Jamaica

See also: jamaica and jamaicà

English

Pronunciation

• enPR: jə-mā′kə
• (Received Pronunciation, General American, Canada) IPA^(key): /d͡ʒəˈmeɪ.kə/

  Audio (UK):

  (file)

  Audio (US):

  (file)

• (General Australian, New Zealand) IPA^(key): /d͡ʒəˈmæɪ.kə/
• (Scotland) IPA^(key): /d͡ʒəˈme.kə/
• (India) IPA^(key): /d͡ʒaˈmeː.ka/
• Rhymes: -eɪkə
• Hyphenation: Ja‧mai‧ca

Etymology 1

Derived from Taíno Xaymaca (“land of wood and water”), from Taíno maca (“wood”).

Alternative forms

• Jomayca (Jamaica)
• Jamacia (misspelling)

Proper noun

Jamaica

2. An island and country in the Caribbean.
   • 2025 July 8, Zoe Sottile, “He was born to a US citizen soldier on an army base in Germany. Now he’s been deported to Jamaica, a country he’d never been to”, in CNN‎^[2], archived from the original on 10 July 2025:

     Thomas says the saga resulting in him being stranded and homeless in Jamaica started in February, when he was evicted from the apartment he shared with friends in Killeen, Texas, about an hour north of Austin.

Derived terms

• Jam.
• Jamaica Bay
• Jamaica Channel
• Jamaica coalition
• Jamaica ginger
• Jamaican
• Jamaica pepper
• Jamaica rose
• Jamaica train

Descendants

• → Japanese: ジャマイカ (Jamaika)

Translations

country in the Caribbean

• Afrikaans: Jamaika
• Albanian: Xhamajkë f
• Amharic: ጃማይካ (ǧamayka)
• Antillean Creole: Jamayik f, Janmayik f
• Arabic: جَامَايْكَا f (jamaykā)
• Aragonese: Chamaica f
• Aramaic:

  Assyrian Neo-Aramaic: ܓ̰ܲܡܵܝܟܵܐ f (jāmayka)

• Armenian: Ճամայկա (Čamayka)
• Asturian: Xamaica (ast) f
• Azerbaijani: Yamayka (az)
• Basque: Jamaika
• Belarusian: Яма́йка f (Jamájka)
• Bengali: জামাইকা (bn) (jamaika)
• Breton: Jamaika
• Bulgarian: Яма́йка f (Jamájka)
• Burmese: ဂျမေကာ (gya.meka)
• Catalan: Jamaica (ca) f
• Cherokee: ᏣᎺᎢᎧ (tsameika)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 牙買加 / 牙买加 (zh) (Yámǎijiā)

• Cornish: Jamayka
• Corsican: Giamaica f, Ghjamaica f
• Czech: Jamajka (cs) f
• Danish: Jamaica
• Dutch: Jamaica (nl) n
• Esperanto: Jamajko (eo)
• Estonian: Jamaica (et)
• Farefare: Zameeka, Samaika, Zamaika
• Finnish: Jamaika (fi)
• French: Jamaïque (fr) f
• Frisian:

  West Frisian: Jamaika (fy) n

• Galician: Xamaica (gl) f
• Georgian: იამაიკა (ka) (iamaiḳa)
• German: Jamaika (de) n
• Greek: Τζαμάικα (el) f (Tzamáika)
• Guianese Creole: Janmayk f
• Hawaiian: Iāmaika, Iāmeka
• Hebrew: גָ׳מַיְקָה / ג׳מייקה f (jameika)
• Hindi: जमैका (hi) (jamaikā)
• Hungarian: Jamaica (hu)
• Icelandic: Jamaíka (is)
• Ido: Jamaika (io)
• Indonesian: Jamaika (id)
• Interlingua: Jamaica
• Inuktitut: ᔭᒪᐃᑲ (yamaika)
• Irish: Iamáice f
• Italian: Giamaica (it) f
• Jamaican Creole: Jumieka, Jamieka
• Japanese: ジャマイカ (ja) (Jamaika)
• Kalenjin: Jamaika
• Kamba: Jamaika
• Karen:

