はな

はなぐみ

a multi-tiered serving of rice offered to a god or Buddha

とぅぐぬ はなや からしや ならぬんど

I cannot let those flowers (for the Buddhist priest) die.

(by extension) flowers for a Buddhist alter


ちち

From Proto-Ryukyuan *sisi, from Proto-Japonic *sisi.

うぬ ちち んだみてぃ ちるんき いりり

Please slice the pork and put it in the soup.


ちち

From Proto-Ryukyuan *susu, from Proto-Ryukyuan *susu.

ちち かんでぃ


みん

From Proto-Ryukyuan *mimi, from Proto-Japonic *mimi.
Attested in Miyanaga (1930)'s 八重山語彙 as ミン (1930 IPA: [m’iŋ]).


ひる

From Proto-Ryukyuan *peru, from Proto-Japonic *peru.

ひるぬ かだい きー つぁぬ


さぎ

酒: an alcoholic beverage, particularly sake (a Japanese rice wine)


いゆん

From Proto-Ryukyuan *ii, from Proto-Japonic *ipu.

あがみ あらーぐ いゆんな

んかち あぶとぅ あさに いやりどぅぶたる

Back then, I was scolded by my grandmother and grandfather.


みんぶる

First attested in Miyanaga (1930)'s 八重山語彙 as ミンブル (1930 IPA: [m’imburu]).
A surface analysis suggests a compound of みー (mī, “eye”) + the cranberry morpheme *んぶる (*nburu, “head”), from Proto-Ryukyuan *tuburu (“head”).

あがみてぃぬ みんぶる なでぃりゃ しゃなきー どぅぐとぅなるん

If we pat the children's head, we'll certainly do it quietly.

agamitinu minburu nadirya shanakī dugutunarun

かぬとぅやみんぶる すさん
kanutuyaminburu susan
That person is smart.

literally, “That person's head is good.”

ひらんき みんぶる とぅんかし あぶたに あたか゚つぁ みぬ むぬんでぃ むたかり

I hit my head on a pillar, and my mother scolded me for being clumsy (lit. a bad point).

hiranki minburu tunkashi abutani ata'ngatsa minu munundi mutakari

みたぬ みんぶる
mitanu minburu
(a situation where) one does not remember what it said many times
(literally, “mind of a chicken”)

みんぶる だみ ならぬん

みんぶるに あしぶ んでぃどぅぶる


くぶ

From Proto-Ryukyuan *kobu, from Proto-Japonic *konpo.

くぶぬ ちー はいっつぁりぶんすや

んまがら すが くぬ まいさる くぶや


みー

From Proto-Ryukyuan *mi (“flesh; meat”), from Proto-Japonic *mui (“body; flesh; meat”).

inh

あがいさてぃ ありしぬ いすにぶる あが んぎだたや みーか はらんか゚とぅ うぶさびてぃ まーん

There were many eggs from the flesh of the red sea urchins at the shore of Arishi, Agarisaki; they were delicious.

agaisati arishinu isuniburu aga ngidataya mīka haran'ngatu ubusabiti mān

ばたむてぃぬ ばすに んまぬ み はぬんすや あがみ なんす うぐりるんでぃ

(It was said that) the horse meat being inedible during pregnancy was due to a late delivery.

batamutinu basuni nmanu mi hanunsuya agami nansu ugurirundi


みー

From Proto-Ryukyuan *me, from Proto-Japonic *mai.

とぅち とぅい みー むどぅい みぬんすや

The year passed, and my vision has dropped.

ばやぬ むぬや みー かなん

to be seen well (lit. to have one's sight fulfilled by people of the house

だまぬ みんき はいひるん


だーまんむぬい

八重山物言 八重山物言#Yonaguni


どぅなんむぬい

与那国物言 与那国物言#Yonaguni


んき

与(どぅ)那国(なん)島(ちま)んきわーりー。


すなてぃ

From earlier *sudachi, from すだ (suda, “older brother, older sister, senior”) + てぃ (ti, “diminutive marker”), from Proto-Ryukyuan *soza, *seza, from Proto-Japonic *sosa.


った

From Proto-Ryukyuan *sita, from Proto-Japonic *sita.


すだ

From Proto-Ryukyuan *soza, *seza, from Proto-Japonic *sosa. Cognate with Miyako すざ (suza).


っとぅむってぃ

努むってぃ 努むってぃ#Yonaguni


っとぅむってぃぬいー

yoi-head

っとぅむってぃ ぬ いー

努むってぃぬいー 努むってぃぬいー#Yonaguni


はなぶる

Derived from はな (hana, “nose”), although the final -buru is unclear; compare みんぶる (minburu, “head”).

unc

unclear

はなぶるか゚ つぁいどぅぶる


うとぅ

From Proto-Ryukyuan *oto, from Proto-Japonic *ətə.

