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How to use the Ojibwe People's Dictionary

nipikwan nid my back

nisawa'ogaan ni lodge with peaked roof

nisawaya'ii adv loc in between them

nisawayi'ii adv loc in between them

See also: nisawaya'ii adv loc

nisawaabik adv loc between rocks

nisawaajiwan adv loc in the middle of the rapids

nisawaatig adv loc between trees

nisawi- pv lex between, in between

nisawi-desabiwin adv loc [BL] between the chairs

nisawi-minis between the islands

nisawi-nibewin adv loc between the beds

nisawi-waakaa'igan adv loc between houses, between buildings

nisawigamig adv loc between houses or lodges

nisawigaabawi vai s/he stands in the middle

nisawisidoon vti2 put it in the middle

Paired with: nisawishim vta

nisawisin vii it lies in the middle

Paired with: nisawishin vai

nisawishim vta put h/ in the middle

Paired with: nisawisidoon vti2

nisawishin vai s/he or it (animate) lies in the middle

Paired with: nisawisin vii

nisayenh nad my older brother

nisaabaawazh vta drown h/; wet h/

nisaabaawe vii it gets wet

Paired with: nisaabaawe vai

nisaabaawe vai s/he gets wet; s/he drowns

Paired with: nisaabaawe vii

nisaabikinigan ni [BL] a trigger

See also: nasaabikinigan ni [RL]

nisidawenim vta recognize h/

nisidawimaagozi vai s/he or it (animate) is recognized, recognizable by the smell

Paired with: nisidawimaagwad vii

nisidawimaagwad vii it is recognized, recognizable by the smell

Paired with: nisidawimaagozi vai

nisidawinan vti recognize it (by sight)

Paired with: nisidawinaw vta

nisidawinaw vta recognize h/ (by sight)

Paired with: nisidawinan vti

(detransitive) nisidawinaage vai s/he recognizes, identifies people (by sight) (reciprocal) nisidawinaadiwag vai they recognize each other (by sight)
nisidawinaadiwag vai they recognize each other (by sight)

nisidawinaage vai s/he recognizes, identifies people (by sight)

nisidawinaagozi vai s/he or it (animate) is known, recognized, identified (by h/ or its appearance)

Paired with: nisidawinaagwad vii

nisidawinaagwad vii it is known, recognized, identified (by sight)

Paired with: nisidawinaagozi vai

nisidiwag vai they kill each other

nisidizo vai s/he kills h/ self, commits suicide

nisidomaagozi vai s/he or it (animate) is recognized, is recognizable by smell

nisidomaagwad vii it is recognized, recognizable (by its smell)

Paired with: nisidomaagozi vai

nisidomaam vta recognize, identify h/ (by smell)

Paired with: nisidomaandan vti

nisidomaandan vti recognize, identify it (by smell)

Paired with: nisidomaam vta

nisidomaaso vai it (animate) is recognized, recognizable by h/ cooking or burning smell

Paired with: nisidomaate vii

nisidomaate vii it is recognized, recognizable by its cooking or burning smell

Paired with: nisidomaaso vai

nisidopidan vti recognize it by taste

Paired with: nisidopo vta

nisidopo vta recognize h/ by taste

Paired with: nisidopidan vti

nisidopogozi vai s/he is recognized, recognizable by h/ taste

Paired with: nisidopogwad vii

nisidopogwad vii it is recognized, recognizable by its taste

Paired with: nisidopogozi vai

nisidotam vai2 s/he understands (by hearing)

nisidotamookaazo vai s/he pretends to understand

nisidotan vti understand it, recognize, identify it (by hearing)

Paired with: nisidotaw vta

nisidotaw vta recognize h/ (by sound); understand, comprehend h/ (when speaking)

Paired with: nisidotan vti

(reciprocal) nisidotaadiwag vai they understand, comprehend each other
nisidotaadiwag vai they understand, comprehend each other

nisidotaagozi vai s/he is understood

Paired with: nisidotaagwad vii

nisidotaagwad vii it is understood

Paired with: nisidotaagozi vai

nisimidana qnt num thirty

nisimidana ashi-bezhig qnt num thirty-one

nisimidana ashi-ishwaaswi qnt num thirty-eight

See also: nisimidana ashi-nishwaaswi qnt num

nisimidana ashi-naanan qnt num thirty-five

nisimidana ashi-ngodwaaswi qnt num thirty-six

See also: nisimidana ashi-ningodwaaswi qnt num

nisimidana ashi-ningodwaaswi qnt num thirty-six

See also: nisimidana ashi-ngodwaaswi qnt num

nisimidana ashi-niswi qnt num thirty-three

nisimidana ashi-nishwaaswi qnt num thirty-eight

See also: nisimidana ashi-ishwaaswi qnt num

nisimidana ashi-niiwin qnt num thirty-four

nisimidana ashi-niizh qnt num thirty-two

nisimidana ashi-niizh qnt num thirty-two

nisimidana ashi-niizhwaaswi qnt num thirty-seven

nisimidana ashi-zhaangaswi qnt num thirty-nine

nisimidana-shi-bezhigwaginzo vai [BL] it is the thirty-first (of the month)

nisimidanaweginzo vai [BL] it is the thirtieth (of the month)

nising adv tmp three times; thrice

nisinoon vii they (inanimate) are three, there are three of them

Paired with: nisiwag vai

nisiwag vai they (animate) are three, there are three of them

Paired with: nisinoon vii

niso- pv qnt three

niso-anama'e-giizhigad vii it is three weeks

niso-anama'e-giizhik qnt num three weeks

niso-anama'e-giizhikwagad vii it is three weeks

niso-biboon qnt num three years; three winters

niso-biboonagad vii it is three years

niso-biboonagizi vai s/he is three years old

niso-diba'igan qnt num
  1. three hours
  2. three miles

niso-diba'igane vii [N] it is three o'clock

niso-diba'iganed vii [S] it is three o'clock

niso-diba'iganeyaa vii [BL] it is three o'clock

niso-diba'igaans qnt num
  1. three minutes
  2. three acres

niso-diba'oobaan qnt num [BL] three gallons

niso-dibaabiishkoojigan qnt num three pounds

niso-dibaabiishkoojiganezi vai s/he or it (animate) weighs three pounds

niso-dibik qnt num three nights

niso-gikinoonowin qnt num three years

niso-giizhik qnt num three days

niso-giizis qnt num three months

niso-giiziswagad vii it is three months

Paired with: niso-giiziswagizi vai

niso-giiziswagizi vai s/he is three months old

Paired with: niso-giiziswagad vii

niso-minikwaajigan qnt num three gallons

niso-mininj qnt num [NI] three inches

niso-mizid qnt num [NI] three feet

niso-zhooniyaans na seventy-five cents

niso-zhooniyaansiwinaaganens qnt num three-quarters of a cup

nisodaabaan qnt num three cars, carloads

nisogon qnt num three days

nisogonagad vii it is three days

Paired with: nisogonagizi vai

nisogonagizi vai it is the third (of a month); s/he is three days old

Paired with: nisogonagad vii

nisogonendi vai s/he is gone three days, is absent three days

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.