Okinawan Japanese

An example of Okinawan Japanese Kōhī shāpu, from English "coffee shop", instead of Kōhī shoppu in standard Japanese.

Okinawan Japanese (ウチナーヤマトグチ, ウチナーヤマトゥグチ, 沖縄大和口, Uchinā Yamato-guchi, Uchinā Yamatu-guchi^?) is the Japanese language as spoken by people of Okinawa Prefecture. Okinawan Japanese's accents and words are influenced by traditional Ryukyuan languages. Okinawan Japanese has some loanwords from American English due to the United States administration after the Battle of Okinawa.

Vocabulary and phrase

• haisai (はいさい) - hello. from Ryukyuan.
• ... sā (さー) - sentence final particle. from Japanese.
• aga! (あがっ!) - ouch! from Ryukyuan.
• dēji (でーじ) - very, terribly. from Ryukyuan.
• shini (しに) - very. also shinikan (しにかん) in North Okinawa. new word by young Okinawan.
• wajiru (わじる) - stream up. from Ryukyuan.
• furā (ふらー) - foolish. from Ryukyuan.
• -(sa)rin dō (さりんどー) - I will ... to you! from Japanese -(sa)reru zo "You will be ...ed".
• wārā (ワーラー) - water. from English.
• shāpu (シャープ) - shop. from English.
• ritchā (リッチャー) - rich person. from English rich and Ryukyuan -ā "-ist"
• dakara yō (だからよー) - that's it, yeah. from Japanese "because of".
• -mashō ne (ましょうね) - I will ... from Japanese "Let's ..."
• dāru (だある) - That's it. from Japanese dearu formal copula.
• jōtō (じょーとー, 上等) - Good. from Japanese.