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How to use the Ojibwe People's Dictionary

minwaajim vta tell good news of h/

Paired with: minwaadodan vti

minwaajimo vai s/he tells good news, tells a good story

minwaakide vii it is nicely pictured, looks good in a picture; it is nicely cooked, toasted, or smoked

Paired with: minwaakizo vai

minwaakizo vai s/he or it (animate) is nicely pictured (photographed), looks good in a photogragh; it (animate) is nicely burned, singed, toasted, or cooked

Paired with: minwaakide vii

minwaakozi vai s/he is good (as something stick- or wood-like)

Paired with: minwaakwad vii

minwaakwad vii it is good (as something stick- or wood-like)

Paired with: minwaakozi vai

minwaakwadin vii it freezes or is frozen nice and smooth

Paired with: minwaakwaji vai

minwaakwaji vai it (animate) freezes or is frozen nice and smooth

Paired with: minwaakwadin vii

minwaande vii it is a good color

Paired with: minwaanzo vai

minwaanigoziwin ni good time

minwaanikwe vai s/he has nice hair

minwaanimad vii there is a good breeze

minwaanzo vai it (animate) is a good color

Paired with: minwaande vii

minwaapi vai s/he laughs happily

minwaate vii it has a good light, shines well

minwaatese vii it is a good movie; it flashes nicely

minwegad vii it (sheet-like) is good, is nice

Paired with: minwegizi vai

minwegiwebaasin vii it (sheet-like) is nicely blown in the wind

minwegizi vai it (animate; sheet-like) is good, is nice

Paired with: minwegad vii

minwendam vai2 s/he is happy, is pleased, is glad, has fun, has a good time

minwendan vti like it

Paired with: minwenim vta

minwendaagozi vai s/he is likeable, is agreeable, is fun

Paired with: minwendaagwad vii

minwendaagwad vii it is likeable, is fun

Paired with: minwendaagozi vai

minwenim vta like h/ or it (animate)

Paired with: minwendan vti

minwewebagaasin vii leaves sound nice blowing in the wind

minwewebide vii it sounds good running [motor]

Paired with: minwewebizo vai

minwewebizo vai it (animate) sounds good running [motor]

Paired with: minwewebide vii

minwewebiisaan vii [BL] the rain sounds nice

minwewejiwan vii its flow sounds nice

minwewenaamo vai h/ breathing sounds good

minwewengwaamo vai [BL] s/he sounds good in h/ sleep

minwewenjige vai s/he sounds good chewing

minwewesin vii it sounds nice ringing

Paired with: minweweshin vai

minweweshin vai s/he sounds nice ringing or hitting

Paired with: minwewesin vii

minweweyaandagaasin vii the boughs sound nice blowing in the wind

minweweyaanimad vii the wind has a nice sound, sounds good

minweweyaashkaa vii the waves sound nice

misajidamoo na a grey squirrel; a fox squirrel

[
fox squirrel, grey squirrel
; 
Sciurus spp.
]

misakakojiish na [S] a badger

[
American badger
; 
Taxisea taxus
]

See also: mitanask na [N]

misan ni (pieces of) firewood

misawaa adv gram even though; no matter what; even if; anyway

misawaabam vta look with desire at h/, want to have h/ (someone or something seen)

Paired with: misawaabandan vti

misawaabandan vti look with desire at it, want to have it

misawaabi vai s/he sees something desirable, wishes to have something s/he sees

misawendam vai2 s/he needs, wants, desires something

(derived noun) misawendamowin ni desire
misawendamowin ni desire

misawendan vti want, desire it

Paired with: misawenim vta

(detransitive) misawenjige vai s/he wants, desires things
misawenim vta want, desire h/

Paired with: misawendan vti

misawenjige vai s/he wants, desires things

misawinan vti wish to have it

Paired with: misawinaw vta

misawinaw vta wish to have h/ or it (animate)

Paired with: misawinan vti

misawitaagozi vai s/he sounds desirable

Paired with: misawitaagwad vii

misawitaagwad vii it sounds desirable

Paired with: misawitaagozi vai

misaabe na a giant

misaabekwe na a giant (female)

misaabooz na a jack rabbit

[
white-tailed jack rabbit
; 
Lepus townsendii
]

misko- pv lex red

misko-bineshiinh na a cardinal

[
northern cardinal
; 
Cardinalis cardinalis
]

misko-jiis ni a beet

misko-manidoominens na a red bead

misko-miigwan na a red feather

See also: miskogwan na

misko-waagosh na a red fox

[
Vulpes vulpes
]

miskobag ni a red leaf

miskobagad vii it has red leaves, is a red leaf

Paired with: miskobagizi vai

miskobagaa vii there are red leaves

Paired with: miskobagizi vai

miskobagizi vai s/he (a tree) has red leaves

Paired with: miskobagad vii

miskobii'an vti color it red; paint it red

miskobii'igaazo vai

miskodaase vai s/he wears red pants

miskodiisimin na a bean

See also: miskojiisimin na

miskodoone vai s/he has red lips

miskodoonebii' vta [BL] put lipstick on h/

(reflexive) miskodoonebii'odizo vai s/he puts h/ lipstick on
miskodoonebii'igan ni [BL] a lipstick

miskodoonebii'o vai s/he wears lipstick

(derived noun) miskodoonebii'on ni [BL] a lipstick
miskodoonebii'odizo vai s/he puts h/ lipstick on

miskodoonebii'on ni [BL] a lipstick

miskodoonechigan ni a lipstick

miskodoonechige vai s/he wears lipstick

miskoganzhiibii'igan ni red nail polish

miskogaadeyaab ni yarn

miskogizi vai it (animate; something wooden) is red

miskogwan na a red feather

miskogwane vai s/he (a bird) has red feathers

misko'o vai s/he wears red

miskojaabi vai s/he has red eyes

miskojaane vai s/he has a red nose

miskojaanewaji vai h/ nose is red from the cold

miskojiisimin na a bean

See also: miskodiisimin na

miskojiisiminaaboo ni [N] bean soup

miskokaadaak na a beet

miskokobaa vii it is red brush. there is red brush

miskokonaye vai s/he dresses in red

miskomin na a raspberry

[
wild red raspberry
; 
Rubus idaeus
]

(verb of abundance) miskominikaa vii there are (many) raspberries
miskominagad vii it (something small and round, grain, berry) is red

Paired with: miskominagizi vai

miskominaganzh na a raspberry bush

miskominaganzhiiwaabo ni

miskominagizi vai it (animate; something small and round, grain, berry) is red

Paired with: miskominagad vii

miskomini-baashkiminasigan ni raspberry sauce or jam

miskomini-baashkiminasigani-biitoosijigani-bakwezhigan na a raspberry pie

miskomini-biitoosijigan na [BL] a raspberry pie

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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Speakers & Regions Key

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.