うとぅか゚ ぐまびてぃ ’かにぬん

The sound is so quiet, I cannot hear it.

うとぅん さたん みぬん

うとぅんでぃ まいふな

音: reputation (good or bad); rumor, rumour


なー

From Proto-Ryukyuan *na, from Proto-Japonic *na.


ひら

だーぬ ひらんきや ヒノキ きゃき゚んたか゚とぅ うぶさぐ ’かりぶたる

In the houses pillars, it was made out of cypress and yew plum pine.

dānu hirankiya hinoki kya'nginta'ngatu ubusagu ’kaributaru

はでぃぬ ひら いんぎんた ぶーる どぅぬ だまぬ きゃぎきしどぅ いりかい きゃる

The pillars of the house's eaves were first outside on an exterior rafter, then it changed by the mountain's self-growing yem plum pines.

hadinu hira inginta būru dunu damanu kyagikishidu irikai kyaru


ひら

うぬ ひらし つぁー はらい

Use the moldboard to get rid of the grass.


いんさん

From earlier *ibu-si-, from Proto-Ryukyuan *ubu-.

くちだみ。いんさる むぬや かたまにぬん

My back hurts. I cannot carry this heavy load.

たがらどぅく゚や いんさぬ かたまにぬん

The alcove is heavy and cannot be carried.


てぃ

Perhaps cognate with Miyako てぃ (-ti, inferiority suffix (Nakachi dialect)).

cog

あがみてぃ、はとぅてぃ


んば

From Proto-Ryukyuan *suba, from Proto-Japonic *sunpa.

にぐらきてぃんばつーみどぅぶる

んばっくりるたうったり
nba kkuriruta uttari


あいでぃ

Derived from the form あいず (aizu, “signal”) via u-fronting and palatalization (cf. Okinawan えーじ (eeji)), and subsequently fortition.


んみ

Cognate with Japanese 爪(つめ) (tsume), Okinawan 爪(ちみ) (chimi).


ふがらさ

ばしゃる いゆんきん ふがらさーんでぃ かんがい ならいよーんでぃ いやか゚んでぃ わたんどー

My father thanked me with gratitude for the fish I caught as well.

basharu iyunkin fugarasāndi kangai naraiyōndi iya'ngandi watandō


’てぃるん

From Proto-Ryukyuan *sute (“to throw away; to drop down”), from Proto-Japonic *sut-a-. Cognate with Yaeyama してぃるん (shitirun, “to throw away; to drop down”), Okinawan すぃてぃるん (sitirun, “to throw away”), Japanese 捨てる (suteru, “to throw away”).

cog

みん ’てぃるんどー

だっかんぬ どぅー ばんぎ ’てぃどぅ ぶんそー

Boil the hot water inside the kettle, and it will overflow!


うたか゚い

From Proto-Ryukyuan *Otagai, nominalization of *Otagaw- (“to doubt”) (compare Miyako うたごー (utagō)).

かんだいゆ はんすや とぅないぬ まゆかやんでぃ うたか゚い きるん

I doubt the neighbor's cat ate the dried fish.

kandaiyu hansuya tunainu mayukayandi uta'ngai kirun


かー

Yonaguni Hōgen Jiten Henshū I'inkai (与那国方言辞典編集委員会) (2021) どぅなんむぬい辞典 [Dunanmunui Dictionary], Yonaguni (与那国町): Yonaguni-chō Kyōiku I'inkai (与那国町教育委員会), page 101

From Proto-Ryukyuan *kawa (“skin; bark”), from Proto-Japonic *kapa (“skin; bark”).

てぃぬ かー はぎるた しかま きー ぶたんどー

The more I rip out the skin of my hands, the more work I have to do...

うちぬ かーぬ んぬん うってぃ ぶー ’かい ぶる

We perform by doing stick dancing by sounding the drums made from cow leather.

skin; bark; the outer part of living things


きるん

According to DMJ (2021:127-128), it is probably derived from an irregular sound change, where this hypothesis suggests cognancy with Japanese する (suru, “to do”):
[*se->ser->sir->kir-]

しかま きるん

かだい きるん

ひゃぐまんや きるん


はなだぎ

→ Japanese: 花酒 (hanasake, hanazake)

Compound of はな (hana) + さぎ (sagi, “rice wine, sake”). According to the Dunanmunui Jiten, はな (hana) does not mean "flower" but "first", reminiscent of Proto-Ryukyuan *pana (“beginning, start”); if this is correct, than the use of 花 "flower" to spell hana would be ateji (当て字).
Other sources also record a reading hanadaki and hanazaki.

