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How to use the Ojibwe People's Dictionary

aya'aa pron psl I don't remember who; a being, a thing animate in gender

Paired with: aya'ii pron psl ; ayi'ii pron psl

(verb of possession) odaya'aami vai s/he has property, has dependents
aya'ii pron psl I don't remember what; a thing

See also: aya'aa pron psl ; ayi'ii pron psl

(derived noun) aya'iiwish ni old stuff; old clothes (verb of possession) odaya'iimi vai s/he has stuff, has property
aya'iiwish ni old clothes; old stuff

ayapakwe vai s/he keeps putting on a roof, keeps covering the lodge with bark

ayapatoo vai s/he runs to certain places

ayate vii it sits around for a while

ayaa vai
  1. s/he is (in a certain place)
  2. [with a lexical preverb] s/he is in a state or condition
  3. [with a preverb] s/he moves a certain way

Paired with: ayaa vii

ayaa vii
  1. it is (in a certain place)
  2. [with a lexical preverb] it is in a certain state or condition
  3. [with a preverb] it moves a certain way

Paired with: ayaa vai

ayaabe na a buck, a male deer

ayaakwaawan vii they are each a certain length, a certain height, are so long, are so tall

ayaan vti4 have it; own it

Paired with: ayaaw vta

ayaangodinong adv tmp occasionally; sometimes

ayaangwaami- pv lex as a warning; cautiously, protectively

ayaangwaamim vta warn, caution h/

ayaangwaamizi vai s/he is careful, is cautious

ayaaniginiwag vai they are a certain size or sizes, are so big

ayaanigokwaawan vii they are of a certain size or sizes, are so big

ayaanzigweshimowag vai they dance with necks together

ayaapii adv tmp every once in a while, every now and then

ayaapiichinaag adv tmp every once in a while, every now and then; now and then

ayaaw vta have h/; own h/

Paired with: ayaan vti4

ayekobani'o vai [BL]

ayekobani'o vai [BL] s/he is tired from exertion, is tired from moving h/ body too fast

ayekogaade vai s/he is tired in h/ leg

ayekogwayawe vai s/he is tired in h/ neck

ayeko' vta make h/ tired

ayekomanji'o vai s/he feels tired

See also: ayekwamanji'o vai

ayekonaagozi vai s/he looks tired, seems tired

ayekoninjii vai s/he has tired hands

ayekozi vai s/he is tired

See also: ekozi vai [LLC]

ayekozide vai s/he has tired feet

ayekoziiwinaagozi vai s/he looks tired

ayekwamanji'o vai s/he feels tired

See also: ayekomanji'o vai

ayekwaawigane vai s/he has a tired back

ayezhininjii-minjikaawan na a glove

See also: niisiigi-minjikaawan na ; niisiigininjii-minjikaawan na

ay' pc disc missed it!; oops! damn! [expression of displeasure at accident or mistake]

See also: hay' pc interj

ayi'ii pron psl I don't remember what; a thing

See also: aya'aa pron psl ; aya'ii pron psl

ayikwanagwe vai h/ sleeves are pulled up

ayikwanaamo vai

ayina'am vai2 s/he sings certain ways, sings certain songs

ayina'azh vta follow h/ on trail to certain places

ayina'e vai s/he aims or shoots here and there

ayinanokii vai s/he works in certain ways, works here and there in certain ways

ayinaabi vai s/he looks around, scans

ayinaajimo vai s/he tells in certain ways. tells different stories

ayinaakonige vai s/he points something stick-like in certain directions; s/he makes judgements, decides things, agrees to things in a certain way

ayindanabi vai s/he sits around in certain places

ayindazhishimo vai s/he dances around in a certain place, dances here and there

ayindaa vai s/he lives here and there, lives in a certain place for some time

ayindi vai s/he has something the matter with h/

ayindoodam vai2 s/he does things in a certain way repeatedly

ayinendi vai s/he is away, absent, gone so long

ayishpaabiigibide vii it moves up and down fast on a string or line

ayizhichige vai s/he does certain things, does something now and then

azhashki ni mud

(verb of abundance) azhashkiikaa vii there is (a lot of) mud (verb of being) azhashkiiwan vii it is muddy (verb of being) azhashkiiwi vai s/he is muddy
azhashkiikaa vii there is (a lot of) mud

