Ainu

noun

Ai·​nu ˈī-(ˌ)nü How to pronounce Ainu (audio)
plural Ainu or Ainus
1
: a member of an indigenous people of the Japanese archipelago, the Kuril Islands, and part of Sakhalin Island
2
: the language of the Ainu people

Examples of Ainu in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Fukunaga plans to use the footage for a short film as a follow-up to his documentary Ainu Puri (Ainu ways) that is screening at this year’s Tokyo International Film Festival. Gavin J Blair, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Nov. 2024 For example, Hitoshi Watanabe focused on ethnographic data about the Ainu, an Indigenous population in northern Japan and its surrounding areas. Cara Ocobock, Scientific American, 1 Nov. 2023 In recent years, as with many Indigenous peoples around the world, the Ainu have begun to reclaim their rights, language, and culture. Helen Schulman, Travel + Leisure, 2 Mar. 2024 The Islands Hall This hall will focus on life and cultures in the South Pacific and the Ainu, an Indigenous people in Japan. Amy Schwabe, Journal Sentinel, 9 May 2023 These include the ancient Greeks, New Zealand’s Maori and the Ainu of northern Japan, a country where the star formation was perceived as comprising six rather than seven visible siblings. Mark Jenkins, Washington Post, 2 May 2023 Much of Hokkaido’s history and culture is focused on the Indigenous Ainu people, who inhabited the island prior to its colonization during the mid-19th century. Josh Laskin, Condé Nast Traveler, 29 Mar. 2023 The performance symbolized acceptance and gratitude celebrated in the Ainu culture, performer Nakamura Yoshio said through a translator. Alena Naiden, Anchorage Daily News, 23 Oct. 2022 Along with the African tribespeople, the fair included Inuits, with sled dogs and an igloo; Ainu people, from Japan; more than a thousand Filipinos; and two thousand Native Americans. Lawrence Wright, The New Yorker, 28 Feb. 2022

Word History

Etymology

Ainu aynu person

First Known Use

1811, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of Ainu was in 1811

Dictionary Entries Near Ainu

Cite this Entry

“Ainu.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Ainu. Accessed 30 Nov. 2024.

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