🌏 Region(s): Ryukyu (Kunigami: Benoki, Okinawa)
ごーやー【苦瓜】 : gooyaa | define meaning
gooyaa
Pronunciation: [ɡoːjaː]
Definition
Noun
- Bitter melon (Momordica charantia), also known as the bitter gourd, or locally as the goya. It is a common ingredient in Okinawan cuisine, especially in Chanpuru stir fries.
- ごーやーちゃんぷるー
gooyaa chanpuruu
"Bitter melon stir fry", "Goya Chanpuru"
- ごーやーちゃんぷるー
Etymology
Cognate to Kagoshima にがごい nigagoi; Miyazaki にがごり nigagori; and standard Japanese にがうり【苦瓜】 nigauri "bitter melon". The expected Okinawan reflex would be *ngooi, which may have assimilated to *gooi and eventually featured the Okinawan nominalizing or diminutive suffix -a(a).
Notes
Fija Byron on the pronunciation of "Goya":
意味：にがうり・ニガウリ【苦瓜】、つるれいし・ツルレイシ【蔓茘枝】、ゴーヤー、ゴーヤ