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How to use the Ojibwe People's Dictionary

niiskizi vai s/he is messy, is burdened with too much stuff

niiskiingweni vai s/he grimaces, makes a face

niiskiingwetaw vta grimace at, make a face at h/

niiskoonzhe vai s/he has a lot of kids to take care of

niishiboono vai s/he goes downstream with the current, shoots the rapids

niishtana qnt num twenty

niishtana ashi-niizh ni

niishtana-shi-bezhigwaginzo vai [BL] it is the twenty-first of the month

niishtana-shi-naanwaginzo vai [BL] it is the twenty-fifth (of the month)

niishtana-shi-ningodwaaswaginzo vai [BL] it is the twenty-sixth (of the month)

niishtana-shi-niswaginzo vai [BL] it is the twenty-third (of the month)

niishtana-shi-nishwaaswaginzo vai [BL] it is the twenty-eighth (of the month)

niishtana-shi-niiwaginzo vai [BL] it is the twenty-fourth (of the month)

niishtana-shi-niizhwaginzo vai [BL] it is the twenty-second (of the month)

niishtana-shi-niizhwaaswaginzo vai [BL] it is the twenty-seventh (of the month)

niishtana-shi-zhaangaswaginzo vai [BL] it is the twenty-ninth (of the month)

niishtanawaginzo vai [BL] it is the twentieth (of the month)

niitaa nad my brother-in-law (a male's brother-in-law)

niitaawis nad my male cross-cousin (man speaking)

niiwaginzo vai [BL] it is the fourth (of the month)

niiwana' vta slaughter h/, beat h/ to death

niiwanishin vai s/he dies in an accident

niiwaabik qnt num four dollars

niiwaabiig adv num four strands, four strings

niiwaak qnt num four hundred

niiweg qnt num four pieces of something sheet-like

niiweginigan qnt num four packs

niiwemikwaanens qnt num four spoonfuls

niiwewaan qnt num four pairs; four sets

niiwewaanagadoon vii there are four sets, pairs, or kinds of them (inanimate)

Paired with: niiwewaanagiziwag vai

niiwewaanagiziwag vai there are four sets, pairs, or kinds of them (animate)

Paired with: niiwewaanagadoon vii

niiwezh vta defeat h/ (in a contest or game), beat h/ (in a contest or game)

(detransitive) niiwezhiwe vai s/he defeats people (in a contest or game), beats people (in a contest or game)
niiwezhiwe vai s/he defeats people (in a contest or game), beats people (in a contest or game)

niiwimoodayaabik

niiwimoodayaabik

niiwin qnt num four

niiwing adv tmp four times

niiwinoon vii they (inanimate) are four, there are four of them

Paired with: niiwiwag vai

niiwiwag vai they (animate) are four, there are four of them

Paired with: niiwinoon vii

niiwo- pv qnt four

See also: niiyo- pv qnt

niiwo-anama'e-giizhigad vii it is four weeks

See also: niiyo-anama'e-giizhigad vii

niiwo-anama'e-giizhik qnt num four weeks

See also: niiyo-anama'e-giizhik qnt num

niiwo-biboon qnt num four years; four winters

See also: niiyo-biboon qnt num

niiwo-biboonagad vii it is four years

Paired with: niiwo-biboonagizi vai See also: niiyo-biboonagad vii

niiwo-biboonagizi vai s/he is four years old

Paired with: niiwo-biboonagad vii See also: niiyo-biboonagizi vai

niiwo-diba'igan qnt num
  1. four hours
  2. four miles

See also: niiyo-diba'igan qnt num

niiwo-diba'iganed vii [S] it is four o'clock

See also: niiyo-diba'iganed vii [S]

niiwo-diba'igaans qnt num
  1. four minutes
  2. four acres

See also: niiyo-diba'igaans qnt num

niiwo-dibaabiishkoojigan qnt num four pounds

See also: niiyo-dibaabiishkoojigan qnt num

niiwo-dibik qnt num four nights

See also: niiyo-dibik qnt num

niiwo-giizhigad vii it is Thursday

niiwo-giizhik qnt num four days

niiwo-giizis qnt num four months

See also: niiyo-giizis qnt num

niiwogon qnt num four days

niiwogonagad vii it is four days

niiwogonagizi vai s/he is four days old; it is the fourth (of the month)

niiwonaagaans qnt num four cups, cupsfull

niiwoninj qnt num four inches

See also: niiyoninj qnt num

niiwosagoons qnt num four thousand

niiwozid qnt num four feet

See also: niiyozid qnt num

niiwoobii'igan na a four (card)

See also: niiyoobii'igan na

niiwoogaabawiwag vai four of them stand together

niiwookik qnt num four pails, four pailfuls

See also: niiyookik qnt num

niiwooshkin qnt num four bags

See also: niiyooshkin qnt num

niiyaw nid my body

niiyawen'enh nad my namesake

niiyo- pv qnt four

niiyo-anama'e-giizhigad vii it is four weeks

See also: niiwo-anama'e-giizhigad vii

niiyo-anama'e-giizhik qnt num four weeks

See also: niiwo-anama'e-giizhik qnt num

niiyo-anama'e-giizhikwagad vii it is four weeks

niiyo-biboon qnt num four years; four winters

See also: niiwo-biboon qnt num

niiyo-biboonagad vii it is four years

Paired with: niiyo-biboonagizi vai See also: niiwo-biboonagad vii

niiyo-biboonagizi vai s/he is four years old

See also: niiwo-biboonagizi vai

niiyo-diba'igan qnt num
  1. four hours
  2. four miles

See also: niiwo-diba'igan qnt num

niiyo-diba'igane vii [N] it is four o'clock

niiyo-diba'iganed vii [S] it is four o'clock

See also: niiwo-diba'iganed vii [S]

niiyo-diba'iganeyaa vii [BL] it is four o'clock

niiyo-diba'igaans qnt num four acres; four minutes

See also: niiwo-diba'igaans qnt num

niiyo-diba'oobaan qnt num [BL] four gallons

niiyo-dibaabiishkoojigan qnt num four pounds

See also: niiwo-dibaabiishkoojigan qnt num

niiyo-dibaabiishkoojiganezi vai s/he or it (animate) weighs four pounds

niiyo-dibik qnt num four nights

niiyo-gikinoonowin qnt num four years

niiyo-giizhigad vii it is Thursday

niiyo-giizhik qnt num four days

niiyo-giizis qnt num four months

niiyo-giiziswagad vii it is four months

Paired with: niiyo-giiziswagizi vai

niiyo-giiziswagizi vai s/he is four months old

Paired with: niiyo-giiziswagad vii

niiyo-minikwaajigan qnt num four gallons

niiyo-mizid qnt num [NI] four feet

niiyodaabaan qnt num four cars, carloads

niiyogon qnt num four days

niiyogonagad vii it is four days

See also: niiwogonagad vii

niiyogonagizi vai s/he is four days old; it is the fourth (of the month)

niiyogonendi vai s/he is gone four days, is absent four days

niiyonaw vta shoot four of it (animate) with one shot

niiyonaaganens qnt num [BL] four cups

niiyonaagaans qnt num four cups, cupsfull

niiyoninj qnt num four inches

See also: niiwoninj qnt num

niiyosagoons qnt num four thousand

See also: niiwosagoons 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.

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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.