Okinawa Hougen
Here is where I collect the Okinawan Hougen (dialect) that I run across. Many of the islands (-jima) have hougen that is unique to that island.
| Okinawa-jima | ||
| dakara nandaba | So What? | nandaba is a Nago-area ending. This is pretty straight-talking, if you say it in response to someone talking to you, it is rude and dismissive. |
| deeji | very | An intensifier.Something deejikakoii is very cool. |
| fundee | spoiled or pampered | Doesn’t have to be children, our cats are fundee as well. |
| -gusuku | castle | Normal ending is -shiro. South of Naha is a town,which on the road signs is Tomigusuku, but many people call Tomishiro. |
| iambe | good floating feeling | Buzzing, slightly intoxicated |
| kamasu | stealing | |
| kamasa | thief | A kamasa does kamasu. |
| kusuke | away evil things | Used after sneezing, because evil things try to get inside you after you sneeze. |
| mabuya mabuya ute kumisore | soul back to me | Said when started or shocked, because the soul jumped out of the body due to the surprise. Often said more than once, and while patting the chest as if motioning the soul back inside the body. |
| mayaa | cat | |
| naicha | Mainland Japanese | This can be rude. |
| nene | older sister | Might come from onesan. To clarify, this refers to a sister who is older than you, which may not be the oldest sibling. In my own case, I am the oldest, and I mistakenly used nene to refer to my sister who is younger than me, but the older of the two sisters I have. It caused a little confusion. |
| nusouga | “What are you doing?” | nu is Okinawa hougen for nani |
| uchinanchu | Okinawan person | This is popular enough that you can get it on t-shirts. |
| waji-waji | angry | Sometimes accompanied with upright index fingers on both sides of the head, like devil’s horns. |
| yami | really, unbelievable | Said questioningly in response to shocking news. |
| Miyako-jima | ||
| aba | (what’s) that | Similar in use to are |
| chamiru | steal / take | You can make a "hook" with your right index finger and a pulling motion. One time I took our bass player’s cable instead of mine, and was introduced to this hougen. |
| daizu | very | An intensifier. Something daizuzumi is very cool. |
| vuari | very very | An intensifier. Something vuarizumi is as cool as you can get. I’m not sure about the roumaji of this one, it has a strange initial sound. |
| zumi | cool | If something is cool or great it is zumi. |
Special thanks to Russ Letson for setting me straight that "hougen" can refer to any dialect, not just Okinawan dialects! Thanks!