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How to use the Ojibwe People's Dictionary

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

nisonaaganens qnt num [BL] three cups, cupfuls

nisonaagaans qnt num three cups, cupfuls

nisoninj qnt num three inches

nisosagoons qnt num three thousand

nisozid qnt num three feet

nisoobiwag vai three of them sit together; three of them are at home

nisoobizowag vai three of them speed, drive, fly together

nisoobii'igan na a three (card)

nisoogaabawiwag vai three of them stand together

nisoogwaade vii

nisookik qnt num three pails, three pailfuls

nisoonag qnt num three boats or canoes, three boatloads

nisoonagiziwag vai there are three canoes or boats of them

nisoopidewan vii three of them (inanimate) are tied together

Paired with: nisoopizowag vai

nisoopidoon vti2 tie three of them (inanimate) together

Paired with: nisoopizh vta

nisoopizh vta tie, hitch three of them (animate) together

nisoopizowag vai three of them (animate) are tied together, are hitched together

Paired with: nisoopidewan vii

nisooshinoog vai three of them lie together

nisooshkimod qnt num three bags

nisooshkin qnt num three bags

niswaginzo vai it is the third (of a month)

niswaabik qnt num three dollars

niswaabiig qnt num three strands, three strings

niswaagiwebishkigan na [BL] a tricycle

niswaak qnt num three hundred

niswaakodaabaan ni a travois

niswaatig qnt num three stick-like objects

nisweg qnt num three pieces of something sheet-like

nisweginigan qnt num three packages

niswemikwaanens qnt num three spoonfuls

niswewaan qnt num three sets, three pairs

niswewaanagadoon vii there are three sets, pairs, or kinds of them (inanimate)

See also: niswewaanagiziwag vai

niswewaanagiziwag vai there are three sets, pairs, or kinds of them (animate)

Paired with: niswewaanagadoon vii

niswi qnt num three

nishi vta kill h/; get or catch it (animate; an animal, fish, bird) for use

Paired with: nitoon vti2

(detransitive) nishiwe vai s/he kills, commits murder (reciprocal) nisidiwag vai they kill each other (reflexive) nisidizo vai s/he kills h/ self, commits suicide
nishikewige vai s/he lives alone

nishimis nad my niece (cross niece: female's brother's daughter or male's sister's daughter)

nishiwanaadad vii [RL] it is spoiled, is ruined, is destroyed

Paired with: nishiwanaadizi vai [RL] See also: nishwanaadad vii

nishiwanaadakamigad vii it is a riot, a melee

Paired with: nishiwanaadakamigizi vai

nishiwanaadakamigizi vai s/he is naughty, is unruly, is disobedient

Paired with: nishiwanaadakamigad vii

nishiwanaadizi vai [RL] s/he is dead; s/he is in poor condition, is neglected

Paired with: nishiwanaadad vii [RL] See also: nishwanaadizi vai

nishiwanaajichige vai [RL] s/he wastes, spoils, destroys things

See also: nishwanaajichige vai

nishiwanaaji' vta [RL] waste, spoil, destroy h/

Paired with: nishiwanaajitoon vti2 [RL] See also: nishwanaaji' vta

nishiwanaajitoon vti2 [RL] spoil, ruin, destroy it

Paired with: nishiwanaaji' vta [RL] See also: nishwanaajitoon vti2

(detransitive) nishiwanaajichige vai [RL] s/he wastes, spoils, destroys things
nishiwe vai s/he kills, commits murder

nishiime nad my younger sibling (brother or sister); my younger parallel cousin (mother's sister's child; father's brother's child)

nishkanokii vai s/he gets angry working, gets mad working

nishkanzh nad
  1. my nail (fingernail, toenail)
  2. my claw

nishkaabam vta glare at, look angrily at h/

Paired with: nishkaabandan vti

nishkaabandan vti glare at, look angrily at it

Paired with: nishkaabam vta

nishkaabaawazh vta make h/ angry by geting them wet

nishkaabaawe vai s/he is angry because of being wet

nishkaabi vai s/he glares (at someone or something), flashes an angry glance (at someone or something)

nishkaadendam vai2 s/he is an angry person, is always mad

nishkaadenim vta feel mad at, feel angry at h/

nishkaadizi vai s/he is angry, is mad

(verb of pretending) nishkaadiziikaazo vai s/he pretends to be angry, pretends to be mad (verb of addiction) nishkaadizishki vai s/he is a angry person, is always angry (derived noun) nishkaadiziwin ni anger
nishkaadizishki vai s/he is a angry person, is always angry

