Although generally agreed among
linguists to be a distinct language, most Japanese, as well as some Okinawans, tend to think of Okinawan as merely a regional dialect of
Japanese, even though it is not
intelligible to monolingual Japanese speakers.[1] Modern Okinawan is not written frequently. When it is,
the Japanese writing system is generally used in an ad hoc manner. There is no standard
orthography for the modern language. Nonetheless, there are a few systems used by scholars and laypeople alike. None of them are widely used by native speakers, but represent the language with less ambiguity than the ad hoc conventions. The Roman alphabet in some form or another is used in some publications, especially those of an academic nature.
Systems
Conventional usages
The modern conventional ad hoc spellings found in Okinawa.
Council system
The system devised by the Council for the Dissemination of Okinawan Dialect (
沖縄方言普及協議会).
[1]
University of the Ryukyus system
This system was devised by
Okinawa Center of Language Study, a section of
University of the Ryukyus. Unlike others, this method is intended purely as a phonetic guidance, and basically only uses
katakana. For the sake of an easier comparison, corresponding hiragana are used in this article.
New Okinawan letters
新沖縄文字 (Shin Okinawa-moji), devised by Yoshiaki Funazu (船津好明, Funazu Yoshiaki), in his textbook Utsukushii Okinawa no Hōgen (美しい沖縄の方言; "The beautiful Okinawan Dialect";
ISBN4-905784-19-0). The rule applies to hiragana only. Katakana is used as in Japanese; just like in the conventional usage of Okinawan.
Basic syllables and kai-yōon (palatalized syllables)
i
u
e
o
ya
yu
yo
(Initial) 1
[i] [ji]
[u] [wu]
[e] [je]
[o] [wo]
[ja]
[ju]
[jo]
(Elsewhere)
(Not used) 2
Conventional
い
う をぅ
え いぇ
お を うぉ
や
ゆ
よ
Council
ゆぃ
をぅ
ゆぇ
を
Ryukyu Univ.
ゐ
え
New Okinawan
い゙
え゙
'
'a a
'i i
'u u
'e e
'o o
'ya
'yu
'yo
(Initial) 1
[ʔa]
[ʔi]
[ʔu]
[ʔe]
[ʔo]
[ʔja]
[ʔju]
[ʔjo]
(Elsewhere)
[a]
[i] [ji]
[u] [wu]
[e] [je]
[o] [wo]
Conventional
あ
い
う
え いぇ
お うぉ
や
ゆ
よ
Council
え
お
っや
っゆ
っよ
Ryukyu Univ.
いぇ
いゃ
いゅ
いょ
New Okinawan
え
k
ka
ki
ku
ke
ko
kya
[ka]
[ki]
[ku]
[ke]
[ko]
[kja]
か
き
く
け
こ
きゃ
g
ga
gi
gu
ge
go
gya
[ɡa]
[ɡi]
[ɡu]
[ɡe]
[ɡo]
[ɡja]
が
ぎ
ぐ
げ
ご
ぎゃ
s
sa
si
(s-i)
su
(sye)
se
so
sya
syu
[sa]
[ʃi]
[su]
[ʃe]
[so]
[ʃa]
[ʃu]
Others
さ
し
す
しぇ
そ
しゃ
しゅ
Ryukyu Univ.
し すぃ
しぇ せ
t
ta
ti
tu
te
to
[ta]
[ti]
[tu]
[te]
[to]
Others
た
てぃ
とぅ
て
と
New Okinawan
d
da
di
du
de
do
[da]
[di]
[du]
[de]
[do]
Others
だ
でぃ
どぅ
で
ど
New Okinawan
ts
tsi
tsu
[tsi] [tʂi]
[tsu]
Ryukyu Univ.
つぃ
つ
z
za
zi
(dzi)
zu
(dzu)
ze
zo
[dza]
[dzi] [dʐi]
[dzu]
[dze]
[dzo]
Others
ざ
じ
ず
ぜ
ぞ
Ryukyu Univ.
づぃ
ず づ
ty c
tya ca
tyi ci
tyu cu
tye ce
tyo co
[tʃa]
[tʃi]
[tʃu]
[tʃe]
[tʃo]
ちゃ
ち
ちゅ
ちぇ
ちょ
zy
dy
zya
dya
zyi
dyi
zyu
dyu
zye
dye
zyo
dyo
[dʒa]
[dʒi]
[dʒu]
[dʒe]
[dʒo]
Others
じゃ
じ
じゅ
じぇ
じょ
Ryukyu Univ.
じゃ ぢゃ
じ ぢ
じゅ ぢゅ
じぇ ぢぇ
じょ ぢょ
n
na
ni
nu
ne
no
nya
nyu
[na]
[ɲi]
[nu]
[ne]
[no]
[ɲa]
[ɲu]
な
に
ぬ
ね
の
にゃ
にゅ
h
ha
hi
hu
hwu
he
ho
hya
hyu
hyo
[ha]
[çi]
[ɸu]
[çe]
[ho]
[ça]
[çu]
[ço]
は
ひ
ふ
へ
ほ
ひゃ
ひゅ
ひょ
b
ba
bi
bu
be
bo
bya
byu
byo
[ba]
[bi]
[bu]
[be]
[bo]
[bja]
[bju]
[bjo]
ば
び
ぶ
べ
ぼ
びゃ
びゅ
びょ
p
pa
pi
pu
pe
po
pya
pyu
[pa]
[pi]
[pu]
[pe]
[po]
[pja]
[pju]
ぱ
ぴ
ぷ
ぺ
ぽ
ぴゃ
ぴゅ
m
ma
mi
mu
me
mo
mya
myu
myo
[ma]
[mi]
[mu]
[me]
[mo]
[mja]
[mju]
[mjo]
ま
み
む
め
も
みゃ
みゅ
みょ
r
ra
ri
ru
re
ro
[ɾa]
[ɾi]
[ɾu]
[ɾe]
[ɾo]
ら
り
る
れ
ろ
1: At the beginning of a word.
2: University of the Ryukyus system is an exception, always using ゐ, をぅ, え, を (ヰ, ヲゥ, エ, ヲ) for [i], [u], [e], [o], and い, う, いぇ, お (イ, ウ, イェ, オ) for [ʔi], [ʔu], [ʔe], [ʔo], respectively.
5:
Chōon (
longer vowels): In conventional usages, longer vowels are sometimes spelled like in mainland Japanese as well; "ou" (おう) for ō, doubled kana for others. (e.g. うう for ū.)
沖縄県における「しまくとぅば」の表記について (Trans.: About the notation of "Shimakutuba" in Okinawa Prefecture), March 2020. Department of Culture, Tourism and Sports, Okinawa Prefecture.