  S'gaw Karen: Jamaika

• Kashmiri: जमैका (jamaikā)
• Kazakh: Жәмәйке (Jämäike)
• Khmer: ហ្សាម៉ាអ៊ីក (km) (zaamaaʼiik), ចាម៉ៃកា (caamaykaa)
• Kikuyu: Jamaika
• Korean: 자메이카 (ko) (Jameika), 져메이커 (ko) (Jeomeikeo) (North Korea)
• Kurdish:

  Northern Kurdish: Jamaîka

• Kyrgyz: Ямайка (ky) (Yamayka), Жамайка (ky) (Jamayka)
• Lao: ຈາໄມກາ (chā mai kā)
• Latin: Iamaica f
• Latvian: Jamaika f
• Lithuanian: Jamaika (lt) f
• Low German:

  Dutch Low Saxon: Jamaika

  German Low German: Jamaika

• Luhya: Jamaika
• Luo: Jamaika
• Macedonian: Јамајка (mk) (Jamajka)
• Malay: Jamaika (ms)
• Maltese: Ġammajka
• Manx: Yn Yamaicey f
• Māori: Hamaika, Hemeika
• Maranao: Diyamayka
• Meru: Jamaika
• Mongolian: Ямайк (mn) (Jamajk)
• Nauruan: Jamaica
• Navajo: Jaméíkʼa
• Norman: Jamaïque f
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: Jamaica (no)

  Nynorsk: Jamaica (nn)

• Occitan: Jamaica (oc) f
• Pannonian Rusyn: Ямайка f (Jamajka)
• Pashto: جمايکا (jāmāykā)
• Persian: جامائیکا (jâmâ'ikâ)
• Picard: Jamaïke f
• Piedmontese: Giamàica
• Polish: Jamajka (pl) f
• Portuguese: Jamaica (pt)
• Romagnol: please add this translation if you can
• Romanian: Jamaica (ro) f
• Romansch: Giamaica f
• Russian: Яма́йка (ru) f (Jamájka)
• Sanskrit: जमैका (jamaikā)
• Sardinian: Giamàica f
• Scots: Jamaica, Jamaicae
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: Јамајка f

  Latin: Jamajka (sh) f

• Sicilian: Giamaica f
• Sinhalese: ජැමෙයිකාව (jæmeyikāwa)
• Slovak: Jamajka (sk) f
• Slovene: Jamájka (sl) f
• Spanish: Jamaica (es) f
• Swahili: Jamaica (sw), Jamaika (sw)
• Swedish: Jamaica (sv)
• Tagalog: Hamayka (tl)
• Tajik: Ямайка (tg) (Yamayka)
• Tamil: யமேக்கா (yamēkkā), ஜமேக்கா (jamēkkā), ஜமைக்கா (jamaikkā)
• Thai: จาเมกา (th) (jaa-mee-gâa)
• Tibetan: ཡ་མས་ཁ (ya mas kha)
• Turkish: Jamaika (tr)
• Turkmen: Ýamaýka
• Ukrainian: Яма́йка (uk) f (Jamájka)
• Urdu: جمیکا (jamaikā)
• Uyghur: يامايكا (yamayka)
• Uzbek: Yamayka (uz)
• Vietnamese: Ha-mai-ca, Gia-mai-ca
• Volapük: Camekeän (vo)
• Walloon: Djamayike
• Welsh: Jamaica (cy)
• Yiddish: דזשאַמייקע (dzhameyke), יאַמײַקע (yamayke)
• Yoruba: Jàmáíkà
• Zazaki: Cameika (Southern Zazaki)

See also

• Kingston

countries in North America (appendix)edit

• Antigua and Barbuda
• Bahamas
• Barbados
• Belize
• Canada
• Costa Rica
• Cuba
• Dominica
• Dominican Republic
• El Salvador
• Grenada
• Haiti
• Honduras
• Jamaica
• Mexico
• Nicaragua
• Panama
• Saint Kitts and Nevis
• Saint Lucia
• Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
• Trinidad and Tobago
• United States of America

Further reading

• Jamaica on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Etymology 2

After Kuchamakin, a Massachusett leader; from Massachusett.

