Convenience Store

1. めんそーれー

   Men-soo-ree

   Welcome! (said as you enter)

   Usage

   Said by staff. In Okinawan convenience stores you will usually hear standard Japanese "irasshaimase", but souvenir shops, family-run stores and roadside michi-no-eki often greet you with "mensooree". No Okinawan reply is expected — a nod is enough

   Grammar Note

   An imperative-invitational form of "mensoon" (to come/go, honorific). It is the single most visible Okinawan word in Okinawa — airport signage, hotels and shopfronts all use it

2. コンビニや まーかい やいびーが？

   Kon-bi-ni ya maa-kai yai-bii-ga?

   Where is the convenience store?

   Usage

   FamilyMart, Lawson and 7-Eleven blanket the main island and many run 24 hours. Asking an older local in Okinawan warms up the conversation instantly; with younger staff or mainland transplants, standard Japanese is safer

   Grammar Note

   "Maa" means where and "kai" is the directional particle "to". Sentences containing a question word end in "yaibiiga"; yes-no questions end in "yaibiimi"

3. くれー くぃみそーれー

   Ku-ree kwi-mi-soo-ree

   This one, please

   Usage

   Said as you put an item on the counter. In an actual convenience store people simply place it down or use Japanese — this phrase lands best at a market stall, a family-run shop or a michi-no-eki kiosk

   Grammar Note

   "Kuri" (this) fuses with the topic particle "ya" to give "kuree". Vowel fusion into a long vowel is pervasive in Okinawan, e.g. "tui + ya" becomes "tuee"

4. てぃーち くぃみそーれー

   Tii-chi kwi-mi-soo-ree

   One, please

   Usage

   Use this to specify a quantity: two is "taachi", three is "miichi". Handy when buying loose items such as sata andagi doughnuts

   Grammar Note

   Okinawan native numerals run tiichi, taachi, miichi, yuuchi, ichichi… — cognate with Japanese hitotsu, futatsu. Japanese "hi" regularly corresponds to Okinawan "ti"

5. あちく しみそーれー

   A-chi-ku shi-mi-soo-ree

   Please heat it up

   Usage

   Literally "please make it hot". Okinawan convenience stores ask "atatamemasu ka?" in standard Japanese when you hand over a bento, so a simple "onegaishimasu" is all you strictly need — saying it in Okinawan usually earns a grin

   Grammar Note

   Replacing the adjective ending "-san" with "-ku" gives the adverbial form (achisan → achiku, exactly as takasan → takaku). "Shimisooree" is the honorific request form of "sun" (to do)

6. ふくるー ふさいびーみ？

   Fu-ku-ruu fu-sai-bii-mi?

   Would you like a bag?

   Usage

   Said by staff. Plastic bags cost a few yen in Okinawa too, so you will always be asked. In a chain store the question comes in standard Japanese; the Okinawan version turns up mainly from older shopkeepers at small independent stores

   Grammar Note

   The adjective "fusan" (to want) becomes polite "fusaibiin", and its question form is "fusaibiimi". Because this is a yes-no question the ending is "-mi", not the "-ga" used with question words

7. ふくる くぃみそーれー

   Fu-ku-ru kwi-mi-soo-ree

   A bag, please

   Usage

   How to say yes to a bag. Bags are charged for, so declining saves you a few yen — most locals carry their own tote

   Grammar Note

   The object particle "o" is normally dropped in everyday Okinawan — just place the noun before "kwimisooree"

8. ふくるー いらんやー

   Fu-ku-ruu i-ran yaa

   No bag, thanks

   Usage

   A casual way to decline a bag. The final "yaa" is a soft tag like Japanese "ne". With an older shopkeeper, a politer refusal is more appropriate

   Grammar Note

   "Yaa" is an extremely common Okinawan sentence-final particle. It survives even when Okinawans speak standard Japanese, which is why it sounds so distinctively local

