たすきてぃくり！
Ta-su-ki-ti-ku-ri!
Help me, please!
Usage
The essential emergency cry for help — shout loudly in any dangerous situation
Grammar Note
Ryukyuan equivalent of "tasukete kure"; using local language may get faster responses from locals
きゅうきゅうしゃんかい でんわ しみそーれー
Kyuu-kyuu-sha n-kai den-wa shi-mi-soo-ree
Please call an ambulance
Usage
Asking bystanders to call an ambulance in case of injury or sudden illness
Grammar Note
Japan's emergency number is 119; shimisoore is the honorific request form of "do" (please do). "Sabira" is an invitational ("let's"), not a request
びょーいんや まーやいびーが？
Byoo-in ya maa yai-bii-ga?
Where is the hospital?
Usage
Asking for the location of a hospital when feeling ill or injured
Grammar Note
Byooin is the Ryukyuan form of byooin (hospital); maa is the "where" question word
てぃだやきんなっとーん
Ti-da-ya-ki n-nat-toon
I got a sunburn
Usage
Telling a pharmacist or medical staff about sunburn from Okinawa's strong UV rays
Grammar Note
Tida (sun) is a native Ryukyuan word; n-nattoon expresses a resultant state ("has become")
いーらーんかいさされーん
Ii-raa n-kai sa-sa-reen
I was stung by a jellyfish
Usage
Telling a lifeguard or doctor you were stung by a jellyfish at an Okinawan beach
Grammar Note
Kurage is plain Japanese kana. ?iiraa is "a kind of jellyfish; the Portuguese man o' war; it stings people who are swimming" — exactly this situation. Note: the short form ?iraa collides with a word meaning "lecher", so it is not used. Sasareen is the Ryukyuan passive of "to sting"; in Okinawa beware of habu jellyfish too.
てーふーぬ ちょーいびーみ？
Tee-fuu nu choo-i-bii-mi?
Is a typhoon coming?
Usage
Checking whether a typhoon is approaching — essential in Okinawa, Japan's typhoon corridor
Grammar Note
Teefuu (teehuu) is the Okinawan word for typhoon (also ?uukazi). Tinshi (tiNsi) means "envoy" (the Chinese investiture envoy) or "Son of Heaven", not typhoon. "To come" is chuun (cuuN); "is coming" is choon (cooN), and its polite question is chooibiimi. Okinawa sees 7-8 typhoons annually on average
はぶんかいかまされーん
Ha-bu n-kai ka-ma-sa-reen
I was bitten by a habu (venomous snake)
Usage
Emergency phrase for when bitten by a habu — Okinawa's venomous pit viper
Grammar Note
The habu is a venomous snake native to Okinawa; avoid night walks in vegetation and seek hospital immediately if bitten
しゅっくゎーさびーん！くりや わーむん あらん
Shuk-kwaa-sa-bii-n! Ku-ri ya waa-mun a-ran
I am in trouble! This does not belong to me
Usage
Explaining a difficult situation such as a misunderstanding or a wrongly attributed item
Grammar Note
"To be in difficulty" is shukkwaashun (sjuQkwee=sjuN); the polite form is shukkwaasabiin. Waa- is the possessive prefix "my", so waamun is "my thing", and the negative copula is aran
けーさちぬいびらに？
Kee-sa-chi nu i-bi-ra-ni?
Could you call the police for me?
Usage
Politely asking someone to call the police in case of theft or accident
Grammar Note
Ibirani is a polite request ending. Okinawan has no "tsu", so 警察 comes out as kee-sachi, not kee-satsu (察 is written -saCi). The words ciisaCi, annotated "police; a word used only briefly in the early Meiji period", and hwirazu, the name of a pre-1879 office, are not used today. Japan's police number is 110, emergency services are 119
くすいや まーやいびーが？
Ku-su-i ya maa yai-bii-ga?
Where is the pharmacy?
Usage
Asking where to find a pharmacy when feeling unwell or mildly injured
Grammar Note
Kusui is the Ryukyuan form of kusuri (medicine); Okinawa also has a rich herbal medicine tradition
くゎじ
Kwa-ji
Fire
Usage
Point at this to raise the alarm that something is on fire; the fire and ambulance number in Japan is 119
Grammar Note
kwazi n. "a fire, a conflagration". hwii n. also means "fire; flame; lamplight; also a conflagration", but hwii is also the spelling of separate words meaning "fault", "stomach", "fart", "day", "queen" and "scarlet", so it is not used on its own.