Proper noun

Jamaica

1. Jamaica Plain, Boston, a neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts.

Etymology 3

From the Massachusett word for “beaver”, tummunk. Compare next etymology. Doublet of Tamaqua and Etymology 4.

Proper noun

Jamaica

1. A town in Vermont. See Jamaica, Vermont on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Etymology 4

From earlier Jamaco, Jemaco, Jameco, borrowed from Munsee amoxkw (“beaver”), or another Lenape language. Doublet of Tamaqua and Etymology 3.

Proper noun

Jamaica

1. A neighborhood of Queens, New York. See Jamaica, Queens on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Catalan

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Central, Balearic) [ʒəˈmaj.kə]
• IPA^(key): (Valencia) [d͡ʒaˈmaj.ka]

• Audio (Valencia):

  (file)

• Hyphenation: Ja‧mai‧ca

Proper noun

Jamaica f

1. Jamaica (an island and country in the Caribbean)

Related terms

• jamaicà

Central Nahuatl

Proper noun

Jamaica

1. Jamaica (an island and country in the Caribbean)

Danish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɕa.mɑjˈka/
• Rhymes: -a
• Hyphenation: Ja‧mai‧ca

Proper noun

Jamaica

1. Jamaica (an island and country in the Caribbean)

Related terms

• jamaicaner
• jamaicansk

Dutch

Etymology

Ultimately derived from Taíno Xaymaca.

Pronunciation

• (Northern Netherlands) IPA^(key): /ˌdʒaːˈmɑi.kaː/, /ˌjaːˈmɑi.kaː/
• (Limburg) IPA^(key): /ʒaː.mɛɪ.kaː/, /dʒaː.mɛɪ.kaː/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: Ja‧mai‧ca

Proper noun

Jamaica n

1. Jamaica (an island and country in the Caribbean)

Hungarian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈjɒmɒjikɒ]
• Rhymes: -kɒ
• Hyphenation: Ja‧ma‧i‧ca

Proper noun

Jamaica

1. Jamaica (an island and country in the Caribbean)

Declension

Inflection (stem in long/high vowel, back harmony)

	singular	plural
nominative	Jamaica	—
accusative	Jamaicát	—
dative	Jamaicának	—
instrumental	Jamaicával	—
causal-final	Jamaicáért	—
translative	Jamaicává	—
terminative	Jamaicáig	—
essive-formal	Jamaicaként	—
essive-modal	—	—
inessive	Jamaicában	—
superessive	Jamaicán	—
adessive	Jamaicánál	—
illative	Jamaicába	—
sublative	Jamaicára	—
allative	Jamaicához	—
elative	Jamaicából	—
delative	Jamaicáról	—
ablative	Jamaicától	—
non-attributive possessive – singular	Jamaicáé	—
non-attributive possessive – plural	Jamaicáéi	—

Possessive forms of Jamaica

possessor	single possession	multiple possessions
1st person sing.	Jamaicám	—
2nd person sing.	Jamaicád	—
3rd person sing.	Jamaicája	—
1st person plural	Jamaicánk	—
2nd person plural	Jamaicátok	—
3rd person plural	Jamaicájuk	—

Derived terms

• jamaicai

See also

countries in North America: Észak-Amerika országai (appendix)edit

• Amerikai Egyesült Államok
• Antigua és Barbuda
• Bahama-szigetek
• Barbados
• Dominikai Közösség
• Dominikai Köztársaság
• Grenada
• Haiti
• Jamaica
• Kanada
• Kuba
• Mexikó
• Saint Kitts és Nevis
• Saint Lucia
• Saint Vincent és a Grenadine-szigetek
• Trinidad és Tobago

Jamaican Creole

Alternative forms

• Jamieka, Jumieka

Etymology

From Taíno Xaymaca (“land of wood and water”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /d͡ʒʌˈmʲeːka/, /d͡ʒaˈmʲeːka/
• Hyphenation: Ja‧mai‧ca

