🌏 Region(s): Ryukyu (Okinawa)

わらび【童】 : warabi | define meaning

warabi

Pronunciation: [waɾabi]

Definition

Noun

Child, children; kid
1. わらびんちゃー【童んちゃー】
  warabinchaa
  "children"
2. わらびとーわらーりーしが、じんとーわらーらん【童とー笑らーりーしが、銭とー笑らーらん】
  warabi too waraarii shiga, jin too waraaran
  (Proverb) "You can share a smile with a child, but you cannot share a smile with money"

Etymology

Cognate with standard Japanese わらべ【童】 warabe "child".

Historical Ryukyuan attestations

Vocabulary of the language spoken at the Great Loo-Choo Island, in the Japan Sea (1818), by Herbert John Clifford, records "Child (infant). Wórrabee", "Child, male (literally man-child). I'ckkeega wórrabee", "Child, female (literally woman-child). Innágo wórrabee".

Notes

Variant: わらばー【童】 warabaa "child, children".

Spelling

Orthography	Form
Kanji	童
Kana	わらび
Romanization	warabi
Pronunciation (IPA)	[waɾabi]

意味：こども【子供】、わらべ【童】

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Tags: Okinawan Language, Uchinaaguchi, Ryukyuan Languages, 沖縄方言, 沖縄語, うちなーぐち, 沖縄口, 琉球方言, 琉球語...

Cite this entry: Read, Zachary. (2025, November 30). わらび【童】 : warabi | define meaning. JLect: Japonic Languages and Dialects Database. Retrieved 2025, December 5, from https://www.jlect.com/entry/44/warabi/.