ぬすどぅ
Nu-su-du
Thief
Usage
Point at this to report a theft; the police number in Japan is 110
Grammar Note
nusudu n. "in the sense of nusuto: a thief, a burglar". There is also hwizaidiinagaa n. "another name for a thief, meaning one whose left hand is long", but that is a euphemism. The verb "to steal" is nusunuN.
ふぇーれー
Fee-ree
Robbery
Usage
Point at this to report being robbed by force
Grammar Note
hweeree is glossed "a highway robber", and its example hweereeni ~ is rendered "to be attacked by a robber (goutou)". 'jamanusudu ("mountain bandit") is restricted to bandits in the hills, and tutoogumi is "a band of wrongdoers, of the kind that rob in groups", i.e. the gang rather than the crime.
くゎじ どー！ ふぃんぎてぃ くぃみそーれー！
Kwa-ji doo! Fin-gi-ti kwi-mi-soo-ree!
Fire! Run!
Usage
Shout it when you see a building alight and need the people around you to get out
Grammar Note
kwaji "fire". doo is an emphatic final particle (as in くぬいるぬ ちゅらさんどー). fingiti is the te-form (=ti) of hwiNgi=juN "to flee". kwimisooree is the request form.
ぬすどぅ！ かちみてぃ くぃみそーれー！
Nu-su-du! Ka-chi-mi-ti kwi-mi-soo-ree!
Thief! Catch him!
Usage
Shout it the moment you are robbed, to get bystanders to stop the person running off
Grammar Note
nusudu "thief". kachimiti is the te-form of kaCimi=juN "to catch, to seize". Example: nusudu kaCimijuN "to catch a thief".
けーさちや まーやいびーが？
Kee-sa-chi ya maa yai-bii-ga?
Where is the police station?
Usage
To ask where to report a crime
Grammar Note
ya maa yaibiiga? is the same set phrase as in "where is the hospital?" (びょーいんや まーやいびーが？). keesachi names the force rather than the building, so it does not distinguish "police" from "police station". ciisaCi n. is marked "police — a word used briefly around the beginning of the Meiji era", i.e. obsolete, so it is not used.
やまとぅぐち はなさりーる っちゅ とぅめーとーん
Ya-ma-tu-gu-chi ha-na-sa-rii-ru cchu tu-mee-toon
I am looking for someone who speaks Japanese
Usage
For finding someone who can interpret; show it at a counter or to your host
Grammar Note
yamatuguchi means "Japanese", hanasarii "can speak" (as in いふぇーだけーはなさりーん) and tumeetoon "am looking for". cchu is Qcu n. "a person; also, another person", and appears in the same shape in タトゥーぬあるっちゅや. Before a noun, hanasariin takes the attributive hanasariiru, the same ending alternation as in iyuru kutu (いゆる くとぅ).
くぬ っちゅや ぶちくん なとーん
Ku-nu cchu ya bu-chi-kun na-toon
This person is unconscious
Usage
Point at the person who has collapsed to say they do not respond
Grammar Note
bucikuN n. "1. a faint, a swoon. Qcunu ~ natooN: the person has fainted". kunu cchu ya means "this person". The -toon of natoon is the same as in くたんでぃとーん.
んぶっくぃとーん
N-buk-kwi-toon
Someone is drowning
Usage
Shout it when you see someone going under in the sea or a river
Grammar Note
The te-form of ?NbuQkwi=juN "to drown", plus the progressive -ooN. The -toon is the same as in くたんでぃとーん and インターネット つながとーん.
わんねー あてぃらりとーん
Wan-nee a-ti-ra-ri-toon
I was beaten
Usage
To report having been assaulted; use it while pointing at the person who hit you
Grammar Note
?ati=juN, sense 2: "to strike, to hit someone's body; in Naha and elsewhere hitting is usually kurusuN …, but in Shuri it was more often the milder ?atijuN" — this is the Shuri word. The passive -rari-toon has the same shape as kaado nu turari toon "the card was swallowed".
ざしちんかい ぬすどぅぬ いっちょーん
Za-shi-chi n-kai nu-su-du-nu ic-choon
My room was broken into
Usage
To tell your host or the police that someone got into your room while you were out
Grammar Note
zashichi means "room", nkai "into" and nusudu "thief". icchoon is the te-form ?iQci of ?i=juN "to enter" plus the progressive -ooN.