Proper noun

Jamaica

1. Jamaica (an island and country in the Caribbean)

   Synonyms: Jamdown, Jamdung, Jamrock, Yard

Related terms

• Jamaican

Norwegian Bokmål

Proper noun

Jamaica

1. Jamaica (an island and country in the Caribbean)

Related terms

• jamaicaner, jamaikaner
• jamaicansk, jamaikansk

Norwegian Nynorsk

Proper noun

Jamaica

1. Jamaica (an island and country in the Caribbean)

Related terms

• jamaican, jamaikan
• jamaicanar, jamaikanar
• jamaicansk, jamaikansk

Portuguese

Etymology

From Arawak/Taíno xaymaca.

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ʒaˈmaj.kɐ/ [ʒaˈmaɪ̯.kɐ]

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ʒaˈmaj.kɐ/ [ʒaˈmaɪ̯.kɐ]
  • (Southern Brazil) IPA^(key): /ʒaˈmaj.ka/ [ʒaˈmaɪ̯.ka]

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ʒɐˈmaj.kɐ/

• Hyphenation: Ja‧mai‧ca

Proper noun

Jamaica f

1. Jamaica (an island and country in the Caribbean)

Derived terms

• jamaicano

Spanish

Etymology

From Arawak/Taíno xaymaca.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /xaˈmaika/ [xaˈmai̯.ka]

• Audio (Spain):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -aika
• Syllabification: Ja‧mai‧ca

Proper noun

Jamaica f

1. Jamaica (an island and country in the Caribbean)
   • 2025 June 20, Randi Kaye and David von Blohn, “El ICE renueva acuerdo con el centro de detención que, según la agencia, no cumplía las normas”, in CNN en Español‎^[3]:

     Michael Wallace, deportado a Jamaica, su país de origen, padece epilepsia.

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

Derived terms

• canal de Jamaica
• pimienta de Jamaica

Descendants

• → Tagalog: Hamayka

See also

countries in North America: países del América del Norte/Norteamérica (appendix)edit

• Antigua y Barbuda
• Bahamas
• Barbados
• Canadá
• Cuba
• Dominica
• Estados Unidos
• Granada
• Haití
• Jamaica
• México
• República Dominicana
• San Cristóbal y Nieves
• San Vicente y las Granadinas
• Santa Lucía
• Trinidad y Tobago

Further reading

• “Jamaica”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025

Swahili

Alternative forms

• Jamaika

Pronunciation

• Audio (Kenya):

  (file)

Proper noun

Jamaica

1. Jamaica (an island and country in the Caribbean)

Swedish

Pronunciation

• Audio:

  (file)

Proper noun

Jamaica n (genitive Jamaicas)

1. Jamaica (an island and country in the Caribbean)

Related terms

• jamaican
• jamaicansk
• jamaikan
• jamaikansk

See also

countries in North America: Nordamerikas länder (appendix)edit

• Antigua och Barbuda
• Bahamas
• Barbados
• Belize
• Costa Rica
• Dominica
• Dominikanska republiken
• El Salvador
• Grenada
• Guatemala
• Haiti
• Honduras
• Jamaica
• Kanada
• Kuba
• Mexiko
• Nicaragua
• Panama
• Saint Kitts och Nevis
• Saint Lucia
• Saint Vincent och Grenadinerna
• Trinidad och Tobago
• USA

References

• Jamaica in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)
• Svensk MeSH

Welsh

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /d͡ʒaˈmai̯ka/

Proper noun

Jamaica f (not mutable)

1. Jamaica (an island and country in the Caribbean)

Coordinate terms

countries in North America: gwledydd Gogledd America (appendix)edit

• Antigwa a Barbiwda
• Barbados
• Canada
• Ciwba
• Dominica
• Grenada
• Gweriniaeth Dominica
• Haiti
• Jamaica
• Mecsico
• Sant Kitts-Nevis
• Sant Lwsia
• Sant Vincent a'r Grenadines
• Trinidad a Thobago
• Unol Daleithiau America
• y Bahamas

Derived terms

• tanagr pêr Jamaica (“Jamaican euphonia”)
• twinc Jamaica (“orangequit”)