Okinawa

[oh-kuh-nou-wuh, -nah-wuh, aw-kee-nah-wah]

noun

1. the largest of the Ryukyu Islands, in the N Pacific, SW of Japan: taken by U.S. forces April–June 1945 in the last major amphibious campaign of World War II. 544 sq. mi. (1,409 sq. km).

Okinawa

/ ˌəʊkɪˈnɑːwə /

noun

1. a coral island of SW Japan, the largest of the Ryukyu Islands in the N Pacific: scene of heavy fighting in World War II; administered by the US (1945–72); agricultural. Chief town: Naha. Pop: 1 318 218 (2000). Area: 1176 sq km (454 sq miles)

Okinawa

1. Island in the western Pacific Ocean; part of Japan.

During World War II, American forces seized the island from Japan in a particularly bloody campaign. It was returned to Japan in 1972.

Other Word Forms

• Okinawan adjective

Example Sentences

In Japan, Physalia utriculus has long been known to inhabit waters from Okinawa to Sagami Bay.

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For many Japanese visitors, Okinawa, with its white stretches of sand and tropical climate, makes for an ideal, no-fuss beach vacation.

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Prosecutors said Zhao transmitted "plans for a large-scale maritime training exercise in the Pacific theatre, operational orders and electrical diagrams and blueprints for a Ground/Air Task Oriented Radar system located in Okinawa, Japan".

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The case is one of a string involving US servicemen based in the Okinawa archipelago, where more than half of the 54,000 US soldiers serving in Japan are based.

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It took Roberts — born in Naha, Okinawa, to a Japanese mother and American father — a year to reciprocate.

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