# What is the correct spelling



## Kempojujutsu (Aug 29, 2002)

I have seen two different ways people spell Okinawan or Okinawa. Which is correct way of spelling it. The dictionary has is spelled Okinawa
Bob


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## Abu Maryum (Aug 29, 2002)

Okinawa is the country, Okinawan describes that which comes from Okinawa.


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## RyuShiKan (Aug 29, 2002)

Most of the spell check on the computers I have used doesn't accept Okinawan as a word.
Why I don't know.


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## arnisador (Aug 29, 2002)

The country was actually the Ryukyu archipelago; Okinawa is just the biggest island and adminsitrative center. Ryukuan might be better than Okinawan but everyone uses the latter.

The Chinese version was something like 'Liuchue'.


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## RyuShiKan (Aug 29, 2002)

> _Originally posted by arnisador _
> 
> *The country was actually the Ryukyu archipelago; Okinawa is just the biggest island and adminsitrative center. Ryukuan might be better than Okinawan but everyone uses the latter.
> 
> The Chinese version was something like 'Liuchue'. *




No most of the time Okinawa is used in Japan unless they are referring to something pre-Meiji period when Okinawa was called Ryukyu.
Or they use it to make it more "ethnic" since Okinawans and Japanese are a different race.


There is a place in Okinawa called Ryukyu Mura (village) which has all the old style houses. Pretty interesting place if you can overlook the tourism stuff.


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## arnisador (Aug 29, 2002)

What is the actual name of the prefecture?


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## RyuShiKan (Aug 29, 2002)

It's "Okinawa Ken"  

Ken means prefecture.


It used to be called Ryukyu Okuni.........Kingdom of the Ryukyus.

It became a prefecture about the same time as Hokkaido in 1868~9 ish.


Oddly enough Okinawans weren't allowed to come to the main island of japan to work until the first part of the last century unless they had special permission.


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