Etymology
The name Ryūkyū originates from Chinese writings, while "Okinawa" was coined in Okinawa. The earliest references to "Ryūkyū" write the name as 琉虬 (Mandarin Pinyin: Líuqíu; Jyutping: Lau4kau4) in the Chinese history Book of Sui in 607. It is a descriptive name, meaning "glazed horn-dragon".
The origin of the term "Okinawa" remains unclear, though there was a divine woman named Okinawa in the book Omoro Soshi, a compilation of ancient poems and songs from Okinawa. This suggests the presence of a divine place named Okinawa. The Chinese monk Jianzhen, who traveled to Japan in the mid-8th century CE to promote Buddhism, wrote of the Okinawa as 阿児奈波 (pinyin: A'érnàibō; Cantonese Jyutping: Aa2ngai4noi6bo1 ; Japanese: Ajinawa, Aninawa). The current Chinese characters (kanji) for Okinawa – 沖縄 – were first written in 1719 by Arai Hakuseki, a Japanese scholar, in the book Record of Southern Islands.
Read more about this topic: History Of The Ryukyu Islands
Famous quotes containing the word etymology:
“The universal principle of etymology in all languages: words are carried over from bodies and from the properties of bodies to express the things of the mind and spirit. The order of ideas must follow the order of things.”
—Giambattista Vico (1688–1744)
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