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PLACE-NAMES.
Jap’se Pronunciation. | Ainu Form. | Derivation and Meaning. | |
Aikapubetsu | Aikap-pet | “The river Pecten.” | |
Ainomanai | This should be either Ainu-oma-nai or Ai-oma-nai. The first name means “Ainu-valley” and the second “thorn valley.” Oma means “to be in” and “to be contained in.” | ||
Akan | Akan-pet | “The made river.” The bed of this river is said to have been formed after a volcanic eruption. | |
Akasannai | Aka-san-nai | Aka is the same as wakka, “water”; san, “descend”; nai, “valley.” Hence Akasannai means “valley with water in it.” This is the name of a rivulet somewhere in Siberia according to Dobrotvorsky. Cfr. Wakasa; Wakonai; and Wakanai. | |
Akkeshi | Akkesh-i | “The place of oysters.” At this place there are some very extensive oyster fields, hence the name. Akkesh is “oyster,” and i is an ordinary locative particle. | |
Anekarimbaushi | Ane-karimba-ushi | This name may mean either “the place of little cherry trees” or “the place with the thin circle.” Ane means “thin”: ushi “place:” but karimba may be either “a cherry tree” or “to circle.” | |
Awomori A-omori |
Aomori | “The protruding hillock”; or “the place bearing the little hill.” | |
Aoshuma | Ai-ush-oma-i | “The throny place.” The addition of ush to nouns is one usual way of forming adjectives out of them. | |
Araomaibetsu | Ara-oma-pet | “Forceps river.” Ara is also applied to the pinchers of an earwig. There is an ara which means “beautiful,” and another which means “one of a pair.” But in Kamtchatka ara also means “slow”; “tardy.” | |
Araweotsugawa | Arawe-ot-pet | “Scum river.” Ot like at |