沖縄

See also: 冲绳 and 沖繩

Japanese

沖縄 (Okinawa): a map of Japan showing the location of Okinawa in red in the southwest corner.

Kanji in this term
沖	縄
おき Grade: 4	なわ Grade: 4
kun'yomi

Alternative spelling
沖繩 (kyūjitai)

Etymology

Compound of Old Japanese elements 沖(おき) (oki, “offshore, at sea”) + 縄(なわ) (nawa, “rope”), in reference to the string of islands.

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) おきなわ [òkínáwá] (Heiban – [0])
• IPA^(key): [o̞kʲina̠β̞a̠]

Noun

沖(おき)縄(なわ) • (okinawa) ^{←おきなは (okinafa)?}

1. (rare, possibly obsolete) a rope used to catch fish

Proper noun

沖(おき)縄(なわ) • (Okinawa) ^{←おきなは (Okinafa)?}

1. the main island in the Okinawa Islands: Okinawa Island
   • 779, Tōdai Wajō Tōsei Den, page 905:

     [...] 十六日發、廿一日戊午、第一第二兩舟同至阿児奈波嶋在多禰島南西第三舟作夜已泊同處十二月六日南風起第一舟著石不動第二舟發向多禰去七日至益救嶋[...]

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

   • c. 1300, Heike Monogatari‎^[1], Nagatobon:

     さつまがたとは惣名也、きかいは十二の島なれば、くち五島は日本へ随へり、おく七しまはいまだ我朝に従はずといへり、白石、、あこしき、くろ島、いわうが島、あせ納、あ世波、やくの島とて、ゑらぶ、おきなは、きかいが島といへり

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

2. a group of islands known as the Okinawa Islands
3. the southern-most Japanese prefecture: Okinawa Prefecture

Synonyms

• うちなー (Uchinā) (Okinawa)
• (island chain): 琉(りゅう)球(きゅう) (Ryūkyū)

Derived terms

Derived terms

• 沖縄県(おきなわけん) (Okinawaken): Okinawa prefecture
• 沖縄戦(おきなわせん) (Okinawa-sen): the Battle of Okinawa
• 沖縄諸島(おきなわしょとう) (Okinawa shotō): the Okinawa archipelago
• 沖縄島(おきなわじま) (Okinawajima): Okinawa Island
• 沖縄語(おきなわご) (Okinawago): Okinawan language

References

• Hokama, Shuzen with Nobutsuna Saigō (1972) [c. 1531-1623] Nihon Shisō Taikai 18: Omoro Sōshi (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Iwanami Shoten
• Takeuchi, Rizō (1962) Nara Ibun: Volume 3 (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Tōkyōdō Shuppan, →ISBN.

Kunigami

Kanji in this term
沖	縄
Grade: 4	Grade: 4

Alternative spelling
沖繩 (kyūjitai)

Etymology

Cognate with Japanese 沖(おき)縄(なわ) (Okinawa, literally “offshore + rope”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɸut͡ɕinaː/

Proper noun

沖縄(ふちなー) (Fuchinā) 

1. Okinawa

Miyako

Kanji in this term
沖	縄
Grade: 4	Grade: 4

Alternative spelling
沖繩 (kyūjitai)

Etymology

From Proto-Ryukyuan *okinawa. Cognate with Japanese 沖(おき)縄(なわ) (Okinawa, literally “offshore + rope”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ukˢɨnaː/

Proper noun

沖縄(うきぃなー) (Uksïnā) 

1. Okinawa

Derived terms

• 沖縄口

 

Okinawan

Kanji in this term
沖	縄
うち Grade: 4	なー Grade: 4
kun'yomi

Alternative spelling
沖繩 (kyūjitai)

Etymology

From Proto-Ryukyuan *okinawa. Cognate with Japanese 沖(おき)縄(なわ) (Okinawa, literally “offshore + rope”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʔut͡ɕinaː/

Proper noun

沖(うち)縄(なー) (Uchinā) 

1. Okinawa
   • 1531-1623, Omoro Sōshi, page 96:

     あがまぶるたたみきよせひやくたてわやりあまみやからおきなわたけててはおもはな しねりやからみしまもりててはおもはな

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

Derived terms

Derived terms

• 沖(うち)縄(なー)口(ぐち) (Uchināguchi)
• 沖(うち)縄(なー)ん人(ちゅ) (uchinānchu)
• 沖(うち)縄(なー)県(ちん) (Uchinā-chin)

Descendants

• → English: Uchina, Uchinā
• → Japanese: うちなー (Uchinā)

References

• “うちなー【沖縄】” in JLect - Japonic Languages and Dialects Database Dictionary, 2019.
• “ウチナー” in Okinawa Center of Language Study, Shuri-Naha Dialect Dictionary (archived; reopens 2024).^{(permanent dead link)}

Yaeyama

Kanji in this term
沖	縄
Grade: 4	Grade: 4

Alternative spelling
沖繩 (kyūjitai)

Etymology 1

From Proto-Ryukyuan *okinawa. Cognate with Japanese 沖(おき)縄(なわ) (Okinawa, literally “offshore + rope”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʔukɨnaː/

Proper noun

沖縄(うきぃなー) (Ukïnā) 

1. Okinawa

Derived terms

• 沖縄物言

 

Etymology 2

Assibilation of the above term.

Pronunciation

• (Hateruma) IPA^(key): /ʔusɨnaː/

Proper noun

沖縄(うしぃなー) (Usïnā) 

1. (Hateruma) Okinawa

Etymology 3

Variant with initial bilabial fricative.

Pronunciation

• (Kuroshima) IPA^(key): /ɸukinaː/

Proper noun

沖縄(ふきなー) (Fukinā) 

1. (Kuroshima) Okinawa

Etymology 4

Assibilation of the above term.

Pronunciation

• (Taketomi) IPA^(key): /ʔuɕinaː/

Proper noun

沖縄(うしなー) (Ushinā) 

1. (Taketomi) Okinawa

Yonaguni

Kanji in this term
沖	縄
Grade: 4	Grade: 4

Alternative spelling
沖繩 (kyūjitai)

Etymology

From Proto-Ryukyuan *okinawa. Cognate with Japanese 沖(おき)縄(なわ) (Okinawa, literally “offshore + rope”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /unna/

Proper noun

沖縄(うんな) (Unna) 

1. Okinawa

Derived terms

• 沖縄物言