Irankarapte!
say it: “ee-rahn-kah-RAHP-teh”
Ainu
in its own words: アイヌ イタㇰ
- Speakers
- only a few speakers left
- Family
- Ainu
- Vitality
- Critically endangered
- Where it is spoken
- Japan
Fun fact
Hokkaido Ainu forms a small family with extinct Sakhalin and Kuril Ainu, with no demonstrated wider relatives. The greeting “irankarapte” is traditionally read as “let me gently touch your heart”.