How do you pronounce ainu?

The recorded pronunciation is /ˈaɪnuː/.

ainu

/ˈaɪnuː/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: 2.27 in modern English

Syllables: ainu
IPA: /ˈaɪnuː/

Scrabble Score

Letters

Syllables

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A member of the ethnic group indigenous to the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido.

noun

Synonym of Hokkaido (“a dog breed”).

adj

Of or pertaining to the Ainu ethnic group or their language.

name

The endangered language spoken by the Ainu ethnic group, generally considered a language isolate with no known relation to other languages.

Example Sentences

"In the past, the Ainu (their selfname meaning 'person'), traditionally huntergatherers, occupied not only Hokkaido but also a considerable part of the island of Honshu until the middle the eighteenth century, […]"
"[…] Hokkaidos or Ainus (smaller versions of the Akita); Akitas, Japanese Spitz, Japanese Chin, Nippon Terriers and Kai Ken."

Etymology

Etymology tree Ainu アイヌbor. Japanese アイヌ (Ainu)der. English Ainu From Japanese アイヌ (Ainu), from Ainu aynu (“person”).

Origin

Source language: Japanese

Word Breakdown

Root: アイヌ, aynu

Inflected Forms

Ainus (plural) Aino (alternative)

Derived Forms

Ainuland Ainuness Ainuic

Phrases

Wiktionary’s coverage of Ainu terms ain ⁠

Frequently Paired Words

Ainoid Wiktionary’s coverage of Ainu terms ain ⁠

Synonyms

Hokkaido