🌏 Region(s): Ryukyu (Okinawa)

むどぅいん【戻いん】 : muduin | define meaning

muduin

Pronunciation: [muduiŋ̍]

Definition

Verb

To return; to go back; to come back

Etymology

Cognate with standard Japanese もどる【戻る】 modoru "to return".

Historical Ryukyuan attestations

Vocabulary of the language spoken at the Great Loo-Choo Island, in the Japan Sea (1818), by Herbert John Clifford, records "Go, to, on shore. Amáki eéchoong, or moódoeéong".

Spelling

Orthography	Form
Kanji	戻いん
Kana	むどぅいん
New Okinawa Moji	む嬨いん
Romanization	muduin
Pronunciation (IPA)	[muduiŋ̍]

Verb Paradigm

Central Okinawan ru-type verb: **muduyun** ~ **muduin**
		Imperfective	Perfective	Negative	Negative Perfective
Indicative	PRED	muduyun, muduin	mudutan	muduran	mudurantan
	ATT	muduyuru, muduiru	mudutaru
Progressive	PRED	mudutoon	mudutootan	muduteewuran	muduteewurantan
	ATT	mudutooru	mudutootaru
Causative	PRED	mudurasun	mudurachan	mudurasan	mudurasantan
	ATT	mudurasuru	muduracharu
Passive and Potential	PRED	mudurariyun, mudurariin	muduraritan, mudurattan	mudurariran, muduraran	mudurarirantan, muduraratan
	ATT	mudurariyuru, mudurariiru	muduraritaru, mudurattaru
Causative-Passive	PRED	mudurasariyun, mudurasariin	mudurasaritan	mudurasariran	mudurasarirantan
	ATT	mudurasariyuru, mudurasariiru	mudurasariraru
Intransitivizing resultative (For transitive verbs only)	PRED	muduteen	muduteetan	muduteeneen	muduteeneentan
	ATT	muduteeru	muduteetaru
Preparatory	PRED	mudutoochun	mudutoochan	muduteeukan	muduteeukantan
	ATT	mudutoochuru	mudutoocharu

Base forms
Form	Construction
Root	mudur-
Dictionary	muduyun, muduin
Attributive or Adnominal	muduyuru, muduiru
Apocopated (indicative imperfective)	muduyu-, mudui-
Adverbial	mudui
Volitional-Presumptive	mudura
Conjunctive	muduti
Representative	mudutai
Imperative	muduri, muduree
Conditional	muduree

Common attributive (adnominal) constructions
Form	Construction
Conjecture	muduyuru haji, muduiru haji
So as to...	muduyuru gutu, muduiru gutu
Before...	muduyuru mee, muduiru mee
While...	muduyuru qweeda, muduyuru-qweema, muduiru qweeda, muduiru-qweema
Purpose	muduyuru tami ni, muduiru tami ni

Common conjunctive constructions
Form	Construction
Request	muduti-kwimisooree
Benefactive	muduti-kwiin
Completive	muduti-neen
Concessive conditional	muduti-n
After...	muduti-kara
After...	muduti-atu

Common adverbial constructions (adjectival compounds)
Form		Imperfective	Perfective	Negative	Negative perfective
Desiderative	PRED	mudui-busan	mudui-busantan	mudui-bushikoo neen, mudui-bushikoo neeran	mudui-bushikoo neentan, mudui-bushikoo neerantan
Desiderative	ATT	mudui-busaru	mudui-busataru	mudui-bushikoo neen, mudui-bushikoo neeran	mudui-bushikoo neentan, mudui-bushikoo neerantan
Easy to...	PRED	mudui-yassan	mudui-yassantan	mudui-yashikoo neen, mudui-yashikoo neeran	mudui-yashikoo neentan, mudui-yashikoo neerantan
Easy to...	ATT	mudui-yassaru	mudui-yassataru	mudui-yashikoo neen, mudui-yashikoo neeran	mudui-yashikoo neentan, mudui-yashikoo neerantan
Hard to...	PRED	mudui-gurisan	mudui-gurisantan	mudui-gurikoo neen, mudui-gurikoo neeran	mudui-gurikoo neentan, mudui-gurikoo neerantan
Hard to...	ATT	mudui-gurisaru	mudui-gurisataru	mudui-gurikoo neen, mudui-gurikoo neeran	mudui-gurikoo neentan, mudui-gurikoo neerantan

Common adverbial constructions (verbal compounds)
Form		Imperfective	Perfective	Negative	Negative perfective
Exalting	PRED	mudui-misheen, mudu-misheen	mudui-misheentan, mudu-misheentan	mudui-misooran, mudu-misooran	mudui-misoorantan, mudu-misoorantan
Exalting	ATT	mudui-misheeru, mudu-misheeru	mudui-misheetaru, mudu-misheetaru, mudui-misoocharu, mudu-misoocharu	mudui-misooran, mudu-misooran	mudui-misoorantan, mudu-misoorantan

Common adverbial constructions (nominal compounds)
Form	Construction
While (simultaneously)...	mudui-gachii

Common apocopated constructions
Form	Construction
Reported past	muduyu-tan, mudui-tan
Nominalizing	muduyu-shi, mudui-shi
Concessive	muduyu-shiga, mudui-shiga
Cause-effect	muduyu-kutu, mudui-kutu
Prohibitive	muduyu-na, mudui-na
Provisional conditional	muduyu-ra mudui-ra
Questions	muduyu-ga, mudui-ga

Other constructions
Form		Imperfective	Perfective	Negative	Negative perfective
Polite	PRED	muduyabiyun, muduyabiin, muduibiyun, muduibiin	muduyabitan, muduibitan	muduyabiran, muduibiran	muduyabirantan, muduibirantan
Polite	ATT	muduyabiyuru, muduyabiiru, muduibiyuru, muduibiiru	muduyabitaru, muduibitaru	muduyabiran, muduibiran	muduyabirantan, muduibirantan
Polar questions	PRED	muduyumi, muduimi	mudutii	mudurani	mudurantii

Verb 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：もどる【戻る】、かえる【帰る】

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戻いん

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, January 4). むどぅいん【戻いん】 : muduin | define meaning. JLect: Japonic Languages and Dialects Database. Retrieved 2026, February 4, from https://www.jlect.com/entry/8341/muduin/.