Rukai (Drekay)

Rukai is a member of the Formosan group of Austronesian languages. It is spoken in Pingtung (屏東縣), Kaohsiung (高雄縣) and Taitung (臺東縣) counties in southern Taiwan, specifically in Wutai (霧臺鄉 / Vudai), Maolin (茂林鄉) and Peinan (卑南鄉) townships. In 2002 there were about 10,500 speakers of Rukai. The language is spoken by people of all ages in their everyday lives. Some people, particularly older adults, are monolingual in Rukai, while others also speak Japanese and/or Taiwanese.

There are six dialects of Rukai: Mantauran ('Oponoho), Maga (Teldrɨka), Tona (Kongadavane), Budai (Vedrai), Tanan (Taromak) and Labuan (Talamakao). Mantauran is spoken in Maolin township. Maga and Tona are spoken in Maolin Township. Budai and Labuan are spoken in Wutai Township, and Tanan is spoken in Peinan Township.

Various orthographies using the Latin alphabet have been developed to write different dialects Rukai by linguists and religious organizations.

Rukai alphabet and pronunciation

Notes

All vowels are used in the Maga dialect
The vowels [a], [ə] and [i] are used in all dialects
[o] is used in all dialects except Budai or Labuan
[u] is only used in the Budai, Labuan and Maga dialects
[b], [d], [ɖ], [ɡ] and [θ] are used in all dialects except Mantauran
[r] is used in all dialects except Tona
[ʈ] is only used in Tanan dialect
[ʔ] is only used in Tona and Mantauran dialects

Download an alphabet chart for Rukai (Excel)

Sample videos in Rukai

Information about Rukai | Numbers | Tower of Babel

Links

Information about the Rukai language
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rukai_language
https://ai.glossika.com/blog/formosan-languages-meet-ai#rukailanguage
https://repositories.lib.utexas.edu/bitstream/handle/2152/3758/chenc55702.pdf

Formosan languages

Amis, Atayal, Bunun, Kanakanavu, Kavalan, Paiwan, Pazeh, Puyuma, Rukai, Saaroa, Saisiyat, Sakizaya, Seediq, Thao, Tsou

Languages written with the Latin alphabet

Page last modified: 28.10.24

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