nishkaadiziwin ni anger

nishkaadiziikaazo vai s/he pretends to be angry, pretends to be mad

nishkaadiziitaw vta get mad at, get angry at h/

(reciprocal) nishkaadiziitaadiwag vai they get angry, mad at each other
nishkaadiziitaadiwag vai they get angry, mad at each other

nishkaaji- pv lex angrily

nishkaajitaa vai s/he behaves angrily, acts up in anger

nishkaajiingweni vai s/he makes an angry face

nishkaajiingwetaw vta make an angry face at h/

nishkaazinaagozi vai s/he looks angry, looks mad

nishkaazom vta talk to h/ angrily

(reciprocal) nishkaazondiwag vai they talk to each other angrily (detransitive) nishkaazonge vai s/he speaks angrily to people
nishkaazondiwag vai they talk to each other angrily

nishkaazonge vai s/he speaks angrily to people

nishkendam vai2 s/he feels angry, feels mad

nishkendan vti feel angry at, feel mad at it

Paired with: nishkenim vta

nishkenim vta feel angry at, feel mad at h/

Paired with: nishkendan vti

(reciprocal) nishkenindiwag vai they feel angry at e.o.
nishkenindiwag vai they feel angry at e.o.

nishkibii vai s/he is angry when drinking

nishki' vta anger h/, make h/ angry or mad

(detransitive) nishki'iwe vai s/he angers people, makes people angry or mad (reciprocal) nishki'idiwag vai they anger each other, make each other angry or mad
nishki'idiwag vai they anger each other, make each other angry or mad

nishki'iwe vai s/he angers people, makes people angry or mad

nishkim vta anger h/ by speech, speak and make h/ mad

(reciprocal) nishkindiwag vai they make each other angry, make each other mad by speech
nishkinaw vta abuse, injure, damage h/: be mean to, be aggressive toward h/

(reciprocal) nishkinaadiwag vai they treat each other badly: they are mean to, aggressive toward each other
nishkinaadiwag vai they treat each other badly: they are mean to, aggressive toward each other

nishkindiwag vai they make each other angry, make each other mad by speech

nishkine vai s/he is angry, is frustrated because of h/ illness

nishkitaa vai s/he angers people; s/he makes people mad

nishkizekwe vai s/he cooks angrily

nishkiinzhig nid my eye

nishtigwaan nid my head

See also: nitigwaan nid [BL]

nishtigwaanigegan nid my skull

nishwanaadad vii it is spoiled, is ruined, is destroyed

Paired with: nishwanaadizi vai See also: nishiwanaadad vii [RL]

nishwanaadakamigad vii it is a riot, a melee

See also: nishiwanaadakamigad vii

nishwanaadizi vai s/he is dead

Paired with: nishwanaadad vii See also: nishiwanaadizi vai [RL]

nishwanaajichigaade vii it is wasted, spoiled, destroyed, "they" waste, spoil, destroy it

nishwanaajichige vai s/he wastes spoils, destroys things

See also: nishiwanaajichige vai [RL]

nishwanaaji' vta waste, spoil, destroy h/

Paired with: nishiwanaajitoon vti2 [RL] See also: nishwanaajitoon vti2

nishwanaajitoon vti2 waste, spoil, destroy it

Paired with: nishwanaaji' vta

(detransitive) nishwanaajichige vai s/he wastes spoils, destroys things (verb of undergoing) nishwanaajichigaade vii it is wasted, spoiled, destroyed, "they" waste, spoil, destroy it
nishwaaching adv tmp eight times

See also: ishwaaching adv tmp

nishwaachinoon vii they (inanimate) are eight, there are eight of them

Paired with: nishwaachiwag vai See also: ishwaachinoon vii

nishwaachiwag vai they (animate) are eight, there are eight of them (animate)

Paired with: nishwaachinoon vii See also: ishwaachiwag vai

nishwaasimidana qnt num eighty

See also: ishwaasimidana qnt num ; nishwaasomidano qnt num [RL]

nishwaasimidana ashi-bezhig qnt num eighty-one

See also: ishwaasimidana ashi-bezhig qnt num

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.