From TheBestLinks.com
Okinawan (Okinawan Uchinaaguchi) is a Ryukyuan language spoken in Japan on the southern island of Okinawa, as well as the surrounding islands of Kerama, Kume-jima, Tonaki, Aguni, and a number of smaller islands located to the east of the main island of Okinawa. It is divided into three main dialects: Northern (Kunigami dialect of Kunigami), Central (Standard, Shuri-Naha), and Southern. Okinawan split off from Old Japanese some time between the 6th and 12th centuries. The Shuri dialect was standardized during the era of the Ryukyuan Kingdom, during the reign of King Sho Shin (1477-1526). It was the official language used by royalty and aristocracy. All of the songs and poems in the language from that era are written in the Shuri dialect.
Hiragana for Okinawan
When written in the Japanese syllabary Hiragana, the sound values are not the same as their regular Japanese values:
- え⇒I
- お⇒U
- け⇒KI
- こ⇒KU
- せ⇒SI
- そ⇒SU
- て⇒TI
- と⇒TU
- ね⇒NI
- の⇒NU
- へ⇒HI
- ほ⇒HU
- め⇒MI
- も⇒MU
- よ⇒YU
- れ⇒RI
- ろ⇒RU
- ゑ⇒WI
- を⇒WU
- げ⇒GI
- ご⇒GU
- ぜ⇒ZI
- ぞ⇒ZU
- で⇒DI
- ど⇒DU
- べ⇒BI
- ぺ⇒PI
- ぼ⇒BU
- ぽ⇒PU
- あい⇒EE
- あう⇒OO
- かい⇒KEE
- かう⇒KOO
- さい⇒SEE
- さう⇒SOO
- たい⇒TEE
- たう⇒TOO
- ない⇒NEE
- なう⇒NOO
- はい⇒HEE
- はう⇒HOO
- まい⇒MEE
- まう⇒MOO
- やい⇒YEE
- やう⇒YOO
- らい⇒REE
- らう⇒ROO
- わい⇒WEE
- わう⇒WOO
- がい⇒GEE
- がう⇒GOO
- ざい⇒ZEE
- ざう⇒ZOO
- だい⇒DEE
- だう⇒DOO
- ばい⇒BEE
- ぱい⇒PEE
- ばう⇒BOO
- ぱう⇒POO
- くわ⇒KWA
- くい⇒KWI
- くゐ⇒KWI
- くえ⇒KWI
- くゑ⇒KWI
- くわい⇒KWEE
- くあい⇒KWEE
- ぐわ⇒GWA
- ぐい⇒GWI
- ぐゐ⇒GWI
- ぐえ⇒GWI
- ぐゑ⇒GWI
- ぐわい⇒GWEE
- ぐあい⇒GWEE
etc.
de:Ryukyuanische Sprache
fr:Okinawais
ja:琉球語
zh:琉球語
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