Ainu Morpheme Explorer
← Place names

Tobiu, Shiraoi, Iburi region, Hokkaidō

飛生

とびう Tobiu

One of the Shiraoi names the article leaves with the received reading, supported by the stand of Kuril bamboo along the river and by the neighbouring Topushinai.

Ainu spellings: Topioi

Analyses

topi-o-i

トピオイ

received reading

place where bamboo grows

Proponent: 定説

topi is the long form of top 'Kuril bamboo'. The author supports the reading: the Topushinai, a tributary of the Tobiu, is top-us-nay 'stream where Kuril bamboo grows', and Kuril bamboo, which lacks the white leaf margin of kumazasa, grows in stands along the Tobiu.

zenibako_trek2025 「飛生（トビウ）」
Analysis details
Confidence: low

top 'bamboo' is a dictionary word in the sense used, the shape follows the ordinary o-i pattern, the plant grows along the river, and a neighbouring tributary carries the same element. The article gives topi as the long form of top and the final i as a formal noun without citing a dictionary for either.

Sources