List of Ainu Terms - A

A

• a- (ア) - a verbal prefix for indicating the passive voice
  • arayke (アラィケ) - to be killed
• aca (アチャ) - father; uncle; a middle-aged man (Ainu aca may mean either "father" or "uncle" depending on the dialect)
  • acapo (アチャポ) - uncle (also acipo アチポ in some dialects)
• ahun (アフン) - to enter
  • ahup (アフㇷ゚) - to enter
• ak （アㇰ）- younger brother (possessed form aki or akihi)
  • ku-aki (クアキ) - my younger brother
• akam (アカㇺ) - a disk, a ring-shaped object
  • turep-akam (トゥレプアカㇺ) - a donut-shaped cake made from the dregs that remain after extracting starch from the bulbs of Cardiocrinum cordatum (the turep-akam is hung up to dry and kept for times when food is scarce)
• am (アㇺ) - claw, talon; nail (of a finger or a toe)
  • ampayaya (アㇺパヤヤ) - crab; cripple, a person whose ambulatory faculty is somehow impaired
  • amuspe (アムㇱペ) - crab
• am
  • amset (アㇺセッ) - bed (for sleeping)
  • amso (アㇺソ) - floor
• amam (アㇺアㇺ、アマㇺ) - cereals, cereal grains; rice (also amama アママ in some dialects; cf. Japanese mama ~ manma "cooked rice")
  • si'amam (シアマㇺ) - rice (also シヤマㇺ siyamam)
• ampari (アンパリ) - netting needle (cf. Japanese amibari ~ abari "netting needle")
• an (アン) - to be (in a certain place), to exist (suppletive plural form is オカィ okay or オカ oka)
• an (アン)
  • ankes (アンケㇱ) - night's end, the time just before daybreak, the predawn hour (< Ainu an "night" + Ainu kes "end")
  • annoski (アンノㇱキ) - midnight (annoske in some Ainu dialects)
• anun (アヌン) - stranger, outsider; guest; another person, someone else('s), not oneself, not one's own
  • anun-kur (アヌンクㇽ) - a person who has come from some other locality or group
• antuki (アントゥキ) - azuki bean (cf. Japanese azuki "azuki bean" < *aduki)
• apa (アパ) - doorway
• ape (アペ) - fire
  • Ape-Huci-Kamuy (アペフチカムィ) - name of the Ainu fire god (literally, "Fire-Grandmother-Deity")
• apkas (アㇷ゚カㇱ) - to walk
• apto (アㇷ゚ト) - rain; storm, thunderstorm (pronounced as ahto in some dialects)
• apu (アプ) - ice drift, sea ice (also ap in some dialects)
• arka (アラカ) - painful, sore, hurting (in some dialects pronounced as araka or arga)
• as (アㇱ) - to stand; to fall (as rain, snow, etc.), to blow (as wind), to be produced, to be made, to be heard (as a sound, a voice, etc.); to stop, to come to a stop, to stand still; to become closed, to become shut
  • asi (アシ) - to close, to shut (a door, etc.)
• asam (アサㇺ) - bottom; depths; foundation (also asama アサマ in some dialects)
• asik
  • asikne (アシㇰネ) - five, to be five (in number)
    • asiknep (アシㇰネㇷ゚) - five things
• asir (アシㇼ) - to be new (cf. Nivkh c'ir "new," Tibetan gsar > sar "new, fresh," Japanese ara "new" ~ sara "brand new, never used; again, further, moreover," Korean say > "new," Chinese 新 xīn "new," etc.)
• askepet (アㇱケペッ) - finger (possessed form アㇱケペチ askepeci or アㇱケペチヒ askepecihi; a variant form, アㇱペケㇳ aspeket, also occurs)
• aspa (アㇱパ) - to be deaf
  • aspap (アㇱパㇷ゚) - a deaf person, one who is unable to hear (cf. Japanese aho ~ ahō, appā "a mute, a deaf-mute, a person who is unable to speak (and/or hear); an idiot, a fool, a dummy")
• at (アッ) - string, cord; elm fiber; bail (of a pot)
  • atni (アッニ) - Manchurian elm, Ulmus laciniata
  • attus (アットゥㇱ) - traditional Ainu coat made from fibers harvested from the bark of the Manchurian elm or the Japanese linden (probably < Ainu at "elm fiber" + Ainu rus "fur, hide, skin (of an animal)")
• atte (アッテ) - to hang (it), to hang up, to suspend
• atu (アトゥ) - to vomit
• atusa (アトゥサ) - naked, bare
• atuy (アトゥィ) - sea, ocean (also アトゥィカ atuyka or アトゥィソ atuyso in some dialects)
• aw (アゥ) - tongue (possessed form awe or awehe)
• ay (アィ) - thorn; arrow (possessed form aye or ayehe)
  • aycaro (アィチャロ) - nock of an arrow
  • ayrap (アィラㇷ゚) - feathers of an arrow, fletching
  • aysup (アィスㇷ゚) - shaft of an arrow
• aya (アヤ) - grain (of wood); lines, pattern of lines (on the palm of a hand) (cf. Japanese aya "figure, design; artifice, technique, figure (of speech); (to play) cat's cradle (with strings)")
• ay'ay (アィアィ) - babe, infant
• aykap (アィカㇷ゚) - to be inept, to be clumsy, to be unskillful, to be poor (at doing something)
• aynu (アィヌ) - person; human, mankind; the traditional name for the Ainu people; man, adult male, father, husband
  • Aynu-Mosir (アィヌモシㇼ) - the land of humans; the earth; Hokkaidō
• aype (アィペ) - abalone (cf. Japanese awabi "abalone")