Ainu Morpheme Explorer
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Hokkaidō

忠別

ちゅうべつ Chūbetsu

Batchelor cross-references this river name from his Asahigawa entry.

Ainu spellings: Chiu-pet, Chiupet

Analyses

Chiu-pet

proposed

Current river

Proponent: John Batchelor

He equates chiu with chiwe “a current”. Under Asahigawa on p. 35 he claims that Chiupet was confused with Chup-pet “sun-river”, giving rise to Asahi-gawa.

Batchelor1905 § V "Place Names Considered", p. 39, s.v. ChiubetsuBatchelor1905 § V "Place Names Considered", p. 35, s.v. Asahigawa
Analysis details
Confidence: low

The current interpretation is explicit. The claimed history of the Japanese name is given without a dated naming document.

Attestations

  • Chiubetsu dictionary 1905 An Ainu-English-Japanese Dictionary, 2nd edition
    “Current river.” Chiu is the same as Chiwe, “a current.”

    The entry gives Batchelor’s analytical spelling and interpretation.

    Batchelor1905 § V "Place Names Considered", p. 39, s.v. Chiubetsu

Sources