Particles
| Preceding syntactic element | Example sentence | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| bikee/biken びけーん | Translates as "only"; limit. For verbs "uppi" is used |
|
| Nouns | rōmaji bikeen nu sumuchi ローマ字びけーんぬ書物。 |
a rōmaji-only book |
| Verbs (volitional) | Ninjibusharu uppi nindin sumabiin. 寝んじ欲しゃるうっぴ寝んでぃん済まびいん。 |
You can sleep as much as you want . |
| wuti/wutooti をぅてぃ・をぅとーてぃ | Indicates the location where an action pertaining to an animate subject takes place. をぅとーてぃ wutooti is the progressive form of をぅてぃ wuti, and both derive from the participle form of the verb をぅん wun "to be, to exist". | |
| Nouns: location | Kuma wutooti yukwibusan. くまをぅとーてぃ憩ぃ欲さん。 |
I want to rest here. |
| nkai んかい | Translates as "to, in"; direction | |
| Nouns: direction | Uchinaa nkai mensooree! 沖縄んかいめんそーれー! |
Welcome to Okinawa! |
| atai あたい | Translates as "as much as", upper limit | |
| Nouns: For nouns yaka is used | Ari yaka yamatuguchi nu jooji ya aran. 彼やか大和口ぬ上手やあらん。 |
My Japanese isn't as good as his |
| Verbs | Unu tatimunoo umuyuru atai takakooneeyabiran うぬ建物ー思ゆるあたい高こーねーやびらん。 |
That building is not as tall as you imagine it to be |
| saani/saai/sshi/shee さーに・さーい・っし・しぇー | Indicates the means by which something is achieved. | |
| Nouns | basusshi ichabira. バスっし行ちゃびら。 |
Let's go by bus |
| Nouns: language | Uchinaaguchisaani tigami kachan. 沖縄口さーに手紙書ちゃん。 |
I wrote the letter in Okinawan. |
| kuru/guru くる・ぐる (頃) | Translates as "around, about, approximately" Kuru functions as an adverb and may be followed by nu. |
|
| Nouns | San-ji guru nkai ichabira. 三時ぐるんかい行ち会びら。 |
Let's meet around 3 o'clock. |
| kuree/guree くれー・ぐれー (位) | Translates as "around, about, approximately" Kuree functions as an adverb and may be followed by ぬ. |
|
| Nouns | Juppun kuree kakayun 十分くれーかかゆん。 |
It takes about 10 minutes. |
| yatin やてぃん | Translates as "even, or, but, however, also in" | |
| Nouns, particles: "even" | Uchuu kara yatin manri-nu-Choojoo nu miiyun. 宇宙からやてぃん万里ぬ長城ぬ見ーゆん。 |
The Great Wall of China can be seen even from space. |
| Nouns: "also in" | Nihon yatin inchirii-n guchi binchoosun 日本やてぃんいんちりーん口を勉強すん。 |
In Japan also, we study English. |
| Beginning of phrase: "but, however, even so". In this case, "yashiga" is commonly used | yashiga, wannee an umuran やしが、我んねーあん思らん。 |
But I don't think so. |
| madi までぃ (迄) | Translates to: "up to, until, as far as" Indicates a time or place as a limit. |
|
| Nouns (specifically places or times) | Kunu denshaa, Shui madi ichabiin. くぬ電車ー、首里までぃ行ちゃびーん。 |
This train goes as far as Shuri. |
| Verbs | Keeru madi machooibiin. 帰るまでぃ待ちょーいびーん。 |
I'll wait until you come home. |
Read more about this topic: Okinawan Language
Famous quotes containing the word particles:
“The atoms of Democritus
And Newton’s particles of light
Are sands upon the Red Sea shore,
Where Israel’s tents do shine so bright.”
—William Blake (1757–1827)
“When was it that the particles became
The whole man, that tempers and beliefs became
Temper and belief and that differences lost
Difference and were one? It had to be
In the presence of a solitude of the self....”
—Wallace Stevens (1879–1955)
“In another’s sentences the thought, though it may be immortal, is as it were embalmed, and does not strike you, but here it is so freshly living, even the body of it not having passed through the ordeal of death, that it stirs in the very extremities, and the smallest particles and pronouns are all alive with it. It is not simply dictionary it, yours or mine, but IT.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)