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

/okinapa/ → /okinafa/ → /okinawa/

From Old Japanese. Compound of 沖 (oki, “offshore, at sea”) +‎ 縄 (nawa, “rope”).

Pronunciation

Kun’yomi

(Tokyo) おきなわ [òkínáwá] (Heiban – [0])[1]
IPA^(key): [o̞kʲina̠ɰᵝa̠]

Noun

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

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

Proper noun

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

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 quote)
- circa 1300, Heike Monogatari‎, 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 quote)
- 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 quote)
a group of islands known as the Okinawa Islands
the southern-most Japanese prefecture: Okinawa Prefecture

Synonyms

(island chain): 琉(りゅう)球(きゅう) (Ryūkyū)

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

1998, NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 (NHK Japanese Pronunciation Accent Dictionary) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: NHK, →ISBN

Hokama, Shuzen; Nobutsuna Saigō (1972) 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

Etymology

Cognate with Japanese 沖縄 (Okinawa, literally “offshore + rope”).

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ɸut͡ɕinaː/

Proper noun

沖縄 (hiragana ふちなー, romaji Fuchinā)

Okinawa

Miyako

Etymology

Cognate with Japanese 沖縄 (Okinawa, literally “offshore + rope”).

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ukˢɨnaː/

Proper noun

沖縄 (hiragana うきぃなー, romaji Uksïnā)

Okinawa

Derived terms

沖縄口

Okinawan

Kanji in this term
沖	縄
うち Grade: S	なー Grade: S
kun’yomi

Etymology

From Proto-Ryukyuan *okinawa (“offshore rope”), from Proto-Japonic *əkinapa, from *əki (“offshore”) + *napa (“rope”). Cognate with Japanese 沖縄 (Okinawa, literally “offshore + rope”).

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ʔut͡ɕinaː/

Proper noun

沖縄 (shinjitai kanji, kyūjitai kanji 沖繩, hiragana うちなー, rōmaji Uchinā)

Okinawa

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)

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.

Yaeyama

Etymology

Cognate with Japanese 沖縄 (Okinawa, literally “offshore + rope”).

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ʔukɨnaː/

Proper noun

沖縄 (hiragana うきぃなー, romaji Ukïnā)

Okinawa

Derived terms

沖縄物言

Yonaguni

Etymology

Cognate with Japanese 沖縄 (Okinawa, literally “offshore + rope”).

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /unna/

Proper noun

沖縄 (hiragana うんな, romaji Unna)

Okinawa

Derived terms

沖縄物言

[NHK-1] 1998, NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 (NHK Japanese Pronunciation Accent Dictionary) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: NHK, →ISBN