Okinawan Language

[RyuShiKan]

Since there seems to be an interest in the Okinawan Language I thought I would throw this up for folks to look at.

Sample of Okinawan Words and Phrases

1 - One tii chi
2 - Two taa chi
3 - Three mii chi
4 - Four yuu chi
5 - Five ichi chi
6 - Six muu chi
7 - Seven nana chi
8 - Eight yaa chi
9 - Nine kuku nuchi
10 - Ten tuu
100 - One Hundred hyaa ku
Good Morning ukimi soo chii
Good day hai sai
Or chuu wuga nabira
Good evening hai sai
Good night uyukuimi soori
Good bye guburii sabira
How do you do? hajimita wuga nabira
How are you? uganjuu yami seemi
Fine thank you. uu ganjuu sooi biin
Thank you very much nifee deebiru
I beg your pardon chaa bira
Excuse me guburii sabura
I'm sorry guburii sabitan
That's all right shiwaa neebi ran
Please hurry isujimi sooree
Don't hurry please yoonnaa shimi sooree
What's this? kuree nuuyaibiiga
How much is it? uree chassa yai biiga
Do you have anything cheaper? naahin yassa shiga ami seemi
Hello moshi moshi
This is Michael michael yai biin
Just a minute please ufee macchi kwimi sooree
I'll call back later atukara kakiya biisa
Delicious maa san
It's HOT! achiisaiibin-do
Ouch! agaa!!
Expression - Surprise, anger, "Oh my gawd!" akisamiyoo!
Person who talks loudly, yelling abiyaa
It's hot, isn't it? achisan yaa tai
Okinawan doughnut andagii
Mother anmaa or ayaa
Pig's feet soup ashitibichi
Literally " Are you healthy?" chya gan jyuu?
Good afternoon chyu uganabira
Person chu
Good looking chyuura kagi
Pardon me. May I come in? (Used when entering a home.) chaabira sai.
How do you do? chuu uganabira
People chu (short sound)
Have you been well? chaa ganjuu yaibiimi tai
Very(much) deijii
Crazy person furaagwa
Glutton Gachiimaya
Mosquito Gaajyan
Excuse me. Guuburi sabida
Castle Gusuku
Person Guwa
dirty Hagoosa
Hello. (everyday greeting) Hai sai
I'm glad to meet you. Hajimiti uganabira.
Nice weather we are having Il kwaa chichi
Please come in. Ii misooree
Intoxicated Iichyaa
Small/short Inchyaasa
money jin
Good (very) Jooto
Hair Karajii
Come here. kumankai kuuwa
Said before eating a meal. Kuwachi sabida
It was very delicious/ may I be excused. Kuwachi sabitan
Where are you going? maa kai ga
Large big magii
Tasty, delicious maasan
Please come back again. Mataa mensore
Welcome. Mensooree.
Bring to me Muchiku
Thank you. Nifee deebiru.
Sleepy Nibuii
Sleepy head niibu yaa
Sweetheart (besides one's wife); girlfriend ningurugwaa
Goodbye njichabira
Life is a treasure. Nuchi Du Takara
What are you doing? Nuu sou ga?
Application Oyoo (Japanese - bunkai)
Honorific Mr. Ms. Sai
Teacher Shinshi (Japanese - Sensei)
Hand Ti
Okinawa Uchina
The Okinawan language Uchina guchi
Do you understand Okinawan? Uchinaa-guchi wakai miseemi.
Yes, I understand a little. Uu, ufee wakai biin.
People from Okinawa Uchinanchu
Rascal uumaku
Yes Uun
You Unjyu
You (polite) unju
Please Unige sabida
I don't understand Wakaya bidan
I understand Wakaya bitan
I, me, myself Wan
Child Waraba
I'm Sorry. Wa sai bin
Japan Yamato
Japanese people Yamatonchu
Japanese language Yamatoguchi
Not good looking yanakaagii
Bad weather isn't it? Yanakwaa chichi
Loud, noisy Yagui
Bad child Yana waraban
Rest awhile. yukuimisooree
talkative yuntaku

