Festivals & Events

1. えいさー まちり まー やいびーが？

   Ei-saa ma-chi-ri maa ya-i-bii-ga?

   Where is the Eisa festival held?

   Usage

   Used to ask where an Eisa festival is being held

   Grammar Note

   "Festival" is machiri (maCiri) — the Japanese matsuri is not used, and the similar machi (maci) means "market", never "festival". Maa is the question word "where". Eisaa is Okinawa's traditional Bon dance.

2. くんちち ぬ まちり あいびーみ？

   Kun-chi-chi nu ma-chi-ri a-i-bii-mi?

   Is there a festival this month?

   Usage

   Used to ask if any festivals are happening this month

   Grammar Note

   "Festival" is machiri (maCiri). Existence is asked with aibiimi, the polite question form of an "there is" (?aN); the copula yaibiimi cannot stand in for an existential. Kunchichi (kuNCici) is "this month"; unnaa (うんなー) does not mean "this month" (?uNna is the place name Onna or the adnominal "such").

3. なーふぁ はーりー みちゃびーたん、でーじ ちゅらさいびーたん

   Naa-fa haa-rii mi-cha-bii-tan, dee-ji chu-ra-sai-bii-tan

   I watched the Naha Haarii boat race, it was beautiful.

   Usage

   Used to share impressions of the Naha Haarii (traditional boat racing festival)

   Grammar Note

   "Naafa" is Naha and "haarii" is the dragon-boat race (Haari). "Churasaibiitan" is the polite past of "churasan" (beautiful), intensified by "deeji" (very). "Churasan" is also famous from the NHK drama of the same name.

4. まちり ぬ ティケット ちゃっさ やいびーが？

   Ma-chi-ri nu ti-ket-to chas-sa yai-bii-ga?

   How much is the festival ticket?

   Usage

   Used to ask about the price of a festival ticket

   Grammar Note

   "Tiketto" is the Ryukyuan phonetic adaptation of the English word "ticket".

5. ちょうちん まちり ぬ じかん やいびーが？

   Choo-chin ma-chi-ri nu ji-kan ya-i-bii-ga?

   When is the lantern festival?

   Usage

   Used to ask about the schedule of a lantern festival

   Grammar Note

   "Chouchin" (lantern) is the same in both standard Japanese and Ryukyuan.

6. うちなー ぬ まちり ぬ かるちゃー わかいびーみ？

   U-chi-naa nu ma-chi-ri nu ka-ru-chaa wa-kai-bii-mi?

   Can you understand Okinawan festival culture?

   Usage

   Used to ask if someone understands Okinawan festival culture

   Grammar Note

   "Karuchaa" is borrowed from English "culture". "Wakaibimi" is the polite question form of "to understand".

7. まちり んかい いちゃびら

   Ma-chi-ri n-kai i-cha-bi-ra

   Let's go to the festival.

   Usage

   Used to invite someone to go to a festival together

   Grammar Note

   The word for "go" is ?icuN, and the example dii sai ?icabira means "come, let us go"; the polite suggestion is ichabira.

8. まちり ぬ むぬ まーさん

   Ma-chi-ri nu mu-nu maa-san

   The festival food is delicious.

   Usage

   Used to express enjoyment of festival food

   Grammar Note

   Food is munu ("food; meal; rice"), written むぬ. Takimun is merely Japanese tabemono reshaped. Maasan means delicious.

9. うちなー ぬ しょーぐゎち まちり みちゃびーたん

   U-chi-naa nu shoo-gwa-chi ma-chi-ri mi-cha-bii-tan

   I watched the Okinawan New Year festival.

   Usage

   Used to share the experience of watching an Okinawan New Year celebration

   Grammar Note

   Shougatsu is the Japanese word in kana. New Year is sjoogwaCi, i.e. shoogwachi (there are also sjoogwaCimaci "New Year market" and sjoogwaCiziN "New Year finery"). "Festival" is maCiri, i.e. machiri.

10. まちり ちゅらさん でーびたん

    Ma-chi-ri chu-ra-san dee-bi-tan

    The festival was very beautiful.

    Usage

    Used to express that a festival was beautiful

    Grammar Note

    "Deebitan" is the Ryukyuan polite past tense, equivalent to "deshita" (it was) in standard Japanese.

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