Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

okinawa

/ˌoʊkiˈnɑwə/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.20 in modern English

Syllables: ok-i-nawa
IPA: /ˌoʊkiˈnɑwə/

14

Scrabble Score

7

Letters

4

Syllables

6

Unique Chars

Meaning

name

A prefecture and island group of Japan.

name

The main island of the Okinawa and Ryukyu Islands, in Okinawa Prefecture, Japan.

name

The second-largest city on Okinawa Island, in Okinawa Prefecture, Japan.

name

The Battle of Okinawa, which took place on the island of Okinawa in 1945.

Example Sentences

"Anyone who knew our military installation in Okinawa knew it was a room full of gasoline waiting for someone to strike a match. We had forty-two bases on the island with more than twenty thousand personnel. All of them were living and conducting exercises right up against Okinawan civilian neighborhoods."

Etymology

Borrowed from Japanese 沖縄(おきなわ) (Okinawa).

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˌoʊkiˈnɑwə/
British English: /ˌɒkiːˈnɑːwə/

Derived Forms

Okinawan

Phrases

Battle of Okinawa Okinawa diet

Synonyms

Uchina

Rhymes With

kagawa ozawa kurosawa hasegawa oshawa kanazawa nakagawa kawa mahwah hosokawa furukawa yoshikawa

Questions

How do you pronounce okinawa?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˌoʊkiˈnɑwə/.
What does okinawa mean?: A prefecture and island group of Japan.
Where does okinawa come from?: Borrowed from Japanese 沖縄(おきなわ) (Okinawa).

How to pronounce okinawa

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “okinawa”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˌoʊkiˈnɑwə/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “okinawa”.
Repeat and practice — Say “okinawa” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.