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How to use the Ojibwe People's Dictionary

niigoshin vai s/he breaks (on impact)

Paired with: niigosin vii

niigoshkan vti break it (with foot or body)

niigoshkaa vii it is broken

niigozo vai s/he breaks by heat

Paired with: niigode vii

niij nad

► niijii nad

niiji- pv lex my fellow

niijikiwenh nad my (male's) brother, (male) parallel cousin, fellow man

niijikwe na my friend (woman to woman)

niijii nad my friend

niikimo vai s/he growls

niimabwewine vai s/he takes along a frying pan or pans

niimagoode vii it is hanging out

Paired with: niimagoojin vai

niimagoodoon vti2 hang it out

Paired with: niimagoozh vta

niimagoojin vai s/he is hanging out

Paired with: niimagoode vii

niimagoozh vta hang h/ out

Paired with: niimagoodoon vti2

niimagwazhe vai s/he takes along a blanket

niima' vta carry h/ using something; pick h/ up using something

Paired with: niima'an vti

niima'an vti carry it using something; pick it up using something

Paired with: niima' vta

niimakikwe vai s/he takes along a kettle, pot, pan, or pail

niimakizine vai s/he takes along footwear

niimam vta carry h/ in mouth; pick h/ up in mouth

Paired with: niimandan vti

niimandan vti carry it in mouth; pick it up in mouth

Paired with: niimam vta

niimanwiiwe vai s/he takes along bullets

niimasemaawe vai s/he takes tobacco along

niimashkimode vai s/he takes along a bag or bags

niimazhigane vai s/he takes along socks

niimaagime vai s/he takes along snowshoes

niimaakon vta hold, carry h/ on stick

Paired with: niimaakonan vti

niimaakonan vti hold, carry it on stick

Paired with: niimaakon vta

niimaakwa' vta pick it (animate) up or hold it (animate) out with something stick-like

Paired with: niimaakwa'an vti

niimaakwa'an vti pick it up or hold it out on something stick-like

Paired with: niimaakwa' vta

niimaakwa'wi vta [NI]

► niimaakwa' vta

niimi vai s/he dances

(causative) niimi' vta hold a dance for h/; make h/ dance
(detransitive) niimi'iwe vai s/he gives a dance (reciprocal) niimi'idiwag vai they dance
(derived noun) niimi'idiwin ni a dance; a powwow
(verb of pretending) niimikaazo vai s/he pretends to dance niimikaw vta dance for h/
(detransitive) niimikaage vai s/he dances for people (for a purpose)
niimibagwaanegamigwe vai [BL] s/he takes along a tent or tents

niimibaashkizigane vai s/he takes along a gun

niimibikwakwe vai s/he takes along an arrow or arrows

niimidana qnt num forty

niimi' vta hold a dance for h/; make h/ dance

Paired with: niimitoon vti2

niimi'idiwag vai they dance

niimi'idiwin ni a dance; a powwow

niimi'idii-nagamon ni a dance song

niimi'idiiwigamig ni a dance hall

niimi'iwe vai s/he gives a dance

niimijiimaane vai s/he takes along a canoe or canoes; take along a boat or boats

niimikan vti dance to it

niimikaw vta dance for h/

niimikaage vai s/he dances for people (for a purpose)

niimikaazo vai s/he pretends to dance

niimikomaane vai s/he takes along a knife or knives

niimiminjikaawane vai s/he takes along mittens or gloves

niimimitigwaabii vai s/he takes a bow along

niimimiijime vai s/he takes along food

niimin vta hold h/ or it (animate) out

Paired with: niiminan vti

niiminagwaagane vai s/he takes along a snare or snares

niiminamaw vta hold (it) out to or for h/, hand (it) over to h/

niiminan vti hold it out

Paired with: niimin vta

(benefactive) niiminamaw vta hold (it) out to or for h/, hand (it) over to h/
niimipwaagane vai s/he takes along a pipe or pipes

niimishkodensiwe vai s/he takes along matches

niimitoon vti2 make it dance; dance with it

Paired with: niimi' vta

niimiwaagaakwadwe vai s/he takes along an ax or axes

niimizhiiwitaagane vai s/he takes along salt

niimizhooniyaawe vai s/he takes money along

niimiitamaw vta dance (something) for h/ to honor h/

niimoobii vai s/he takes water or another liquid along

niin pron per I, me

See also: gaye niin pron per ; geniin pron per

niineta pron per only I, only me; just me niinitam pron per my turn, me next
niinag nid my penis

niinamad vii

Paired with: niinamizi vai

niinamaabikad vii it (mineral) is weak

Paired with: niinamaabikizi vai

niinamaabikizi vai s/he (mineral) is weak

Paired with: niinamaabikad vii

niinamaakozi vai s/he (stick-like) is weak

Paired with: niinamaakwad vii

niinamaakwad vii it (stick-like) is weak, not well put together

Paired with: niinamaakozi vai

niinamaakwaabogo vai it (animate; stick-like) moves unsteadily in the water

niinamendan vti think it weak

See also: niinamenim vta

niinamenim vta think h/ weak

Paired with: niinamendan vti

niinamimaagwad vii it has a faint smell

niinaminaagozi vai s/he looks weak

Paired with: niinaminaagwad vii

niinaminaagwad vii it looks weak

Paired with: niinaminaagozi vai

niinamitaagozi vai s/he sounds weak

Paired with: niinamitaagwad vii

niinamitaagwad vii it sounds weak

Paired with: niinamitaagozi vai

niinamizi vai s/he or it (animate) is weak, is fragile, is frail

Paired with: niinamad vii

niinawind pron per we, us [exclusive]

See also: gaye niinawind pron per ; geniinawind pron per

niinetawind pron per only we, only us; just us [exclusive] niinitamawind pron per our turn, us next [exclusive]
niindaa' vta send (something) to someone with h/

(detransitive) niindaa'iwe vai s/he sends (it) to people
niindaa'iwe vai s/he sends (it) to people

niineta pron per only I, only me; just me

niinetawind pron per only we, only us; just us [exclusive]

niingidawamon vii it (road or trail) forks

niingidawaa vii it is forked, forks

Paired with: niingidawizi vai

niingidawaakozi vai it (animate) grows in a clump with common root

niingidawidenaniwe vai it (animate) has a forked tongue

niingidawitigweyaa vii it (a river) forks

niingidawizi vai s/he is forked, forks

niingidoomon vii road forks

niingidootigweyaa vii the river forks, has a fork in it

niinim nad (if I am male) my sister-in-law; (if I am female) my brother-in-law

niinimoshenh nad my cross-cousin (of the opposite sex to me): my mother's brother's child, my father's sister's child; my sweetheart

niinindib nid my brain

niinitam pron per my turn, me next

niinitamawind pron per our turn, us next [exclusive]

niinizis nid my (strand of) hair

niinzob nid my gall bladder

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.