🌏 Region(s): Ryukyu (Okinawa)

うしさん【遅い・鈍い・晩い・遲い】 : ushisan | define meaning

ushisan

Pronunciation: [ʔuɕisaŋ̍]

Definition

Sa-Adjective

Late
1. とぅちうしくなとーん【時遅く成とーん】
  tuchi ushiku natoon
  "It is getting late"

Etymology

Cognate with standard Japanese おそい【遅い・鈍い・晩い・遲い】 osoi "slow; late".

Spelling

Orthography	Form
Kanji	遅い鈍い晩い遲い
Kana	うしさん
Romanization	ushisan
Pronunciation (IPA)	[ʔuɕisaŋ̍]

Verb Paradigm

Central Okinawan sa (ku)-type adjective: **ushisan**
		Imperfective	Perfective	Negative	Negative Perfective
Indicative	PRED	ushisan	ushisatan	ushikoo neen, ushikoo neeran	ushikoo neentan, ushikoo neerantan
Indicative	ATT	ushisaru	ushisataru	ushikoo neen, ushikoo neeran	ushikoo neentaru, ushikoo neerantaru

Base forms
Form	Construction
Root	ushi-
Dictionary	ushisan
Attributive or Adnominal	ushisaru
Apocopated (indicative imperfective)	ushisa-
Noun form	ushisa
Adverbial form	ushiku
Topicalized adverbial form	ushikoo
Topicalized adverbial form	ushikoo
Conjunctive	ushisati
Continuative	ushisai
Conditional	ushisaree
Provisional conditional	ushisaraa
Consequential	ushisanu

Common conjunctive constructions
Form	Construction
Concessive conditional	ushiti-n

Common adverbial constructions
Form	Construction
To become...	ushiku nain

Common apocopated constructions
Form	Construction
Concessive	ushisa-shiga
Topicalized concessive	ushisaa-a-shiga
Cause-effect	ushisa-kutu
Nominalized	ushisa-shi
Inferential	ushisa sun
Questions	ushisa-ga

Other constructions
Form		Imperfective	Perfective	Negative	Negative perfective
Polite	PRED	ushisayabiyun†, ushisayabiin†, ushisaibiyun†, ushisaibiin	ushisayabitan†, ushisaibitan	ushikoo neeyabiran†, ushikoo neebiran	ushikoo neeyabirantan†, ushikoo neebirantan
Polite	ATT	ushisayabiyuru†, ushisayabiiru†, ushisaibiyuru†, ushisaibiiru	ushisayabitaru, ushisaibitaru	ushikoo neeyabiran†, ushikoo neebiran	ushikoo neeyabirantaru†, ushikoo neebirantaru
Polar questions	PRED	ushisami	ushisatii	ushikoo neeni, ushikoo neerani	ushikoo neentii, ushikoo neerantii
Conjecture	PRED	ushisan nee sun	ushisatan nee sun	ushikoo neen nee sun, ushikoo neeran nee sun	ushikoo neentan nee sun, ushikoo neerantan nee sun

† These forms are considered literary.

Adjective paradigms are based off several sources including, but not limited to:

Funatsu, Yoshiaki. (1988). 美しい沖縄の方言①. [Utsukushii Okinawa no kotoba 1]. ISBN4-905784-19-0.
Sakihara, Mitsugu. (2006). Okinawan-English Wordbook. University of Hawai'i Press, Honolulu. ISBN: 0824831020.
Shizato, Rumiko and Iwasaki, Shoichi. (2024). Basic Okinawan: From Conversation to Grammar. University of Hawai'i Press, Honolulu. ISBN: 9780824893651.

意味：おそい【遅い・鈍い・晩い・遲い】

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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. (2026, June 21). うしさん【遅い・鈍い・晩い・遲い】 : ushisan | define meaning. JLect: Japonic Languages and Dialects Database. Retrieved 2026, June 26, from https://www.jlect.com/entry/7904/ushisan/.