Ryukyu

American  

[ryoo-kyoo, ree-oo-kyoo] / ˈryu kyu, riˈu kyu /

noun

1. a chain of Japanese islands in the western Pacific Ocean between Japan and Taiwan. 3,120 square miles (1,205 square kilometers).

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Etymology

Origin of Ryukyu

First recorded in 1930–45; from Japanese Ryūkyū Shōto “Ryukyu Archipelago”

Example Sentences

Now, an international group of researchers have discovered a previously unknown species of large foraminifer, shedding new light on the ecological evolution and biodiversity of coral reefs in the Ryukyu Islands.

From Science Daily • Sep. 19, 2023

Two U.S. aircraft carriers, the USS Nimitz and USS Ronald Reagan, had been operating around the geopolitically important Ryukyu Islands in the Philippine Sea since Thursday, Global Times cited a Beijing-based think tank as saying.

From Reuters • Jun. 12, 2023

The other choke point is in the Miyako Strait, east of Taiwan in Japan’s Ryukyu Islands.

From Washington Times • Feb. 1, 2023

During the day, pale thrushes and Ryukyu robins visited the bright red fruits, but the birds tended to consume only a little bit of fruit at a time.

From New York Times • Jan. 26, 2023

For the expedition to Formosa furnished employment for the Satsuma samurai, and, at the same time, assured the Ryukyu islanders that Japan was prepared to protect them.

From A History of the Japanese People From the Earliest Times to the End of the Meiji Era by Brinkley, F. (Frank)