沖縄は「Okinawa is the southernmost prefecture in Japan.(沖縄は日本最南端の県です。)」です。
KANA
Okinawa is a prefecture located in the Kyushu and Okinawa regions of Japan, and the prefectural office is located in Naha City. (沖縄県は、日本の九州・沖縄地方に位置する県で、県庁所在地は那覇市です。)
For 450 years from 1429 to 1879, the Ryukyu Kingdom existed in the Ryukyu Islands.
1429年から1879年の450年間は、琉球諸島には琉球王国が存在していました。
for/の間
year/年
from A to B/AからBの間
Ryukyu Kingdom/琉球王国
existe/存在する
Ryukyu Islands/琉球諸島
In 1609, the Ryukyu Kingdom was invaded by the Satsuma Domain, and the Ryukyu Kingdom was under the control of the Satsuma Domain.
1609年に琉球王国は薩摩藩の侵攻を受け、琉球王国は薩摩藩の支配下におかれました。
Ryukyu Kingdom/琉球王国
invade/侵略する
by/~によって
Satsuma Domain/薩摩藩
under the control of/~の支配下に
In 1879, when the Meiji government decided to abolish the feudal clan, the Ryukyu domain was abolished and Okinawa prefecture was established.
1879年、明治政府が廃藩置県を決めると、琉球藩は廃止され、沖縄県が設置されました。
Meiji government/明治政府
decide/決める
abolish/廃止する
feudal clan/藩
Ryukyu domain/琉球藩
Okinawa prefecture/沖縄県
establishe/設置する
In the 1945 Pacific War, Okinawa became the battlefield of the Battle of Okinawa, and one in four Okinawans was killed in a fierce battle that lasted for three months.
The words used in Okinawa Prefecture can be divided into three languages: “Ryukyuan”, “Okinawa Ben”, and “Japanese common language”.
沖縄県で使われている言葉は、「琉球語」「沖縄弁」「日本語共通語」の3つにわけることができます。
words/言葉
use/使う
Okinawa Prefecture/沖縄県
can/できる
divide into/わける
three/3
language/言語
Ryukyuan/琉球語
Okinawa Ben/沖縄弁
Japanese common language/日本共通語
Ryukyuan is a traditional Okinawan language, but nowadays its daily use is mostly limited to the elderly and is considered an endangered language by UNESCO.
Okinawa Ben is a language that most Okinawans use on a daily basis, and is a language that mixes Ryukyuan elements based on the common Japanese language.
The common Japanese language is a language used in mass media, school education, public institutions, etc., and many generations born after the 1990s can only speak the common Japanese language.
Okinawa is famous for its shallow and beautiful emerald green sea and white sand beaches.
沖縄は、エメラルドグリーンの浅くて美しい海と白砂の海岸で有名です。
Okinawa/沖縄
famous/有名な
shallow/浅い
beautiful/美しい
emerald green/エメラルドグリーン
sea/海
white/白い
sand beaches/砂浜
Since Okinawa faces the Kuroshio Current, which has few plankton and a fast current, the seawater is kept transparent.
沖縄はプランクトンが少なく流れも速い黒潮海流に面しているため、海水が透明に保たれています。
since/なので
Okinawa/沖縄
face/面する
Kuroshio Current/黒潮海流
few/ほとんどない
plankton/プランクトン
fast/早い
current/海流
seawater/海水
kept/keep(保つ)の過去形・過去分詞
transparent/透明に
The islands of Okinawa are surrounded by coral reefs, and the purification action of the corals keeps the seawater clean.
沖縄の島々はサンゴ礁に囲まれており、サンゴの浄化作用により海水が綺麗に保たれています。
island/島
Okinawa/沖縄
surrounded by/囲まれている
coral reefs/サンゴ礁
purification action/浄化作用
coral/サンゴ
keep/保つ
seawater/海水
clean/綺麗に
Dead coral is crushed into white sand beaches, which reflect the sunlight that reaches the bottom of the sea and turn the color of the sea into emerald green.
Of the 160 islands scattered in the vast sea area of about 1,000 km east-west and about 400 km north-south of Okinawa Prefecture, 47 are manned islands and 113 are uninhabited islands.
Of the 160 islands, 148 islands are positioned as “remote islands”, excluding the main island of Okinawa and 11 islands that are connected to the main island of Okinawa by bridges.