9. ふぃじゅるさる みじ くぃみそーれー

   Hi-ju-ru-sa-ru mi-ji kwi-mi-soo-ree

   Cold water, please

   Usage

   Okinawan summers are brutally humid, so a cold drink from the fridge is essential. "Sanpin-chaa" (jasmine tea) is the island's most-drunk tea and every convenience store stocks it chilled

   Grammar Note

   Adjectives change their ending from "-san" to "-saru" when modifying a noun (fijurusan → fijurusaru miji). This preserves an older attributive form lost in modern Japanese. It is also written hwizurusaN, and it begins with fi, not hi

10. さーたーあんだーぎーや あいびーみ？

    Saa-taa-an-daa-gii ya ai-bii-mi?

    Do you have sata andagi (Okinawan doughnuts)?

    Usage

    Sata andagi are Okinawan fried doughnuts sold in convenience stores, supermarket bakery corners and roadside markets. Okinawa-only convenience-store staples also include chinsuko biscuits and the pork-and-egg onigiri

    Grammar Note

    The name breaks down as saataa (sugar) + anda (oil) + agii (fried). "An" (to exist) becomes polite "aibiin", and its question form is "aibiimi". Also written saataa?aNdaagii with the long -daa-; the shorter saataa andagii is the Japanese form

11. レシートー ふさいびーみ？

    Re-shii-too fu-sai-bii-mi?

    Would you like the receipt?

    Usage

    Said by staff. If you don't want it, a small wave and "ii desu" is understood. To take it, answer "fusaibiin" — or just "onegaishimasu"

    Grammar Note

    The topic particle "ya" attaches to loanwords too and fuses with the preceding vowel (reshiito + ya → reshiitoo). Okinawan absorbs modern borrowings through the same rule

12. カードー ちかーりーびーみ？

    Kaa-doo chi-kaa-rii-bii-mi?

    Can I pay by card?

    Usage

    Okinawan convenience stores accept credit cards, transit IC cards and QR payment. Note that OKICA — the local bus and monorail IC card — generally cannot be used to shop

    Grammar Note

    "Tsukayun" (to use) forms the potential "tsukaariin", whose polite question form is "tsukaariibiimi". The infix "-ri-" marking potential is characteristic of Okinawan

13. じんし はらいびーん

    Jin-shi ha-rai-biin

    I'll pay in cash

    Usage

    Cash-only shops are still common on the outer islands and in tiny stores, so carry notes when you leave the main island

    Grammar Note

    The instrumental particle is "shi", not Japanese "de" — e.g. "basu shi ichun" (go by bus)

14. ATMや あいびーみ？

    ATM ya ai-bii-mi?

    Is there an ATM?

    Usage

    Convenience-store ATMs in Okinawa generally accept foreign cards and are a traveller's most reliable source of cash. On some outer islands the post-office ATM is the only machine there is

    Grammar Note

    Acronyms are read as-is with only the particle in Okinawan. Everyday Okinawan freely mixes standard Japanese and English-derived words without sounding odd

15. トイレー まーかい やいびーが？

    To-i-ree maa-kai yai-bii-ga?

    Where is the toilet?

    Usage

    Most Japanese convenience stores let customers use the toilet, though some Okinawan branches keep theirs staff-only. If refused, staff will usually point you to a nearby michi-no-eki or park

    Grammar Note

    The native word for a toilet is "fuuru" (huru). This card uses the loanword "toire", which a convenience-store clerk is more likely to understand; "toiree" is the fused form of "toire" + "ya". Loanwords are written in katakana

16. にふぇーでーびる、またちゃーびら

    Ni-fee-dee-bi-ru, ma-ta chaa-bi-ra

    Thank you very much — I'll come again

    Usage

    Say this as you leave the counter. "Nifeedeebiru" from a visitor almost always gets a smile back — it is the phrase locals most enjoy hearing tourists attempt

    Grammar Note

    "Chaabira" is the polite volitional of "chuun" (to come). "Mata chaabira" is the standard Okinawan parting phrase, equivalent to "see you again"

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