🌏 Region(s): Ryukyu (Okinawa)

うら【裏】 : ura | define meaning

ura

Pronunciation: [ʔuɾa]

Definition

Noun

Reverse side; opposite side; back; rear; behind; bottom; underside
Opposite; reverse; contrary
Toilet; bathroom; lavatory; restroom
1. うらーまーやいびーが。【裏ーまーやいびーが。】
  uraa maa yaibiiga.
  "Where's the toilet?", "Where's the bathroom?"

Etymology

Cognate with standard Japanese うら【裏】 ura "back, reverse".

Historical Ryukyuan attestations

A Voyage of Discovery to the North Pacific Ocean, 1795-1798 (1804), by William Robert Broughton, records "Orra, The hand".
沖縄語典 Okinawa goten (Okinawan language dictionary) (1896), by Masayo Nakamoto, records "「うら」裏（ウラ）、裡".

Spelling

Orthography	Form
Kanji	裏
Kana	うら
Romanization	ura
Pronunciation (IPA)	[ʔuɾa]

意味：うら【裏】、はんたい【反対】、べんじょ【便所】

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Categories:

Bathroom

裏

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, February 8). うら【裏】 : ura | define meaning. JLect: Japonic Languages and Dialects Database. Retrieved 2025, December 5, from https://www.jlect.com/entry/900/ura/.