Hello, you have come here looking for the meaning of the word
カムィ. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
カムィ, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
カムィ in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
カムィ you have here. The definition of the word
カムィ will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of
カムィ, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
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
Noun
カムィ (Latin spelling kamuy)
- a god (deity)
アペ カムイ- ape kamuy
- the fire god
- (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)
- an honorific-like title applied to anything great, important, or terrible, not necessarily implying divinity
Derived terms
Descendants
References
John Batchelor (1905) An Ainu-English-Japanese dictionary (including a grammar of the Ainu language), Tokyo, London: Methodist Publishing House; Kegan Paul, Trench, Trubner Co., page 205