m+

てぃんだばなに はなだぎ ぬみ あんびぶたる ’とぅか゚ ぶでぃきーだたなはん ばんだしや うってぃひたんでぃど

They said people who drank hanadagi at Tinbana and danced, tripped and fell on their feet!

tindabanani hanadagi numi anbibutaru ’tu'nga budikīdatanahan bandashiya uttihitandido

はなだぎや みっくきどぅ ぬむどー

花酒: a first type of strong sake served after distilling awamori, 60% being alcohol


みどぅ

From Proto-Ryukyuan *mizo, from Proto-Japonic *minsə.
Various sources record different variations of the word:
* Miyanaga (1930:260) records ミドゥ (1930 IPA: [m’idu]).
* Hirayama (1964:51) records /_midu/[midu].
* Hirayama (1967:332) records /midu/ [midu], as a translation of Japanese 川 (kawa, “river”).
* HDOBK (1987:15) cites Ndu ンドゥ from Toshizo Takahashi's 1974 field notes. HDOBK (1987:230) also cites midu ミドゥ from Hayami Ikehara's 1982 field notes.
* Uwano (2010:28) records Ndu= [ǹdú].
* Uwano (2016:127) records Ndu= [ǹdú].
* DMJ (2021:304) records みどぅ .
* Pellard (2024:03) records [ndú].

うぶあみ ふいんがしや むたぬんがら みどぅ さらいうとぅぎー

Since (there is trouble/lit. if it rains, we cannot hold it), get up and (clean it/lit. sweep it into the ditch).

ubuami fuingashiya mutanungara midu saraiutugī


ぐや

Likely an irregular change of Proto-Ryukyuan elements *niga (“bitter”) + *ori (“melon”), or borrowed from Okinawan ごーやー (gōyā).
Cognate with Kunigami ごーやー (gōyā, “bitter melon”, Nakijin-Yonamine dialect), Okinawan ごーやー (gōyā, “bitter melon, crippled foot”, Shuri dialect), Miyako ごーら (gōra, “bitter melon”, Irabu-Nakachi dialect).

cog

ぐやや んだみてぃ チャンプルー いたり ひちたてぃ んだみてぃ さしみとぅ まどぅん はいば まーんど

I slice bitter melon to use as chanpuru; slicing thin, when I eat it together with sashimi, it is delicious.

guyaya ndamiti chanpurū itari hichitati ndamiti sashimitu madun haiba māndo


んむ

んむか゚ うぶさびてぃ ’くゆ なんどぅ んなにぬん

It was so cloudy, that I can't see much of the moon.


んむん

From Proto-Ryukyuan *kum-. Possibly related to Japanese 踏む (fumu), which means "to wear clothes" in Kyushu dialects, but the sound change to *k- in Proto-Ryukyuan is irregular.

あちだんむん

すーや がっくんき あらぐつ んみ ひんだんぎ

Today, I will go to school wearing my new shoes.

すか゚てぃ ないか゚しや あがみてぃんたや あらあちだ んみてぃ たくあぎ あんびたん

On New Years, my child wears new geta shoes, and flies a kite (around).

su'ngati nai'ngashiya agamitintaya arāchida nmiti takuagi anbitan

(transitive) to wear (footwear, such as shoes)


んむん

From Proto-Ryukyuan *kum-. Possibly related to Japanese 踏む (fumu, “to tread”), but the sound change to *k- in Proto-Ryukyuan is irregular.

うま んむんなよ

(transitive, preceding a noun) to tread on; to step on (...)


んむん

あく゚いし うだ んむん

to produce woven bags from the sugar palms


うやんとぅ

Cognate with Yaeyama うやんちゅ (uyanchu), Okinawan っうぇんちゅ ('wenchu), Kunigami えんちゅー (enchū).

うやんとぅんきんなに ぷいつぁり

うやんとぅや すとぅうやんでぃどぅ んだりぶる

It was said that the rat was a relative of a mother-in-law.


いとぅる

From an earlier *ik-i-wor-o > *icyoro > ituru; literally "go-INF-be-ATTR".

はるやんき いとぅるた ぱか゚い とぅいこー

When you've gone to the field barn, go and take the hoe.


うさんぎ

うさんぎや だまみんき あいたらし まぎるんでいなー

usangiya damaminki aitarashi magirundeinā


うどぅる

From Proto-Ryukyuan *uzura, from Proto-Japonic *untura; the final syllable likely changed through vowel assimilation.

うどぅるぬ うやや あがみ うむい

The quail's parent has childhood memories.


ぐにてぃ

Unknown. The Dunanmunui Jiten does not give any etymology. It may be speculated to be a compound of ぐ (gu, “five? afterwards?”) + にてぃ (niti, “days”).