カムィ

Ainu

Etymology

Likely related to Proto-Japonic *kamuy (“god”). The exact relationship between the two terms is unclear.

John Batchelor analyses kamuy as being made up of the root ka ("above"), which is then kamu ("to cover") and finally, through the addition of nominalising particle y, kamuy ("he who covers or overshadows"). In this case, Proto-Japonic *kamuy or Old Japanese 神 (kami₂, kamu-) would be, in fact, a borrowing from Ainu.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [kàꜛmúj]

Noun

カムィ (Latin spelling kamuy)

1. a god (deity)

   アペ カムイ

   ape kamuy

   the fire god

2. (by extension from the god sense) a bear (large mammal of family Ursidae)

   Synonym: チラマㇺテㇷ゚ (ciramamtep)

Adjective

カムィ (Latin spelling kamuy)

1. an honorific-like title applied to anything great, important, or terrible, not necessarily implying divinity

   カムイ ノンノ

   kamuy nonno

   a beautiful flower

   カムイ ニㇱパ

   kamuy nispa

   a great lord

Derived terms

• カムイフㇺベ (kamuy-humbe): orca
• カムイチェㇷ゚ (kamuy-cep): salmon
• カムイモシㇼ (kamuy mosir): land of the gods, heaven
• キムンカムイ (kimun kamuy): bear
• ウェンカムイ (wenkamuy): evil spirit, demon

Descendants

• → Japanese: カムイ (kamui)

References

John Batchelor (1905) An Ainu-English-Japanese dictionary (including a grammar of the Ainu language)‎^[1], Tokyo, London: Methodist Publishing House; Kegan Paul, Trench, Trubner Co., page 205