I came across an interesting website the other day when looking up the meaning of haisai  (ハイサイ). The site featured an interactive quiz of Uchinaaguchi (沖縄口), or the Okinawan language. Below is a sample of the questions from that quiz.

1. ウケーメー (ukaymay)

◯ おかゆ (Okayu, rice porridge)

◯ しゃもじ (Shamoji, a wooden spoon)

◯ 大変 (Taihen, terrible, awful, grave)

◯ 泥棒 (Dorobo, a thief)

☆ Scroll down for the answer.

2. ワタヤミ (watayami)

◯ お世辞 (o-seji, a compliment, flattery)

◯ 雀（suzume, a sparrow)

◯ 腹痛 (fukutsû, a stomachache)

◯ ニセクロホシフエダイ (nisekuro hoshifuedai, a kind of fish.)

3. カージ (kahji)

◯ ピーナッツ (peanuts)

◯ 扇（ôgi, a folding fan)

◯ 新鮮な魚 (shinsen-na sakana, fresh fish)

◯ 便所 (benjo, W.C., toilet.)

4. ヒィラファグサ (Hiirafagusa) 

◯ 婚約 (konyaku, engagement)

◯ ブダイ (budai, Japanese parrotfish)

◯ アロエ (aroe, aloe vera)

◯ オオバコ (ôbako, Plantago asiatica)

5. エーキンチュ (Ehkinchu) 

◯ よもぎ (yomogi, Japanese mugwort)

◯ ごぼう (gobô, burdock root)

◯ 指 (yubi, finger)

◯ 金持ち (kanemochi, rich wealthy)

 6. ウチナー (uchinah)

◯ 沖縄本島 (Okinawa hontô, the island of Okinawa)

◯ あらまあ (Arama, Oh dear!)

◯ 硫黄 (iô, sulfur)

◯ コバンザメ (kobanzame, live sharksucker)

 7. ワン (Wan)

◯ 俺 (oré, I)

◯ ウデフリクモヒトデ (Udefurikumohitode, a kind of star fish)

◯ バカモノ (Bakamono, idiot, fool)

◯ アイゴの稚魚 (Aigo no chigyo, the small fry of the mottled spinefoot fish)

 

Answers

 

1. ウケーメー (ukay may)

（1）お粥 (おかゆ), o-kayu, or rice porridge.

2. ワタヤミ (watayami)

(3) 腹痛 (fukutsû, a stomachache)

 

3. カージ (kahji)

(2) 扇（ôgi, a folding fan)

In the past the fans were made of kuba leaves and are still called kuba uchiwa today. The fans are also used in religious rites.

 

4. ヒィラファグサ (Hiirafagusa)

(4) オオバコ (ôbako, Plantago asiatica) 

A perennial herb found all over Okinawa, it can be used for medicinal purposes or eaten in a variety of dishes.

5. エーキンチュ (Ehkinchu) 

(5) 金持ち (kanemochi, rich wealthy person)

Anyone familiar with the Okinawan language should have gotten this one. Kin is "gold, money" and chu means "person".

 6. ウチナー (uchinah)

(1) 沖縄本島 (Okinawa hontô, the island of Okinawa)

From a previous posting: I listen to a lot of music from Okinawa and have even written about the song Chinsagu nu Hana in previous posting. The song is sung in a dialect known as Uchinâ Yamato-guchi, the Japanese language as it is spoken in Okinawa with the local accent and words and phrases from both the Ryûkyû language and to some degree American English. The word Uchinâ, by the way, is how “Okinawa” is pronounced by Okinawans (O→U  ki→chi  na→na  wa→a) and one of the first things I was happy to finally clarify. Ask your typical Japanese what Uchinâ means and they’ll either say they’ve never heard of it or venture a guess that it means “us”, “our” or “my”, as in the standard Japanese phrase uchi no (うちの). 

 

 7. ワン (Wan)

(1) 俺 (oré, I)

This word is the also used in Amami Ôshima.

 

Haisai (ハイサイ), by the way, can mean "Hello!" or "How are you doing?" While men say "ハイサイ" (Haisai!), women should say "ハイタイ" (Haitai!).