だまさりとーん
Da-ma-sa-ri-toon
I was deceived
Usage
To report a swindle or having been sold a fake
Grammar Note
The passive of dama=sjuN "to deceive, to cheat"; an example under boo: "~saQtaN: I was taken in, I was deceived". The -ri-toon passive-resultative has the same shape as カードぬ とぅらりとーん. Another word, nu=zuN "to deceive … Qcu~: to deceive someone" also exists.
じんぶくるぬ ぬすまりとーん
Jin-bu-ku-ru-nu nu-su-ma-ri-toon
My wallet was stolen
Usage
To report a stolen wallet; swap jinbukuru for the name of any other belonging
Grammar Note
jinbukuru is ziNbukuru n. "a money bag; a wallet; a purse"; a wallet can also be biQciN or ziN?irii. nusumari is the passive of nusu=nuN "to steal", whose stem is nusum- (conjugation =maN). The -ri-toon has the same shape as カードぬ とぅらりとーん.
むん わしとーん
Mun wa-shi-toon
I left it behind
Usage
When you have left a belonging somewhere; point at the item to say which
Grammar Note
mun is muN n./suffix "a thing, a person, food, a meal", and appears in the same shape in んかしからぬ むん やいびーん. washitoon is the te-form of 'waSi=juN "to forget" plus the resultative -ooN, the -toon being the same as in くたんでぃとーん.
うかーしゃんどー！
U-kaa-shan-doo!
Watch out!
Usage
A short shout the moment you notice a dangerous place or move
Grammar Note
?ukaasjaN adj. "dangerous; risky; also, of a patient, in a bad way". ?abunasjaN adj. is marked literary/new, with the note "originally ?ukaasjaN", so the native word is used. ?ukaasjaN belongs to the -sjaN class of adjectives, and sj is written as しゃ, hence うかーしゃん. What it shares with くぬいるぬ ちゅらさんどー (a -saN adjective) is the emphatic ending んどー, not the whole -san- syllable.
あわてぃてぃ くぃみそーれー
A-wa-ti-ti kwi-mi-soo-ree
Please hurry
Usage
To press someone to move faster — a driver, or whoever is helping you
Grammar Note
?awati=juN, sense 1: "to hurry. ?awatiti See: do it quickly" — the example places an imperative after the te-form ?awatiti. The request form is kwimisooree.
しぐ めんそーれー
Shi-gu men-soo-ree
Please come right away
Usage
To ask someone on the phone or a little way off to come to you at once
Grammar Note
Sigu adv. "at once, immediately", with the example "~kuu 'joo: come at once". mensooree is the honorific request form of "to come", as in しちじんかい めんそーれー "please come at seven".
びょーいん んかい ちりてぃ くぃみそーれー
Byoo-in n-kai chi-ri-ti kwi-mi-soo-ree
Please take me to a hospital
Usage
When you cannot get there yourself and need someone to take you
Grammar Note
byooin "hospital", nkai "to" (as in ぞうすい んかい とうふ いれてぃ くぃみそーれー) and chiriti "taking along" (as in かいじょいん ちりてぃ いゆる くとぅ なやびーみ？). chiriti is the te-form of Ciri=juN "to take along, to accompany".
わんねー ほーちゃーっし ささりとーん
Wan-nee hoo-chaa-shi sa-sa-ri-toon
I was stabbed
Usage
To report having been stabbed with a blade. The verb sasjuN also covers a bee sting — it is the same verb used for a jellyfish sting — so hoochaa-shi "with a kitchen knife" marks the weapon
Grammar Note
sa=sjuN, sense 1, reads "to stick, to stab; haai ~ to stick a needle in; hacaani sasarijuN to be stung by a bee", so the passive stem is sasari-. The passive-plus-resultative -ri-toon has the same shape as kaado nu turari toon and damasari toon. hoochaa is hoocaa n. "kitchen knife", a different word from hoocuu "cuisine" (hoochuu). The instrumental -shi is the same as in nuu-Qshi chukutooi biiga?.
More Ryukyuan (Okinawan) phrases
- Basic Words
- Basic Nouns
- Basic Verbs
- Adjectives
- Question Words
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