Food & Drinks

1. ちゃんぷるーくゎっちーさびら

   Chan-pu-ruu kwa-t-chii sa-bi-ra

   Let's eat champuru (Okinawan stir-fry)

   Usage

   Said before eating champuru — the signature Okinawan stir-fry dish

   Grammar Note

   Kwacchii sabira is a polite pre-meal expression meaning "let us enjoy the feast"

2. そーきそば くぃみそーれー

   Soo-ki-so-ba kwi-mi-soo-ree

   Please give me Okinawa soba with pork ribs

   Usage

   Used when ordering Okinawa soba with braised pork ribs at a restaurant

   Grammar Note

   Ordering follows the "dish + kwimisooree" frame. Kwimisooree corresponds to kwimisjoori, the polite request form "please give me"

3. まーさん！

   Maa-san!

   Delicious!

   Usage

   The essential Okinawan word for expressing that food is delicious

   Grammar Note

   The Okinawan adjective for delicious, equivalent to Japanese oishii; root maa means "taste/flavor"

4. らふてーんかいさーたーあんだーぎーんかい

   Ra-fu-tee n-kai saa-taa-an-daa-gii n-kai

   Rafute braised pork and saataa andaagii (Okinawan doughnuts) too, please

   Usage

   Ordering two Okinawan specialties — braised pork belly and the traditional fried sweet dumplings

   Grammar Note

   Rafute is Okinawan braised pork; saataa andaagii literally means "sugar oil fry". The spelling is rafutee (【羅火腿】 in kanji); rafutii is a Japanese-side variant

5. てぃびちー まーさん

   Ti-bi-chii maa-san

   Tibichi (pig's feet) is wonderful / delicious

   Usage

   Recommending tibichi — Okinawan slow-braised pig's feet, rich in collagen

   Grammar Note

   "Delicious" is maasaN ("tasty, delicious"). Churasan is glossed only as "beautiful; clean" and never for taste. The spelling is tibici; tebichi is the Japanised form, as Okinawan has ti where Japanese has te. For the stewed trotter dish specifically, the form is ashitibichi

6. ごーやーちゃんぷるーくぃみそーれー

   Goo-yaa-chan-pu-ruu kwi-mi-soo-ree

   Please give me goya champuru (bitter melon stir-fry)

   Usage

   Ordering goya champuru — Okinawa's signature bitter melon stir-fry with tofu and pork

   Grammar Note

   Kwimisooree is the most polite "please give"; goya is Okinawa's iconic vegetable, prized for health

7. じゅーしー くぃみそーれー

   Juu-shii kwi-mi-soo-ree

   Please give me juushi (Okinawan mixed rice)

   Usage

   Ordering juushi — Okinawa's comforting mixed rice dish cooked with pork and vegetables

   Grammar Note

   Juushi is a homestyle Okinawan rice dish cooked with pork and seaweed; kwimisooree is the polite request form "please give me"

8. なかみじる まーさん！

   Na-ka-mi ji-ru maa-san!

   The nakamijiru (Okinawan pork offal soup) is delicious!

   Usage

   Commenting on the taste of nakamijiru — a traditional Okinawan soup made with pork offal

   Grammar Note

   Nakami (insides) refers to pork offal; Okinawa's pig culture says "everything but the oink is eaten"

9. うみぶどーくぃみそーれー

   U-mi-bu-doo kwi-mi-soo-ree

   Please give me umibudo (sea grapes)

   Usage

   Ordering umibudo — Okinawa's famous sea grapes seaweed, known for its pop-in-mouth texture

   Grammar Note

   Umibudo (sea grapes) is a green algae unique to Okinawa, eaten with ponzu for its popping texture

10. くゎっちーさびたん！まーさいびーたん！

    Kwa-t-chii sa-bi-tan! Maa-sa i-bii-tan!

    What a feast! It was so delicious!

    Usage

    Thanking the cook after a meal — the Ryukyuan equivalent of "gochisousama"

    Grammar Note

    Kwacchii sabitan is the Ryukyuan post-meal thanks equivalent to "gochisousama deshita"

11. しし

    Shi-shi

    Meat

    Usage

    Point at it to check whether a dish contains meat

12. わーじし

    Waa-ji-shi

    Pork

    Usage

    A compound of ?waa (pig) and sisi (meat), voiced to -jishi. The compounds buta?aQtami and boozisi also exist

13. いゆ

    I-yu

    Fish

    Usage

    Use to check for allergies or when ordering

14. くーが

    Kuu-ga

    Egg

    Usage

    Use to check for an allergen

15. まーす

    Maa-su

    Salt

    Usage

    Point at it at a market or a table

16. さーたー

    Saa-taa

    Sugar

    Usage

    Point at it at a market or a table

17. あんだ

    An-da

    Oil

    Usage

    Point at cooking oil, also useful when asking for less of it

18. とーふ

    Too-fu

    Tofu

    Usage

    Point at it when ordering vegetarian food

19. ふぃる

    Fi-ru

    Garlic

    Usage

    Point at it to ask for a dish without it

20. うぶん

    U-bun

    Cooked rice

    Usage

    The word is ?ubuN, the polite word for cooked rice (plain munu means food or a meal). The form みし does not exist

21. すば

    Su-ba

    Soba noodles

    Usage

    Point at the ingredient when ordering or checking a dish

22. しる

    Shi-ru

    Soup

    Usage

    Point at the ingredient when ordering or checking a dish

23. んす

    N-su

    Miso

    Usage

    Point at the ingredient when ordering or checking a dish

24. そーゆー

    Soo-yuu

    Soy sauce

    Usage

    There is no separate Okinawan word for soy sauce, so the Japanese form is used as is. You will meet it seasoning Okinawa soba and champuru

25. しー

    Shii

    Vinegar

    Usage

    Point at the ingredient when ordering or checking a dish

26. こーれーぐす

    Koo-ree-gu-su

    Chilli

    Usage

    Point at the ingredient when ordering or checking a dish

27. そーがー

    Soo-gaa

    Ginger

    Usage

    Point at the ingredient when ordering or checking a dish

28. ないむん

    Nai-mun

    Fruit

    Usage

    Point at the ingredient when ordering or checking a dish

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