Useful foreign phrases |
Numbers |
Colours |
Kinship |
Idioms |
Tongue twisters |
Proverbs |
Other multilingual pages
Useful foreign phrases |
Numbers |
Colours |
Kinship |
Idioms |
Tongue twisters |
Proverbs |
Other multilingual pages
A collection of useful phrases in Okinawan. Click on the English phrases to see them in many other languages.
Key to abbreviations: m = said by males, f = said by females, (Shuri) = Shuri dialect, inf = informal, frm = formal, vfrm = very formal, plt = polite, col = colloquial
| English | 沖縄口 / Uchinaaguchi (Okinawan) |
|---|---|
| Welcome | めんそーれー (mensooree) |
| Hello | 今日拝なびら (chuu wuganabira) はいさい (haisai) m はいたい (haitai) f へーさい (heesai) m (Shuri) へーたい (heetai) f (Shuri) 今日や早く起きそーいびーんやー (chuuya feeku ukisooibiinyaa) - frm (lit. You're early today) もしもし (moshi moshi) - on phone |
| How are you? | 頑丈やみ? (ganjuu yami?) - inf 頑丈やいびーみ? (ganjuu yaibiimi?) - frm 頑丈やみしぇーみ? (ganjuu yamisheemi?)- vfrm |
| Long time no see | 長ーさやー nageesayaa 拝ん遠さいびーたん (wuganduusaibiitan) 拝ん遠さぬ (wuganduusanu) 拝ん遠ーさ(wuganduusa) 拝ん遠さいびーやー (wugandiisaibiiyaa) 見ー遠さんやー (miiduusanyaa) 見ー遠さいびーんやー (miiduusaibiinyaa) |
| What's your name? My name is ... |
う名前や何やいびーが? (u naamee ta nuu yaibiiga?) 御所何んでぃ言ちょーいびーが？(unju nuu ndi ichooibiiga?) |
| ...... やん (... yan) - inf ... やいびーん (... yaibiin) - frm 我ー名前や..... やいびーん (waa naamee ya....yaibiin) - frm 我ー名前や..... やん (waa naamee ya ...yan) - inf 我んねー、........ んでぃ言るむんやいびーん (wannee....(n)diirumun yaibiin) 我んねー……. んでぃ言ちょーいびーん (wannee ...(n)di ichooibiin) |
|
| Where are you from? I'm from ... |
まーからやいびーが (maa kara yaibiiga?) - inf まーから来ゃーびてぃい (maa kara chaabiti i?) - frm |
| 我んねー……からやいびーん (wannee …..kara yaibiin) - inf 我んねー……. から来ゃーびたん (wannee ….kara chaabitan) - frm |
|
| Pleased to meet you | 初みてぃ拝なびら (hajimiti wuganabira) 初みてぃやいびーん (hajimitiyaibiin) 初みてぃやいびーんやーさい (hajimiti yaibiinyaasai) - m 初みてぃやいびーんやーたい (hajimiti yaibiinyaatai) - f 初みてぃでーびーる (hajimiti deebiru) |
| Good morning | 起きみそーちー (ukimisoochii) 起きみしぇーびてぃ (ukimisheebiti) - frm 起きてぃ (ukiti) - inf |
| Good afternoon | |
| Good evening | |
| Good night | う憩いみしぇーびり (uyukuimisheebiri) - frm う憩いみそーれー (uyukuimisooree) - inf |
| Goodbye | 今から行じ来ゅーん (namakara nji chuun) I'll be back - you are leaving (inf) 今から行じ来ゃーびら (namakara nji chaabira) I'll be back - you are leaving (frm) いめんしぇーびり (imensheebiri) come back soon - you are staying (frm) めんそーれー (mensooree) come back soon - you are staying (inf) 行じめんそーれー (nji mensooree) come back soon - you are staying (inf) 行じめんしぇーびり (nji mensheebiri) come back soon - you are staying (frm) 御無礼さびら (guburii sabira) 行じ来ゃーびら (njichaabira) 暇拝なびら (ituma wuganabira) 又ん御行会ー拝なびら (mata n wuichee wuganabira) lit. let's meet again (frm) 又ん御行会ー拝ま (mata n wuichee wugama) lit. let's meet again (inf) また明日拝ま (mata acha wugama) lit. let's meet again tomorrow (inf) また明日拝なびら (mata acha wuganabira) lit. let's meet again tomorrow (frm) 行会ー拝なびら ichee wuganabira - frm 行会ー拝ま (ichee wugama) - inf |
| Good luck | |
| Cheers/Good health! | 嘉例 (karii) |
| Have a nice day | |
| Bon appetit (Have a good meal) |
