(Illustration by Yukiyo Oda/Stripes Okinawa)
Okinawans are thought to have adopted some words from the Philippines. One example is the verb “patai” which means “fall after being exhausted” in Okinawan dialect and “kill” in Tagalog. Likewise, some say that the word “gelem” or “ge-lemnu”, which means “fool” in Okinawa, has its root in Tagalog.
![Uma/ba [Horse] in Japanese kanji character](https://japan.stripes.com/travel/sqplhl-uma.jpg/alternates/FREE_350/Uma.JPG)
Uma/ba [Horse] (Image by Stripes Okinawa)
