🌏 Region(s): Ryukyu (Okinawa)
な : na | define meaning
na
Pronunciation: [na]
Definition
Particle
- Particle that marks the genitive or possessive case and generally indicates from what something comes. Of; -s'; made from; that comes from; sourced from.
- まーみなくー【豆な粉】
maami-na-kuu
"roasted soybean flour" (lit. 'flour of beans') - むじなくー【麦な粉】
muji-na-kuu
"wheat flour" (lit. 'flour of wheat') - かーみなくー【亀な甲】
kaami-na-kuu
"tortoiseshell" (lit. 'shell of turtle')
- まーみなくー【豆な粉】
Etymology
Possibly from a reduced form of the construction *ni aru → *naru → na, speculated to also be the origin of the attributive copula な na used with adjectives in Japanese.
Historical Ryukyuan attestations
- Sprachproben von Lieu-Kieu (1810), by Julius Klaproth, records the examples "Cypresse, mazu-nagiï", "Schildpatt, ho ynago", "Jaspis, umana tama", "Coralle, jamana tama".
- Vocabulary of the language spoken at the Great Loo-Choo Island, in the Japan Sea (1818), by Herbert John Clifford, records the example "Path, Yamána meetchee".
Notes
Appears limited to fixed terms and expressions.
Spelling
| Orthography | Form |
|---|---|
| Kana | な |
| Romanization | na |
| Pronunciation (IPA) | [na] |
意味：（助詞）の、な、なる、ゆらいの【由来の】
Categories:
な
Cite this entry: Read, Zachary. (2025, November 21). な : na | define meaning. JLect: Japonic Languages and Dialects Database. Retrieved 2026, October 1, from https://www.jlect.com/entry/7858/na/.