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🌏 Region(s): Ryukyu (Yoron)

とーとぅがなし・とおとぅがなし【尊尊我無・尊々我無・尊加那志】

tootuganashi

Pronunciation: [toːtuɡanaɕi]

Definition

Expression

  1. An expression of gratitude and appreciation: "Thank you," "Thank you very much".
  2. An expression used when meeting someone to respectfully acknowledge their presence or arrival. "Nice to meet you", "It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance"
    1. 【ようこそ与論島へ。尊尊我無。】
      ようこそよろんじまへ。とーとぅがなし
      Youkoso yoronjima e. Tootuganashi.
      "Welcome to Yoron Island. It's a pleasure to have you here."

Etymology

The kanji form 尊尊我無 indicates that the expression is composed of:

  1. とーとぅ tootu, which likely derives from the Old Japanese term たふと【尊】 tafuto (とうと touto in modern Japanese, considered archaic), meaning something of great value or importance; or its adverbial form たふとく【尊く】 tafutoku (とうとく toutoku or たっとく tattoku in modern Japanese);
  2. 【我】 ga, meaning one's self; and
  3. なし【無し】 nashi, meaning "without".

It is also possible that がなし -ganashi stems from the rendaku form of かなし kanashi, the root for "sadness" and "sorrow" in standard Japanese or "love" and "endearment" in Okinawan.

Spelling

OrthographyForm
Kanji尊尊我無
尊々我無
尊加那志
Kanaとーとぅがなし
とおとぅがなし
Romanizationtootuganashi
Pronunciation (IPA)[toːtuɡanaɕi]

意味:ありがとう【有難う・有り難う・有賀等】

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尊尊我無
Cite this entry: Read, Zachary. (2019, October 15). とーとぅがなし・とおとぅがなし【尊尊我無・尊々我無・尊加那志】 : tootuganashi | define meaning. JLect: Japonic Languages and Dialects Database. Retrieved 2025, January 7, from https://www.jlect.com/entry/53/tootuganashi/.