Ichariba Choode: Unity in Okinawan Proverbs

Ichariba choode [行逢りば兄弟] is an Okinawan proverb about the bond created by a first meeting: even a chance encounter turns two people into brothers and sisters, friends for life. The phrase survives in everyday speech in the Ryukyu Islands and reached a wider public through the Japanese version of Lilo and Stitch.

The meaning of Ichariba Choode

Ichariba choode [行逢りば兄弟] literally means “once we meet [行逢りば], we become brothers and sisters [兄弟]”. The expression may also derive from ikiau [行き会う], which means to meet someone by chance.

The proverb carries the spirit of unity and solidarity that people in Okinawa associate with island life. In everyday use it works as a welcome, since the newcomer is received as family.

The Japanese version of Lilo and Stitch carries the same idea. The anime Stitch!, produced in Japan between 2008 and 2011, moves the story to Izayoi, a fictional island in the Ryukyus. The phrase names the first episode, and the first season opens with the song “Ichariba Ohana” by Begin.

Stitch arrives on the island, meets Yuna, and after a single encounter they become friends for life, like brothers, like family. The phrase is the Okinawan equivalent of Ohana, the Hawaiian word for family that defines the original story.

In Brazil and other countries, the Ryukyu Koku Matsuri Daiko, an eisa drum group founded in Okinawa, performs for communities of Okinawan descent, keeping the island’s music and its spirit of community alive. You can learn more about Okinawan culture by reading our article about Okinawa.

One song brought me closer to Okinawa, and I want to share it here: Shima Uta [島唄], released by the Japanese band The Boom in 1992. Kazufumi Miyazawa wrote it after visiting the Himeyuri Peace Memorial Museum, and it became one of the most widely known songs associated with the islands.

List of Okinawan Proverbs

Okinawa has countless proverbs and phrases, and one article cannot cover them all. The list below gathers 33 sayings in Uchinaguchi, the Okinawan language, each with a translation into English.

Proverbs from the collection “The Okinawan Mind in Proverbs” [諺に見る沖縄の心] by Zenko Shimabukuro.

• Ataishi turu atairu. - We get along with those who get along with us;
• Achinee ya tankaa mankaa. - Business is a two-way street;
• Aramun jooguu ya duu ganjuu. - Those who eat simply are healthy;
• Uya yushi kwa yushi. - Parents and children teach each other;
• Kaagee kaa ru ya ru. - Beauty is only skin deep;
• Kamuru ussaa mii nayun. - The more you eat, the more you profit;
• Kuu sa kana sa. - Small things are lovely;
• Kuchi ganga naa ya yakutatan. - A person with useless speech is worthless;
• Kutubaa. Jin chikee. - Words are more effective than money;
• Kutuba noo ushikumaran. - A word cannot be denied once spoken;
• Shikinoo chui shiihii shiru kurasuru. - Let’s live helping each other;
• Shinjichi nu ada nayumi. - Kindness can never be destroyed in any way;
• Jin too waraaran kwa tu ru waraariiru. - You will be happy with children, not with money;
• Chu uyamee ru duu uyamee. - Respect to be respected;
• Choo kukuru ru dee ichi. - The heart is the essence of human quality;
• Tusui ya tatashina mun. Warabee shikashina mun. - The elderly should be respected, and the child spoiled;
• Tusui ya takara. - The elderly are a treasure;
• Miitundaa duu tichi. - Husband and wife are unique;
• Nuchi nu sadamee wakaran. - We do not know our future;
• Machushi garu ufu iyoo tuyuru. - Only with patience can we catch a big fish;
• Miinai chichi nai. - We learn by seeing and listening;
• Mii ya tin niru aru. - Our destiny is written in the sky;
• Munoo yuu iyuru mun. - Speak well of others;
• Yaasa ru maasaru. - Food is good only if you are hungry;
• Duu nu duu ya duu shiru shiyuru. - You know if your body is well;
• Choo kani ru deeichi. - Judgment is essential;
• Yii kutoo isugi. - A good opportunity requires speed;
• Chira kaagi yaka chimu gukuru. - Better than good looks, a good heart;
• Yuu ya shititin mii ya shitinna. - Even if you hide from the world, do not hide your true nature;
• Nmarijima nu kutuba wasshii nee kuni n wasshiin. - If you forget your language, you will forget your homeland;
• Acha nu neen chi ami. - Tomorrow is a new day;
• Yikiga nu kutubaa shuumun gaai. - A man's word is his honor;
• Mookiraa kwee michi shiri. - If you make a fortune, be prepared to use it;