🌏 Region(s): Ryukyu (Okinawa)
はちまち : hachimachi | define meaning
hachimachi
Pronunciation: [hat͡ɕimat͡ɕi]
Definition
Noun
- A type of hat resembling a Turkish fez historically worn by Ryukyuan men for formal occasions or official affairs.
- ちーるはちまち【黄色はちまち】
chiiru hachimachi
"a yellow Hachimachi hat"
- ちーるはちまち【黄色はちまち】
Etymology
Cognate with Kikai はちまき hachimaki; Okinawan はちまち hachimachi "headwear"; and standard Japanese はちまき【鉢巻・鉢巻き】 hachimaki "headband".
Historical Ryukyuan attestations
- おもろさうし Omoro Saushi (1531-1623) records "又みはちまき".
- Vocabulary of the language spoken at the Great Loo-Choo island in the Japan Sea (1818), by Herbert John Clifford, records "Bonnet, or head-dress worn by the natives. Hat'chee Mat'chee".
- The Literary Panorama and National Register (1819), Volume 8, by Charles Taylor, records "The higher orders wear, on state occasions, what they called a 'hatchee matchee,' which is a kind of turban, apparently made by winding a broad band round a cylinder [...]".
- Commodore Perry's Expedition to Japan (1853), in The Ladies' Garland and Dollar Magazine (1848), Volume 13, by Samuel D. Patterson, records "On their heads were bright yellow caps, of a round, oblong form, resembling somewhat the turkish fez in shape, termed in the Loo-Choo dialect, Hatchee-Matchee, which were tied under their chins with strings [...]".
Notes
Originally, the color of a person's hat would reflect their rank in Ryukyuan aristocratic society:
- Purple = Aji rank
- Light yellow = Ueekata rank
- Dark yellow = Peechin rank
- Red = Ooyaku, Satunushi or Chikudun ranks
- Blue and green = For individuals without a rank
Spelling
| Orthography | Form |
|---|---|
| Kana | はちまち |
| Romanization | hachimachi |
| Pronunciation (IPA) | [hat͡ɕimat͡ɕi] |
意味：おとこがもちいたかんむり【男が用いた冠】、琉球人男性が被る帽子の一種
Categories:
はちまち
Cite this entry: Read, Zachary. (2025, May 18). はちまち : hachimachi | define meaning. JLect: Japonic Languages and Dialects Database. Retrieved 2025, June 30, from https://www.jlect.com/entry/6166/hachimachi/.