Linguistic and cultural features of the Ryukyu Islands toponyms

   This article presents a linguacultural study of the toponymic environment using the Ryukyu Islands as an example.     The relevance of this topic  stems from the growing interest in the interaction of language and culture, particularly in the context of studying cultural aspects of vocabulary.    As part of the onomastic system, toponymsare are important linguacultural artifacts reflecting the history, ethnic contacts, and worldview of the peoples who shaped these geographical names. Studying the toponyms of the Ryukyu Islands from a linguacultural perspective is a relevant area, as these regions possess unique historical and ethnocultural characteristics.    The aim of this study  was to identify the linguacultural characteristics of the Ryukyu Islands toponyms.    The study was conducted using diachronic, historical-genetic, etymological, and continuous sampling methods. The results of the study contribute to a deeper understanding of the relationship between language, history, and culture in the toponymic systems of multilingual regions and have practical significance for courses in onomastics, ethnolinguistics, and regional studies. The results obtained can be also applied to research on language contacts in East Asia. A promising direction for further research is a comparative analysis of the toponymy of Japan’s Ryukyu Islands with the toponymic systems of other islands and their linguistic and cultural characteristics.