🌏 Region(s): Ryukyu (Okinawa)
やか : yaka | define meaning
yaka
Pronunciation: [jaka]
Definition
Particle
- Than; more than; greater than; rather than
- くりやかー、あれーまし【くりやかー、あれー増し】
kuri yakaa, aree mashi
"That one is better than this one" (adapted from Chamberlain, 1895) - かじふぃーじーやかんしじかやてぃ【風平生やかん静かやてぃ】
kaji fiijii yaka n shijika yati
"There being even less wind than usual", "The wind is even calmer than usual" (adapted from Chamberlain, 1895)
- くりやかー、あれーまし【くりやかー、あれー増し】
- From; beginning from; starting from
Etymology
Cognate with Kagoshima よっか yokka and よか yoka; Koshikijima よきゃあ yokyaa and ゆうきゃあ yuukyaa; Koshikijima and northern Tanegashima よいか yoika; Kunigami (Benoki) よーかー yookaa; Okinawan (Shuri) やか yaka and ゆか yuka; and standard Japanese より yori and よりか yorika.
Historical Ryukyuan attestations
- Essay in Aid of a Grammar and Dictionary of the Luchuan Language (1895), by Basil Hall Chamberlain, records "When, however, a comparison must perforce be made, it is managed by means of the word yakā (Aggregated Form, yakang), 'than'".
Spelling
| Orthography | Form |
|---|---|
| Kana | やか |
| Romanization | yaka |
| Pronunciation (IPA) | [jaka] |
意味：（助詞）より、よりか
Categories:
やか
Cite this entry: Read, Zachary. (2026, September 27). やか : yaka | define meaning. JLect: Japonic Languages and Dialects Database. Retrieved 2026, October 1, from https://www.jlect.com/entry/5930/yaka/.