🌏 Region(s): Ryukyu (Okinawa)

からはーい【唐針】 : karahaai | define meaning

karahaai

Pronunciation: [kaɾahaːi]

Definition

Noun

(Navigational instrument) Compass

Etymology

From から【唐】 kara "China" and はーい【針】 haai "needle".

Historical Ryukyuan attestations

Vocabulary of the language spoken at the Great Loo-Choo Island, in the Japan Sea (1818), by Herbert John Clifford, records "Watch, Kárahigh", "Compass, Kárahigh, or Kássee toóee ‡ The compass was generally called Kassee tooee, which two words signify wind and a cock or fowl; but the landsmen called it Karahigh, which signifies a watch".

Spelling

Orthography	Form
Kanji	唐針
Kana	からはーい
Romanization	karahaai
Pronunciation (IPA)	[kaɾahaːi]

意味：らしんばん【羅針盤】、らしんぎ【羅針儀】

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唐針

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, October 13). からはーい【唐針】 : karahaai | define meaning. JLect: Japonic Languages and Dialects Database. Retrieved 2025, December 5, from https://www.jlect.com/entry/7701/karahaai/.