O·ki·na·wa (??k?-nä?w?, -nou?-) An island group of the central Ryukyu Islands in the western Pacific Ocean southwest of Japan. In World War II Okinawa, the largest island in the group, was the scene of fierce combat between the Japanese and US Army and Marine forces (April 1-June 21, 1945). The islands were returned to the Japanese in 1972.American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.Okinawa (???k??n??w?) n (Placename) a coral island of SW Japan, the largest of the Ryukyu Islands in the N Pacific: scene of heavy fighting in World War II; administered by the US (1945?72); agricultural. Chief town: Naha. Pop: 1 318 218 (2000). Area: 1176 sq km (454 sq miles)Collins English Dictionary ? Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014O?ki?na?wa (?o? k??na? w?, -?n? w?) n. the largest of the Ryukyu Islands: occupied by U.S. 1945?72. 544 sq. mi. (1409 sq. km). Cap.: Naha. O?ki?na?wan, adj., n. Random House Kernerman Webster’s College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.