くぬ

Okinawan

Alternative spellings
此ぬ 斯ぬ

Etymology

Cognate with mainland Japanese この (kono) and Kagoshima dialect こん (kon).

Pronunciation

• (Shuri-Naha) く​ぬ [kúꜜnù] (Kakō - [1])
• IPA^(key): [kunu]

Adnominal

くぬ (kunu) 

1. (deictically) this... (near the speaker)
2. (anaphorically) this... I am talking about (only the speaker knows)
   • 1992, Kazufumi Miyazawa (lyrics and music), “Shima Uta (Uchināguchi Version) [Island Song (Okinawan version)]”, performed by The Boom:

     くり返(かえ)すくぬ哀(あわ)り島(しま)渡(わた)る波(なみ)ぬぐとぅ

     kurikaesu kunu awari shima wataru nami nu gutu

     To repeat these sorrows, like the island-crossing waves.

Derived terms

• くぬぐる (kunuguru)
• くぬ尺(しゃく) (kunu shaku)
• くぬたき (kunutaki)
• くぬ人(っちゅ) (kunutchu)
• くぬ時(とぅち) (kunu tuchi)
• くぬぐとぅ (kunugutu)
• くぬ世(ゆー) (kunuyū)
• くぬ様(よー) (kunuyō)

 

Related terms

• うぬ (unu, “that”, near addressee)
• あぬ (anu, “that”, far from speaker and addressee)
• ちゃぬ (chanu), じぬ (jinu, “which”)
• くれ (kure, “this one”)
• くま (kuma, “here, this direction”)