なんくるないさ
Japanese
[edit]| Alternative spelling |
|---|
| 難来る無いさ |
Etymology
[edit]Borrowed from Okinawan なんくるないさ. Literally, "things will sort themselves out". In standard Japanese: なんとかなるさ (nantoka naru sa).
Compound of なんくる (nankuru, “in that way”) + 成い (nai, stem of 成いん (nain, “become”)) + さ (sa, “emphatic”).
Interjection
[edit]なんくるないさ • (nankuru nai sa)
- (Okinawa) Don’t worry, it’ll be all right.
Okinawan
[edit] | This entry is part of the phrasebook project, which presents criteria for inclusion based on utility, simplicity and commonness. |
Etymology
[edit]Compound of なんくる (nankuru, “in that way”) + 成い (nai, stem of 成いん (nain, “become”)) + さ (sa, “emphatic”).
Pronunciation
[edit]Interjection
[edit]なんくるないさ (nankuru nai sa)
- Don’t worry, it’ll be all right.
Usage notes
[edit]The expression is sometimes incorrectly given the kanji 【難来る無いさ】 and translated as "hardships will not come" in English. This spelling and translation are erroneous for the following reasons:
難 nan only appears in Sinitic compounds in Okinawan; it is not used alone.
無い nai is a Japanese word; the Okinawan reflexes are ねーん neen and ねーらん neeran.
来る kuru is a Japanese word; the Okinawan reflex is ちゅーん chuun.
Given these reasons and the extremely close shape of the Japanese counterpart expression, なんとかなる【何とか成る・何とか為る】 nan toka naru, these Kanji are rejected.
References
[edit]- “なんくるないさ” in JLect - Japonic Languages and Dialects Database Dictionary, 2019.