🌏 Region(s): Ryukyu (Okinawa)
あんまー・あんまあ : anmaa | define meaning
anmaa
Pronunciation: [ʔam̩maː]
Definition
Noun
- (Familiar) A term used to refer to one's own mother. Mom; mum; mama; momma; mother.
Etymology
Cognate with Miyako あんな anna; Yaeyama あっぱ appa; and Yonaguni あぶだ・あぶた abuda ~ abuta "mom, mother".
Historical Ryukyuan attestations
- Essay in Aid of a Grammar and Dictionary of the Luchuan Language (1895), by Basil Hall Chamberlain, records "Ammā, mother,—so called by the lower classes, who also apply the term to a man's mistress. The upper classes sometimes use it in the sense of nurse: mma nu ammā, the woman of the house. (Archaic Jap. omo?)".
Spelling
| Orthography | Form |
|---|---|
| Kana | あんまー あんまあ |
| Romanization | anmaa |
| Pronunciation (IPA) | [ʔam̩maː] |
意味：おかあさん【お母さん】
Categories:
あんまー
Cite this entry: Read, Zachary. (2025, September 6). あんまー・あんまあ : anmaa | define meaning. JLect: Japonic Languages and Dialects Database. Retrieved 2025, December 5, from https://www.jlect.com/entry/496/anmaa/.