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How to use the Ojibwe People's Dictionary

naanaagadawaabandiwag vai they watch each other carefully, observe each other

naanaagadawaabandizo vai s/he looks h/ self over

naanaagadawendam vai2 s/he considers, notices, thinks, reflects, realizes

naanaagadawendan vti think about, consider, realize, notice it

Paired with: naanaagadawenim vta

naanaagadawenim vta think about, consider, realize about, notice about h/

Paired with: naanaagadawendan vti

naanaagajichigaade vii close attention is paid to it (by someone), "they" pay close attention to it: guard, take care of, preserve, respect, study, analyze

naanaagajichigaazo vai close attention is paid to h/ or it (animate) (by someone), "they" pay close attention to h/ or it (animate): guard, take care of, preserve, respect, study, analyze

naanaagajichige vai s/he pays close attention to things: guards, takes care of, preserves, respects, studies, analyzes things

naanaagaji' vta pay careful attention to h/: guard, take care of, preserve, respect, study, analyze h/

Paired with: naanaagajitoon vti2

(reciprocal) naanaagaji'idiwag vai they pay close attention to each other: guard, take care of, preserve, respect, study, analyze each other
naanaagaji'idiwag vai they pay close attention to each other: guard, take care of, preserve, respect, study, analyze each other

naanaagajitoon vti2 pay close attention to it: guard, take care of, preserve, respect, study, analyze it

Paired with: naanaagaji' vta

(detransitive) naanaagajichige vai s/he pays close attention to things: guards, takes care of, preserves, respects, studies, analyzes things (verb of undergoing) naanaagajichigaade vii close attention is paid to it (by someone), "they" pay close attention to it: guard, take care of, preserve, respect, study, analyze (verb of undergoing) naanaagajichigaazo vai close attention is paid to h/ or it (animate) (by someone), "they" pay close attention to h/ or it (animate): guard, take care of, preserve, respect, study, analyze
naanaagazotam vai2 s/he listens hard, pays attention to what is heard

naanaagazotan vti listen to the sound of it; pay attention to the sound of it

Paired with: naanaagazotaw vta

naanaagazotaw vta listen to what h/ says or how h/ sounds; pay attention what h/ says or how h/ sounds

Paired with: naanaagazotan vti

naanaagotoon vti2

naanaaikizigwagoode vii

naanaakwaandawaagan ni ladder; stairway; steps

naanaamikweni vai s/he keeps nodding h/ head

naanaanigaakobijige vai s/he tears, shreds (something stick-like) with hands or paws (e.g., a bear makes claw marks on a tree)

naanaanigaakobizh vta tear, shred h/ (something stick-like) with hands or paws

naanaanigizhan vti cut it into multiple strips

naanaawadaanimad vii the wind lets up now and then

naanaawagaam adv loc out in the middle of a lake or other body of water

naanaawaya'ii adv loc in the middle of

naangan vii it is light (in weight)

Paired with: naangizi vai

naangani vai [BL] s/he or it (animate) is light (in weight)

Paired with: naangan vii See also: naangizi vai

naangendan vti think it light (in weight)

Paired with: naangenim vta

naangenim vta think h/ light in weight

Paired with: naangendan vti

naangidaabii vai s/he pulls a light load on h/ sled, can pull h/ sled easily

naangide'e vai s/he is carefree

naanginigozi vai s/he or it (animate) is light (in weight)

Paired with: naanginigwad vii

naanginigwad vii it is light (in weight}

Paired with: naanginigozi vai

naangitoon vti2 make it light (in weight)

naangiwane vai s/he carries a light pack

naangizi vai s/he is light (in weight)

Paired with: naangan vii See also: naangani vai [BL]

naangiigad vii it (sheet-like) is light (in weight)

naangiigizi vai it (animate; sheet-like) is light (in weight)

Paired with: naangiigad vii

naanibaayawe vai s/he yawns

naanigaasin vii it rips in the wind

naanigibidamaw vta rip, tear (it) for h/

naanigibidoon vti2 rip, tear it up

Paired with: naanigibizh vta

(benefactive) naanigibidamaw vta rip, tear (it) for h/ (detransitive) naanigibijige vai s/he rips, tears things (detransitive) naanigibijigaade vii it is ripped, torn (by someone), "they" rip, tear it
naanigibijigaade vii it is ripped, torn (by someone), "they" rip, tear it

naanigibijige vai s/he rips, tears things

naanigibizh vta rip, tear h/ up

Paired with: naanigibidoon vti2

naanigishkan vti rip it by wearing it

Paired with: naanigishkaw vta

naanigishkaw vta rip it (animate) by wearing it

Paired with: naanigishkan vti

naanimidana qnt num fifty

naaning adv tmp five times

naaningim adv tmp often

naaningoding adv tmp sometimes

naaningodinong adv tmp every once in a while, every now and then; now and then; sometimes

See also: aaningodinong adv tmp ; naaningodinoo adv tmp

naaningodinoo adv tmp every once in a while, every now and then; now and then; sometimes

See also: naaningodinong adv tmp

naaniibawi vai s/he stands around

► niibawi vai

naaniibowa adv qnt a whole lot, very much, very many

naaniimi vai s/he keeps dancing, dances here and there

naaniimi' vta make h/ keep dancing

naano- pv qnt five

naano-anama'e-giizhigad vii it is five weeks

naano-anama'e-giizhik qnt num five weeks

naano-anama'e-giizhikwagad vii it is five weeks

naano-biboon qnt num five years; five winters

naano-biboonagad vii it is five years

naano-biboonagizi vai s/he is five years old

Paired with: naano-biboonagad vii

naano-diba'igan qnt num
  1. five miles
  2. five hours

naano-diba'igane vii [N] it is five o'clock

naano-diba'iganed vii [S] it is five o'clock

naano-diba'iganeyaa vii [BL] it is five o'clock

naano-diba'igaans qnt num
  1. five minutes
  2. five acres

naano-diba'oobaan qnt num [BL] five gallons

naano-dibaabiishkoojigan qnt num five pounds

naano-dibik qnt num five nights

naano-gikinoonowin qnt num five years

naano-giizhigad vii it is Friday

naano-giizhik qnt num five days

naano-giizis qnt num five months

naano-giiziswagad vii it is five months

Paired with: naano-giiziswagizi vai

naano-giiziswagizi vai s/he is five months old

Paired with: naano-giiziswagad vii

naano-minikwaajigan qnt num five gallons

naano-mininj qnt num [NI] five inches

naano-mizid qnt num [NI] five feet

naanodaabaan qnt num five cars, carloads

naanogon qnt num five days

naanogonagad vii it is five days

Paired with: naanogonagizi vai

naanogonagizi vai it is the fifth (of the month); s/he is five days old

Paired with: naanogonagad vii

naanogonendi vai s/he is gone five days, is absent five days

naanonaaganens qnt num [BL] five cups

naanonaagaans qnt num five cups, cupfuls

naanoninj qnt num five inches

naanoninjigane vai s/he (a fish) has five fins

naanosagoons qnt num five thousand

naanozid qnt num five feet

naanoobiwag vai five of them sit together; five of them are at home

naanoobii'igan na a five (card)

naanoogaabawiwag vai five of them stand together

naanoogibagizo vai s/he stops again and again while dancing

naanookik adv loc five pails, five pailfuls

naanoomaya adv tmp a little while ago

naanoonag qnt num five boats or canoes, five boatloads

naanoonagiziwag vai there are five canoes or boats of them

naanoondam s/he hears

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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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.