うさがいみそーれー (usagaimisooree) said by the cook/chef - plt くゎっちーさびれえ (kwatchiisabiree) - plt うさがいみしぇーびり (usagaimisheebiri) - frm くゎっち一さびら (kwatchiisabira) said before a meal by those eating it くゎっち一さび一たん (kwatchiisabiitan) said after a meal by those who have eaten it |
| Bon voyage (Have a good journey) |
行じ、めんそーれー (nji mensooree) - Go & come back - inf 行じ、めんしぇーびり (nji mensheebiri) - Go & come back - frm 道をぅてー車んかい良ーさ (michi wutee kuruma nkai yuusa) lit. be good on your car while on the road - inf 道をぅてー車んかい良ーさびら (michi wutee kuruma nkai yuusabira) - lit. be good on your car while on the road - frm |
| I don't understand | 分かやびらん (wakayabiran) - frm 分からん (wakaran) - inf |
| Please speak more slowly | よ一んな一話し吳みしぇーびり (yoonnaa hanashi kwimisheebiri) - frm よ一んな一話し吳みそーり (yoonnaa hanashi kwimisooree) - pl よ一んな一話し吳りよ (yoonnaa hanashi kwiriyo) - inf |
| Please write it down | 書ち吳みしぇーびり (kachi kwimisheebiri) - frm 書ち吳みそーり (kachi kwimisoori) - pl 書ち吳りよ (kachi kwiriyo) - inf |
| Do you speak Okinawan? Yes, a little |
沖縄口話さび一み？ (uchinaaguchi hanasabiimi?) - frm 沖縄口話すみ? (uchinaaguchi hanasumi?) - inf 沖縄口話しゆ一さび一み？ (uchinaaguchi hanashiyuusabiimi?) - inf 沖縄口話しゆ一すみ？ (uchinaaguchi hanashiyuusumi?) - inf 沖縄口ぬ話しやび一み？ (uchinaaguchi nu hanashiyabiimi?) - frm 沖縄口ぬ話しゆみ? (uchinaaguchi nu hanashiyumi?) - inf |
| う一、うふぇ一話さび一ん (uu, ufee hanasabiin) - frm う一、うふぇ一話すん (uu, ufee hanasun) - inf う一, うふぇ一話しゆ一さび一ん (uu, ufee hanashiyuusabiin) - frm う一, うふぇ一話しゆ一すん (uu, ufee hanashiyuusun) - inf う一、うふぇ一話しやび一ん (uu, ufee hanashiyabiin) - frm う一、うふぇ一話しゆん (uu, ufee hanashiyun) - inf |
|
| How do you say ... in Okinawan? | ．．．沖縄口っし何んでぃ言いびーが。 (...uchinaaguchi sshi nuu ndi 'yuibiiga?) |
| Excuse me | 御無礼さびたん (guburii sabitan) 御無礼さびら (guburii sabira) |
| How much is this? | くれーちゃっさやいびーが? (kuree chassa yaibiiga?) - col/frm くれーちゃっさやが? (kuree chassa yaga?) col/inf |
| Sorry | 悪さいびーん (wassaibiin) |
| Thank you | 御拝でーびーる (nifee deebiiru) - frm 御拝どー(nifee doo) - inf 一杯御拝でーびーる (ippee nifee deebiiru) |
| Where's the toilet? | |
| This gentleman/lady will pay for everything |
|
| Would you like to dance with me? |
まじゅん踊いびらに。 (majun wuduibirani?) |
| I love you | 好ちゅさ一(shichusaa) 我んね一御所愛さんでぃ思と一いび一ん (wannee unju kanasa ndi umutooibiin) - frm |
| Get well soon | |
| Leave me alone! | |
| Help! Fire! |
助きてぃ! (tashikiti!) 火事やん! (kwaji yan!) |
| Call the police! | 警察呼でぃ吳みしぇーびり! (kiisachi yudi kwimisheebiri!) - frm 警察呼でぃ吳みそーり! (kiisachi yudi kwimisoori!) - pl 警察呼でぃ吳りよ! (kiisachi yudi kwiriyo!) - inf |
| Merry Christmas and Happy New Year |
メリークリスマス (merī kurisumasu) 良い正月でーびーる。(ii soogwachi deebiiru) - used before New Year |
| Happy Birthday | う生日嘉例吉うんぬきやびら (u umaribii kariyushi unnukiyabira) う誕生日嘉例吉うんぬきやびら (utanjoobi kariyushi unnukiyabira) |
| One language is never enough |
|
| My hovercraft is full of eels |
Okinawan phrases provided by Arben Anthony Saavedra
If you would like to make any corrections or additions to this page, please contact me.
Information about the Okinawan language | Tower of Babel in Okinawan
Other collections of Okinawan phrases (some with audio)
http://www.okinawabbtv.com/international/uchinaguchi/byron.html
http://www.ling.hawaii.edu/~uhdoc/okinawathree/okn.htm
http://www.cw-fc.com/karate/articles/okinawan_language_chart.htm