valley

raccoon dog

to hit, to strike

to fight

take it easy; laid-back; easygoing

Teegee ni ikuyo. — Let's take it easy.

hand

one (thing)

sun

Impatiens balsamina; garden balsam

karate

heavy

mouse

to fly, to soar

bird; chicken

wife

neighbour

tiger

Excuse me.; Goodbye.

sweet, confection; candy; pastry, cake, cookie

Okinawa

Uchinaa nu takara — Okinawa's treasure

the Okinawan language

Okinawan person

Wan ya Uchinaanchu yan. — I am Okinawan.

to hit, to strike

adult

there are many, there is much, there are numerous

it's a pleasure to see you (a phrasal greeting)

good morning

good morning

good morning

to wake up

birthday

sea

interesting; amusing; strange; funny

music

you (second-person pronoun, polite)

to eat, to drink (honorific)

cow

to push; to thrust; to shove; to press; to stamp

everyone

song

to fall

yes

Uu, wakaibiin. — Yes, I understand.

ship

fate, destiny

thank you

to get drunk; to become intoxicated; to feel nauseated; to feel sick

to boil

I don't understand

Uchinaaguchi, wakaran. — I don't understand Uchinaaguchi.

I don't understand (formal negative)

I, me (first-person pronoun)

as for me (topicalized form of wan, 'I, me')

sorry; I'm very sorry; please forgive me (an expression of apology or regret)

we, us, ourselves; our

to swim

man

brother (of a female)

woman

younger sister

sister (of a male)

at (location indicator)

pig, swine, hog

topic marker

house

eight (things)

to burn, to grill; to feel jealousy

a Yamato person, a mainlander (non-Ryukyuan Japanese)

Japanese language

vegetable

accusative case particle; away from, off; along, following a route

snow; hail

branch

cooperation; mutual help

Yuimaaru nu kukuru — The spirit of cooperation

counter for nights

evening

to approach, to call

nice to meet you (please treat me well)

Yutasarugutu unigeesabira. — Nice to meet you.

well; often

four (things)

ghost

you (second-person pronoun)