🌏 Region(s): Ryukyu (Okinawa)
あたく : ataku | define meaning
ataku
Pronunciation: [ʔataku]
Definition
Noun
- (Obsolete) Japanese cormorant (Phalacrocorax capillatus sp.); Temminck's cormorant
Etymology
Cognate with Miyako あたふ atafu; Yaeyama あたく ataku; Yaeyama (Ishigaki) あたぐ atagu; and Yonaguni あたぐ atagu "cormorant".
Possibly related to Chinese 【鵜鶘・鹈鹕】 "pelican" (cf. Mandarin tíhú; Cantonese tai4 wu4; Hokkien thê-ô͘; Eastern Min dà̤-hù; Sino-Korean 제호 jeho), reconstructed for Middle Chinese as *dej hu.
Historical Ryukyuan attestations
- 沖縄語典 Okinawa goten (Okinawan language dictionary) (1896), by Masayo Nakamoto, records "「あたく」鵜（ウ）、鴉ニ似タリ".
Notes
Based on description, this word may have also referred to the Great cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo sp.).
Spelling
| Orthography | Form |
|---|---|
| Kana | あたく |
| Romanization | ataku |
| Pronunciation (IPA) | [ʔataku] |
意味：うみう・ウミウ【海鵜】、う・ウ【鵜】
Categories:
あたく
Cite this entry: Read, Zachary. (2025, October 21). あたく : ataku | define meaning. JLect: Japonic Languages and Dialects Database. Retrieved 2025, December 5, from https://www.jlect.com/entry/7751/ataku/.