Okinawan Proverbs

Ataishi turu atairu. - We get along well with those we can get along with well.
Achinee ya tankaa mankaa. - Business is a two-way street.
Aramun jooguu ya duu ganjuu. - One who eats plain food is healthy.
Ichariba choodee. - Once we meet and talk, we are brothers and sisters.
Uya yushi kwa yushi. - Parents and children teach one another.
Kaagee kaa ru ya ru. - Beauty is skin deep.
Kamuru ussaa mii nayun. - The more you eat, the more you gain.
Kuu sa kana sa. - Small things are lovable.
Kuchi ganga naa ya yakutatan. - A smooth talker is a good-for-nothing person.
Kutubaa. Jin chikee. - Spend words as efficiently as money.
Kutuba noo ushikumaran. - A word can't be recalled once spoken.
Shikinoo chui shiihii shiru kurasuru. - Let's live helping each other in this world.
Shinjichi nu ada nayumi. - Kindness will never be wasted in any way.
Jin too waraaran kwa tu ru waraariiru. - We can laugh happily with our children, but not with money.
Chu uyamee ru duu uyamee. - If you respect others, they will respect you.
Choo kukuru ru dee ichi. - The heart is the most essential human quality.
Tusui ya tatashina mun. Warabee shikashina mun. - The old should be Treated with due respect. Children should be treated with gentleness.
Tusui ya takara. - The old people are treasures to us.
Miitundaa duu tichi. - Man and wife are one flesh.
Nuchi nu sadamee wakaran. - Only God knows one's term of life.
Machushi garu ufu iyoo tuyuru. - One who waits patiently will catch a big fish.
Miinai chichi nai. - We learn by watching and listening.
Mii ya tin niru aru. - Our fates are as registered by heaven.
Munoo yuu iyuru mun. - Speak well of others.
Yaasa ru maasaru. - Food is delicious when one is hungry.
Duu nu duu ya duu shiru shiyuru. - You know your body best.
Choo kani ru deeichi. - Common sense is essential.
Yii kutoo isugi. - Do good things quickly.
Chira kaagi yaka chimu gukuru. - Kind hearts are better than fair faces.
Yuu ya shititin mii ya shitinna. - Even if you hide yourself from the world, don't lose sight of your real nature.
Nmarijima nu kutuba wasshii nee kuni n wasshiin. - Forgetting your native tongue means forgetting your native country.
Ashibi nu chura saa ninju nu sunawai. - The more the merrier.
Acha nu neen chi ami. - Tomorrow is a new day.
Yikiga nu kutubaa shuumun gaai. - A man's word is his honor.
Mookiraa kwee michi shiri. - Once you have made a fortune, know how to spend it.

 

[Mike Clarke]

Thanks for that RyuShinKan.
I don't think many people understand the differences between the Japanese and the Okinawans at all.
Their approach to karate for example is [in my experience] as different as the language.

Cheers,
Mike.

 

[GojuBujin]

Osu,

That's really neat, there aren't many left that just speak the pure Okinawan language. I think allot of the Okinawans today, kinda have a Japanase dialect of their own.

Michael
www.inigmasoft.com/goyukai
www.dentokanhombu.com

 

[RyuShiKan]

Many Okinawans have an Okinawan accent when they speak Japanese.
In fact most people not from Tokyo have an accent when they speak Japanese.

You are right, there are getting fewer and fewer people that speak “Okinawan” and lately there has been a movement to bring back the language.

 

[Bob Hubbard]

Are there any good sources for learning it? Book, video or online?

 

[RyuShiKan]

I have found very few books on it in English.
In Okinawa I found a couple of books in Japanese that taught Okinawan.
That was kind of hard studying a foreign language using a foreign language.

 

[SRyuFighter]

Well done. I agree Mike Clarke their approaches to everything are absolutely different.

 

[ajholmes]

That list is fantastic

How about common okinawan words that you would hear in the dojo? For instance... what is the okinawan word for 'dojo'? (e.g. punch, kick, block, etc.)

cheers!

 

[tshadowchaser]

I'll add my thanks for the list. Well done and informative.
And I'll 2nd a request for a few more words if you have them that pertain to the practice of the Martial Arts.
tshadowchaser:asian:

 

[yilisifu]

Fascinating! I had no idea how different the Okinawan language is from Japanese.

 

[Jill666]

One of the Japanese words I like is Buyu "warrior friend".

Same idea behind ichariba choodee. We are a clan, and it is good to learn things that bring the community closer in understanding.

Ok, that was preachy, wasn't it? Should I skip that next beer?
Nahh.

 

[Jill666]

I hadn't noticed-

 

[jazkiljok]

do Okinawan's refer to anyone as a "grandmaster"? Judan is said to mean simply "ten" dan-- practical if not enlightening but is there an Okinawan term equivalent to "grandmaster"?

 

[kenmpoka]

Originally posted by jazkiljok
do Okinawan's refer to anyone as a "grandmaster"? Judan is said to mean simply "ten" dan-- practical if not enlightening but is there an Okinawan term equivalent to "grandmaster"?

