Airport & Customs

1. パスポート みしてぃ くぃみそーれー

   Pasupooto mishiti kwimisooree

   Please show your passport

   Usage

   Standard phrase used by immigration officers

   Grammar Note

   Ryukyuan follows SOV word order. "To show" is "mishiyun"; "mishiti" is its te-form. The most polite request ending is "kwimisooree" (from "kwiyun", to give, plus the honorific "misooree")

2. ぬーぬ ゆえ に ちきいん ないびーが？

   Nuu nu yue ni chikiin naibii ga?

   What is the purpose of your visit?

   Usage

   Standard immigration question

   Grammar Note

   "Nuu" = what. "Nu" is the genitive particle corresponding to Japanese "no". (Not Japanese "nani/nan")

3. いくちゆる とぅまいんかい ないびーが？

   Ikuchi yuru tumai n kai naibii ga?

   How many nights are you planning to stay?

   Usage

   Commonly asked at immigration

   Grammar Note

   "Ikuchi" = how many (also used for ages). "Night" is "yuru" in Okinawan

4. しんこく しゅん むんぬ あいびーみ？

   Shinkoku shun mun nu aibii mi?

   Do you have anything to declare?

   Usage

   Asked at customs

   Grammar Note

   "-mi" is a question suffix

5. わんぬ にむちぬ んじてぃ ちゃーびらん

   Wan nu nimuchi nu njiti chaabiran

   My luggage hasn't arrived

   Usage

   Tell baggage claim staff

   Grammar Note

   "Wan" is the first person "I"; "nimuchi" is the Okinawan word for luggage. "Njiti" is the te-form of "njiyun" (to come out), followed by "chaabiran", the polite negative of "chuun" (to come). The "-biran" ending marks the polite negative

6. くりや むちにー やいびーん

   Kuri ya muchinii yaibiin

   This is carry-on luggage

   Usage

   Tell airline staff at check-in or boarding gate

   Grammar Note

   "Muchinii" is "muchi" (carrying) + "nii" (load), meaning hand luggage. "Kuri ya" = "this is", and "yaibiin" is the polite copula

7. わんや トランジットゥ やいびーん

   Wan ya toranjittu yaibiin

   I'm in transit

   Usage

   Used at transit counters or immigration

   Grammar Note

   "Toranjittu" is an English loan. Short to and do are almost absent from inherited vocabulary, reflecting the historical correspondence of Japanese to/do to Okinawan tu/du. That correspondence does not automatically extend to modern loanwords. The copula is not Japanese "da" but Okinawan "yan", whose polite form is "yaibiin".

8. ゲートや まーかい やいびーが？

   Geeto ya maakai yaibii ga?

   Where is the gate?

   Usage

   Ask when looking for your boarding gate

   Grammar Note

   "Maa" = where

9. ボーディングや いちから やいびーが？

   Boodingu ya ichi kara yaibii ga?

   When does boarding begin?

   Usage

   Ask while waiting at the boarding gate

   Grammar Note

   "Ichi" = when

10. めんぜいてんや まーかい やいびーが？

    Menzeiten ya maakai yaibii ga?

    Where is the duty-free shop?

    Usage

    Ask after clearing security

    Grammar Note

    Japanese/Okinawan term for duty-free

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