7/30/2019 Ainu Lesson 5

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Lesson 5: "My ~"Lesson 5 original page (April 30, 2006)

(my comments are in blue)

Title

How to say "My ~"

Model sentences:

1. Ku-pake arka. My head hurts.

2. Ku-cikiri tanne. My legs are long.

Vocabulary

arka: pain, to hurt

cikiri: leg/foot

etu: nose

honi: stomach

ku- : prefix indicating "I" or "my"

namu: face

pake: head

sik: to be full

take: handtanne: long

About The Words

There are two ways to say "My ~" in Ainu. This time we learn the first one of these, which is primarily

used to refer to parts of the body (head, face, nose, hand, foot, etc). To say "my ~", you add "ku-"

before the noun. E.g.:

ku-namu = my face

ku-etu = my nose

ku-take = my hand

ku-honi = my stomach

Caution re. Pronunciation

Arka ("aruka" in katakana) is often pronounced "araka."

Also, ku-pake and the like should be pronounced as a single word, with no pausing. Be careful not to

pronounce the "punctuation," i.e. do not say "ku --- pake" or "ku --- cikiri."

Also, the syllables should be accented as below:

7/30/2019 Ainu Lesson 5

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ku-PAKE or ku-PAke, notKU-pake

ku-TAKE or ku-TAke, notKU-take

Exercises

Use the vocabulary provided to translate these sentences into Ainu.

1. My foot hurts. ( ______ ) ( ______ ) ( ______ ).ku- : my

arka: pain, to hurt

cikiri: leg/foot

2. My stomach is full. ( ______ ) ( ______ ) ( ______ ).

honi: stomach

ku- : my

sik: to be full

Samani and the Ainu People ~ Sopira-nupuri (Mount Kannon)

This is the name of a mountain in the Samani area. It is not very large; only around 83 metres high.

Nowadays it is called Mount Kannon, but its original Ainu name was Sopira-nupuri. The so in

"sopira" (sometimes pronounced "sobira") means 'waterfall,' and thepira means 'cliff.' It seems that

water used to fall over one of the cliffs on the mountainside. The present-day name "Mount Kannon"

comes from the 33 images of Kannon (the Buddhist deity of mercy) erected by the toujuin monk

Tsukada Shuu [the reading of this name is probably wrong; I made my best guess] in the year 1895

(Meiji 28).

Off the coast of this mountain is a rock called "Sopira Rock." The name associates it with the Sopira

mountain. According to the legend of Parent-and-Child Rock, as told in Lesson 4, it is said that this is

the figure of the village chief's wife, who ran into the sea holding their child.

It is also said that halfway up the mountain was ahunporu, a doorway into the next world. People are

warned against trespassing. If you should approach and see the doorway, you are advised to

pretend you have not and pass by quickly, keeping your eyes on the ground.

Near the mountaintop are the remains of a fortress called "Kamuichashi." Today there is a park here

with a viewing tower. You can see some amazing scenery from the top.

Lesson 4 Practice Exercise Answers

1. Acapo tonoto hok.2. Site pone e.