azhashkiiwakamigaa vii it is muddy ground

azhashkiiwan vii it is muddy

Paired with: azhashkiiwi vai

azhashkiiwaagamin vii [BL] it (a liquid) is muddy

azhashkiiwi vai s/he is muddy

Paired with: azhashkiiwan vii

azhashkiiwininjii vai s/he has muddy hands

azhashkiiwishkige vai s/he leaves muddy foot tracks

azhashkiiwizide vai s/he has muddy feet

azhawaasin vii it gets dull

azaadi na a poplar, an aspen

[
trembling aspen
; 
Populus tremuloides
]

(verb of being) azaadiiwi vai it (animate) is a poplar
azaadii-biigijiisag ni punky poplar wood used for smoking hides

See also: azaadiiwi-bigijiisag ni

azaadiibag ni a poplar leaf, an aspen leaf

azaadiinagek na poplar bark, aspen bark

azaadiisag ni poplar wood

azaadiisagokaazo vai s/he pretends to be a poplar

azaadiiwanagek

azaadiiwanakoons ni (tip of) poplar twig

azaadiiwi vai it (animate) is a poplar

azaadiiwi-bigijiisag ni punky poplar wood used for smoking hides

See also: azaadii-biigijiisag ni

azhaas vta treat h/ with medicine by tattooing

azhaaso vai s/he applies a medicinal tattoo

azhaasowin ni a medicinal tattoo

azhaaswi vta [NI]

► azhaas vta

azhe- pv lex go back

azhe-ashi vta set h/ back, put h/ back; replace h/

Paired with: azhe-atoon vti2

azhe-atoon vti2 set it back, put it back

Paired with: azhe-ashi vta

azhebani'o vai [BL] s/he suddenly moves back, turns back

azhebatoo vai s/he runs backwards

azhebi vai s/he moves back sitting

azhebide vii it slips back; it speeds back, drives back

Paired with: azhebizo vai

azhebidoon vti2 pull it back

Paired with: azhebizh vta

azhebizh vta pull h/ or it (animate) back

Paired with: azhebidoon vti2

azhebizo vai s/he backs up a vehicle

Paired with: azhebide vii

azhebowaanaak ni [N] an oar

See also: azheboyaanaak ni [ML]

azhebowe vai s/he rows (a boat)

See also: azheboye vai [ML]

azhebowe-jiimaan ni [BL] a rowboat

azhebowewi-jiimaan ni [BL] a rowboat

See also: azhebowe-jiimaan ni [BL]

azheboyaanaak ni [ML] an oar

See also: azhebowaanaak ni [N]

azheboye vai [ML] s/he rows (a boat)

See also: azhebowe vai

azheda' vta pound h/ back (using a stick or a stick-like tool)

Paired with: azheda'an vti

azheda'an vti pound it back (using a stick or a stick-like tool)

Paired with: azheda' vta

azhedakokii vai s/he steps back

azhedaabaadan vti drag it back

Paired with: azhedaabaazh vta

azhedaabaazh vta drag h/ back

Paired with: azhedaabaadan vti

azhedaabii vai s/he pulls or drags a load backwards

The Ojibwe People's Dictionary is developed and maintained by:
Nora Livesay, Editor
John D. Nichols, Founder and Linguistic Editor

with support and collaboration from the University of Minnesota's Department of American Indian Studies and University Libraries.

Additional Resources

Many of the words in the Ojibwe People's Dictionary have related resources. Click through to the full dictionary entry to hear audio recordings, see images, read documents and watch videos. Here's a key to resource icons.

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Individual speakers and speakers from different regions use different words when speaking. Each audio recording is marked with the initials of the Ojibwe speaker. Click on a speaker's initials to go to the speaker's bio page. If an Ojibwe word is particular to a certain region, it will be marked with a region code. Click on the region code to go to the Regions page.