Kunigami language

The Kunigami language (Kunigami: 山原言葉, Yanbaru kutūba) is an endangered Ryukyuan language spoken in the Kunigami area of Okinawa, Japan.

Japan calls it a dialect while most linguists put Kunigami as its own language within the Ryukyuan languages group.

Kunigami is somewhat understandable to people who speak the Okinawan language. However, Japanese speakers wouldn’t be able to understand Kunigami. There are also different dialects of Kunigami, such as the one on Okinoerabu.

 Phrases 

 Okinoerabu dialect 
Thank you. = みへでぃろ。(Mihediro).

Welcome. = うがみやぶら。/ めんしょーり。(Ugamiyabura. / Menshoori.)

 Music 
A famous sanshin song known as “Aha Bushi” is sung in Kunigami.

 Related pages 

 Ryukyuan languages
 Okinawan languages

 References 

Category:Ryukyuan languages
Category:Languages of Asia
Category:Japan