OOkinawa

my favorite uchinaguchi saying

  • September 16, 2025

なんくるないさ (nankurunaisa) means “don’t worry, in the end everything will work out” or “don’t worry, you will be alright” in uchinaguchi and was a common saying and reminder in my family. just wanted to share that with you guys 🙂

by aikoko_0

8 comments

  2. Since I learned most of my Japanese in Okinawa, I heard that often enough that I just took it in like that, so when I moved to Chiba, the first time I said it to someone they were like “what does that even mean?” I didn’t realize it was uchinaguchi…
    でーじやばかった… ww

  3. I’ve heard it’s a bit of a mistranslation. It’s missing the first part of the phrase: まくとぅそーけー。Meaning, if you work hard and do what’s right, then なんくるないさ, things will work out. 

    I really like the phrase too 🙂

  4. Actually, there are previous words that indicate that ‘まくとぅーそーけー’ means ‘if you do the right thing,’ along with ‘nankurunaisa.’

  5. I like くすけ or くすけひや which means eat shit to ward off or cuss evil spirits when someone sneezes like how westerns use “bless you” to ward off evil leprechauns 😉

  7. I like kwa-chi-sa-bi-ra (it’s like “itadakimasu”) and kwachi-sa-bi-tan (like “gochisoosama”) and “churagaki (beautiful face) which I used to tell my mother-in-law a lot. :). Nihedeburu (thank you).

  8. イチャリバチョーデー (ichariba chode) – once we have met, we are like brothers and sisters.

    デイジー (deiji) – very

Comments are closed.