The Seasons of Guam

1. Fanuchånan
   1. Definition: time for rain/rainy season
   2. Part of Speech: noun
   3. Pronunciation: Fan-ooo-CHA-nan
2. Fanomnagan: 
   1. Definition: time for sunshine
   2. Part of Speech: noun
   3. Pronunciation: Fan-om-nahh-gaan

If you live in the mainland United States, you are probably used to the four seasons we go through during the year. For those that may not know, they are: summer, fall, winter, and spring. However, on the beautiful island of Guam, the locals typically recognize only two seasons throughout the year. They’re the sunny and the rainy seasons. I’ve confirmed this with my grandmother to be true and, based on my own visit there years ago, I can confirm the latter. Memories of that trip are still crisp in my mind when I think of the weather conditions; especially during the summertime. I was told, jokingly, that in some cases, one part of the island will be graced with sunshine while the other experiences a downpour. Nonetheless, these two occurrences are no stranger to the CHamoru living on the island. 

Fanuchånan, as briefly mentioned above, translates to the rainy season. Within it, is the root word: uchan, which translates to rain. The prefix fan- used with the suffix –an used together turn words in nouns–places specifically. Alternatively, fanomnagan contains the root word: . The dry season on Guam typically runs through January and May while the rainy season is common through the months of July and November. The only two months not mentioned, June and December, are considered “transitional” months between the two prominent “seasons”.

Unlike Guam, if you live in the mainland United States, it’s currently what we would consider the “dry season” or, as we commonly know it as: summer. No matter where we live though, it’s common knowledge that we all experience the same degree of heat and/or damp weather conditions. For my CHamoru in the United States, we can express what we feel towards the heat with a couple different words in our native language. 

Here is a small, but useful list of words that apply to the dry season:

• Maipe’ 
  • Definition: hot
  • Part of Speech: adjective
  • Pronunciation: my-peh
• Somnak
  • Definition: sunshine or sunlight
  • Part of Speech: noun
  • Pronunciation: sohm-nack
• Tåsi
  • Definition: ocean or beach
  • Part of Speech: noun
  • Pronunciation: tah-see
• Hånom
  • Definition: water
  • Part of Speech: noun
  • Pronunciation: hah-noom
• Nåpu
  • Definition: wave
  • Part of Speech: noun
  • Pronunciation: naw-poo
• Unai
  • Definition: sand
  • Part of Speech: noun
  • Pronunciation: ooo-nye
• Nangu
  • Definition: swim or to swim
  • Part of Speech: verb
  • Pronunciation: nah-ngoo
• Gimen
  • Definition: beverage
  • Part of Speech: noun
  • Pronunciation: gee-men