Well, I don't know about "Grandmaster", but Okinawan/Japanese use teaching ranks that denote their experience. These are Renshi, Kyoshi and Hanshi. So a Judan will most probably be a Hanshi. I have also seen the term 'Soke' used for founder/inheritor of systems in some cases. In some Okinawan systems these teaching ranks are shown with stripes on the belt. One for Renshi, two for kyoshi and three for Hanshi. Also terms like Shihan, Saiko Shihan and O'sensei refer to about the same as GM . What do you think RyuShiKan?

:asian:

 

[RyuShiKan]

Originally posted by kenmpoka
Well, I don't know about "Grandmaster", but Okinawan/Japanese use teaching ranks that denote their experience. These are Renshi, Kyoshi and Hanshi. So a Judan will most probably be a Hanshi. I have also seen the term 'Soke' used for founder/inheritor of systems in some cases. In some Okinawan systems these teaching ranks are shown with stripes on the belt. One for Renshi, two for kyoshi and three for Hanshi. Also terms like Shihan, Saiko Shihan and O'sensei refer to about the same as GM . What do you think RyuShiKan?

:asian:

These titles differ from dojo to dojo.

Renshi= 5/6th dan

Kyoshi= 7/8th dan

Tashi = 9th dan

Hanshi = 10th dan

Also, I have never heard an Okinawan in Okinawa use the title “Soke”.
The title Soke is strictly from Japanese Koryu.

 

[jazkiljok]

Originally posted by RyuShiKan
These titles differ from dojo to dojo.

Renshi= 5/6th dan

Kyoshi= 7/8th dan

Tashi = 9th dan

Hanshi = 10th dan

Also, I have never heard an Okinawan in Okinawa use the title “Soke”.
The title Soke is strictly from Japanese Koryu.

do these simply translate into titles of numerical order or is there a "meaning" to each title -- would these titles be used elsewhere in the language or only pertaining to Martial Arts?

thanks in advance for all responses.

 

[kenmpoka]

Originally posted by RyuShiKan
These titles differ from dojo to dojo.

Renshi= 5/6th dan

Kyoshi= 7/8th dan

Tashi = 9th dan

Hanshi = 10th dan

Also, I have never heard an Okinawan in Okinawa use the title “Soke”.
The title Soke is strictly from Japanese Koryu.

Thats how I have those ranks as well. not to be argumentative my friend but "Soke'is used by a few in Okinawa one of which is the Isa sensei of uhuchiku-den kobudo. His students as I recall always refered to him as "soke". There a few more I just don't recall their names right now. They will come to me tho.

Good to have you back here.

:asian:

 

[kenmpoka]

Originally posted by jazkiljok
do these simply translate into titles of numerical order or is there a "meaning" to each title -- would these titles be used elsewhere in the language or only pertaining to Martial Arts?

thanks in advance for all responses.

These terms have meaning of their own but they are all teaching titles of different level in conjunction with relative "dan" ranking.

:asian:

 

[RyuShiKan]

Originally posted by kenmpoka
Thats how I have those ranks as well. not to be argumentative my friend but "Soke'is used by a few in Okinawa one of which is the Isa sensei of uhuchiku-den kobudo. His students as I recall always refered to him as "soke". There a few more I just don't recall their names right now. They will come to me tho.

Good to have you back here.

:asian:

I am wondering whether his students just call him Soke or if he actually uses the title.
Either way he is not really a Soke (see definition of Soke somewhere on this board)., he is however a founder of his own system. The Uhuchiku Kobudo you speak of was from Shosei Kina but Isa tesches something that is a bit different than what he learned.
He also teaches his own version of Shorin Ryu Karate.
By the way, I have met Isa on one of my trips to Okinawa and was not really impressed with his skill………….he seemed as bad or as good as any other of the 1,000 or so karate teachers on Okinawa.

 

[kenmpoka]

Originally posted by RyuShiKan
I am wondering whether his students just call him Soke or if he actually uses the title.
Either way he is not really a Soke (see definition of Soke somewhere on this board)., he is however a founder of his own system. The Uhuchiku Kobudo you speak of was from Shosei Kina but Isa tesches something that is a bit different than what he learned.
He also teaches his own version of Shorin Ryu Karate.
By the way, I have met Isa on one of my trips to Okinawa and was not really impressed with his skill………….he seemed as bad or as good as any other of the 1,000 or so karate teachers on Okinawa.

True he has put his own signature on what he teaches. As far as his skills, I was rarely impressed with the Okinawan/Japanese except with a few. I was more impressed with couple of Isa's senior students. I have a tape of some sort of celebration in Okinawa where various schools demonstrate their karate and kobudo. I was shocked to how terrible they looked. We have much better talents in the U.S.

Soke Peter T.
:asian: