Yonaguni talk · Languages in Yonaguni
All Destinations | Europe | Asia | North America | Africa | South America | Oceania | Hotels
Languages in Yonaguni
Languages in Yonaguni
Yonaguni is notorious for its local language, brewed in isolation for centuries, which even those from mainland Okinawa find utterly incomprehensible. Pronunciation can be a bit easier than that of neighboring Miyako islands, though, as the central vowels and word-final consonants are absent here. Language buffs can pick up Nae Ikema's Yonaguni-go Jiten (与那国語辞典) at the airport shop.
The only words the casual visitor is likely to run into though are waːriː (ワーリー) and fugarassa (フガラッサ), Yonaguni for "welcome" and "thank you", respectively, as standard Japanese is spoken by practically everybody (the locals are bilingual), and Chinese is understood by some as Taiwanese TV and radio can be picked up on the island.
See also: Yonaguni phrasebook
The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Yonaguni
Where To Stay & Best Hotels in Yonaguni - updated Apr 2024
SAVE up to 75% on Last Minute deals! Search for discount Yonaguni hotels, motels, apartments, hostels, guest accommodations and vacation resorts. Book now and pay at the hotel. Instant email confirmation!
>>> SEARCH FOR DEALS <<<
WHERE TO TRAVEL NEXT IN 2020
Yonaguni Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.