Нанай
Nanai
Tungusic (Southern, Manchu-Nanai)
Nanai (Нанай in Russian) is a Southern Tungusic language of the lower Amur River valley, the closest living relative of Manchu within the Manchu-Nanai branch. The Nanai people are traditional Amur River fisher-hunters whose culture features bird-skin clothing and elaborate fish-skin parkas. The Russian Nanai population is ~12,000 but only ~1,500 retain L1 fluency, with most younger generations Russian-dominant. In China, the closely related Hezhen population is ~5,000 with even fewer fluent speakers. Reverberates in early Soviet anthropology through Vladimir Arsenyev's Dersu Uzala (1923).
Where it is spoken
20 core words in Nanai
Water
муэ
/mue/
Fire
това
/tova/
Sun
сиун
/siun/
Moon
биа
/bia/
Mother
энин
/enin/
Father
ама
/ama/
Eat
депу
/depu/
Drink
омичи
/omitʃi/
Love
эйини
/ejini/
Heart
миаван
/miavan/
Tree
мо
/mo/
House
дё
/dʒo/
Dog
инда
/inda/
Cat
коси
/kosi/
Hand
нгала
/ŋala/
Eye
насал
/nasal/
Hello
банди-банди
/bandi bandi/
Thank you
банихан
/banihan/
One
эмун
/emun/
Good
ая
/aja/
Sources
Words compared
Compared with related Tungusic (Southern, Manchu-Nanai) languages
| Meaning | Nanai | Evenki | Jurchen | Udege | Even (Lamut) | Sibe | Manchu |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | муэ /mue/ | му /mu/ | muke /muke/ | уй /uj/ | му /mu/ | ᠮᡠᡴᡝ /mukə/ | ᠮᡠᡴᡝ /mukə/ |
| Fire | това /tova/ | того /toɡo/ | tuwa /tuwa/ | тогбо /toɡbo/ | тоог /toːɡ/ | ᡨᡠᠸᠠ /tuwa/ | ᡨᡠᠸᠠ /tuwa/ |
| Sun | сиун /siun/ | дылача /dɯlatɕa/ | šun /ʃun/ | даигаси /daiɡasi/ | нөлтэн /nølten/ | ᠰᡠᠨ /sun/ | ᡧᡠᠨ /ʃun/ |
| Moon | биа /bia/ | бега /beɡa/ | biya /bija/ | биа /bia/ | бяг /bjaɡ/ | ᠪᡳᠶᠠ /bija/ | ᠪᡳᠶᠠ /bija/ |
| Mother | энин /enin/ | эни /eni/ | eme /eme/ | энэ /ene/ | эньэн /eɲen/ | ᡝᠨᡞᠶᡝ /ənije/ | ᡝᠨᡳᠶᡝ /ənijə/ |
| Father | ама /ama/ | ама /ama/ | ama /ama/ | амэ /amə/ | ама /ama/ | ᠠᠮᠠ /ama/ | ᠠᠮᠠ /ama/ |
| Eat | депу /depu/ | дептэ /depte/ | jefu /dʒefu/ | джевэ /d͡ʒevə/ | дьэб /dʒeb/ | ᠵᡝᠮᠪᡞ /d͡ʒəmbi/ | ᠵᡝᠮᠪᡳ /dʒəmbi/ |
| Drink | омичи /omitʃi/ | умӣ /umiː/ | omi /omi/ | омимэ /omimə/ | ум /um/ | ᠣᠮᡳᠪᡞ /omibi/ | ᠣᠮᡳᠪᡳ /omibi/ |
| Love | эйини /ejini/ | аявдави /ajavdavi/ | gosi /ɡosi/ | чисанай /t͡ʃisanaj/ | аякан /ajakan/ | ᠴᡳᠯᡨᡠᠮᠪᡳ /t͡ʃiltumbi/ | ᡥᠠᡳᡵᠠᠮᠪᡳ /xairambi/ |
| Heart | миаван /miavan/ | меван /mevan/ | niyaman /nijaman/ | миаван /miavan/ | мяван /mjavan/ | ᠨᡳᠶᠠᠮᠠᠨ /nijaman/ | ᠨᡳᠶᠠᠮᠠᠨ /nijaman/ |
| Tree | мо /mo/ | мо /mo/ | mo /mo/ | мо /mo/ | мо /mo/ | ᠮᠣᠯᠣ /molo/ | ᠮᠣᠣ /moː/ |
| House | дё /dʒo/ | дю /dʒu/ | boo /boː/ | дзугди /d͡zuɡdi/ | дьу /dʒu/ | ᠪᠣᠣ /boː/ | ᠪᠣᠣ /boː/ |
| Dog | инда /inda/ | нгинакин /ŋinakin/ | indahǔn /indahuːn/ | инай /inaj/ | нгин /ŋin/ | ᠨᡳᠨᠳᠠᡥᡡᠨ /nindaxun/ | ᡳᠨᡩᠠᡥᡡᠨ /indaxuːn/ |
| Cat | коси /kosi/ | кошка /koʂka/ | kesike /kesike/ | кошк /koʃk/ | кошка /koʂka/ | ᡴᡝᠰᡳᡴᡝ /kəsikə/ | ᡴᡝᠰᡳᡴᡝ /kəsikə/ |
| Hand | нгала /ŋala/ | нгалэ /ŋale/ | gala /ɡala/ | нала /nala/ | нгал /ŋal/ | ᡤᠠᠯᠠ /ɡala/ | ᡤᠠᠯᠠ /ɡala/ |
| Eye | насал /nasal/ | эса /esa/ | yasa /jasa/ | писа /pisa/ | яса /jasa/ | ᠶᠠᠰᠠ /jasa/ | ᠶᠠᠰᠠ /jasa/ |
| Hello | банди-банди /bandi bandi/ | дорообо /doroːbo/ | — /—/ | бандиба /bandiba/ | дорова /dorova/ | ᠨᡳᠩᡤᡝ ᠰᠠᡳᠨ /niŋɡe sain/ | ᠰᡳ ᠰᠠᡳᠨ /si sain/ |
| Thank you | банихан /banihan/ | пасиба /pasiba/ | — /—/ | нюхча /ɲuxt͡ʃa/ | пасиба /pasiba/ | ᠪᠠᠨᡳᡥᠠ /banixa/ | ᠪᠠᠨᡳᡥᠠ /banixa/ |
| One | эмун /emun/ | умун /umun/ | emu /emu/ | омо /omo/ | омэн /omen/ | ᡝᠮᡠ /əmu/ | ᠡᠮᡠ /əmu/ |
| Good | ая /aja/ | ая /aja/ | sain /sain/ | ая /aja/ | ай /aj/ | ᠰᠠᡳᠨ /sain/ | ᠰᠠᡳᠨ /sain/ |
Part of LangMap — a linguistic visualization project. This is a static, crawlable summary; the interactive maps offer pronunciation audio, filters, and a globe view.