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How to use the Ojibwe People's Dictionary

oshkanzhiin nad
  1. h/ nail (fingernail, toenail)
  2. h/ claw

oshkanzhiinsi vai s/he has small nails or claws

oshkanzhiiwataage vai s/he plays horseshoes

oshkaya'aa na something (animate) new; someone young

(verb of being) oshkaya'aawi vai s/he is young, is an adolescent; it (animate) is new
oshkaya'aawi vai it (animate) is new; s/he is young, is an adolescent

See also: oshki-aya'aawi vai

oshkaya'ii na something new; something young

See also: oshkaya'aa na ; oshkayi'ii ni

(verb of being) oshkaya'iiwan vii it is new, is young
oshkaya'iiwan vii it is new, is young

See also: oshkayi'iiwan vii

oshkayi'ii ni something new; something young

(verb of being) oshkayi'iiwan vii it is new, is young
oshkayi'iiwan vii it is new, is young

oshkazhigane vai s/he has new socks

oshkaabewis na a ceremonial attendant or messenger

(verb of being) oshkaabewisiwi vai he is an oshkaabewis
oshkaabewisiwi vai he is an oshkaabewis

oshki- pv lex
  1. new, young, fresh
  2. for the first time

oshki-aya'aa na something (animate) new; someone young

(verb of being) oshki-aya'aawi vai s/he is young, is an adolescent; it (animate) is new
oshki-aya'aawi vai it (animate) is new; s/he is young, is an adolescent

See also: oshkaya'aawi vai

oshki-aya'ii ni something new

See also: oshki-aya'aa na

oshki-bimaadizi vai s/he is young, is an adolescent

oshki-dibikad vii it is early in the night

oshki-ikwe na a young woman, an adolescent girl

oshki-inini na a young man, an adolescent boy

(verb of being) oshki-ininiiwi vai he is a young man, an adolescent boy
oshki-ininiiwi vai he is a young man, an adolescent boy

oshki-manoomin ni freshly harvested wild rice

oshki-manoominike vai s/he rices for first time in season

oshki-nitaage vai s/he has h/ first kill of a species

oshki-nitaage-wiikondiwin ni first-game feast

oshki-niibin vii it is early in the summer

oshki-ozhibii'igan ni the new testament of the bible

oshki-ziigwan vii it is early in the spring

oshkibabagiwayaane vai s/he has a new shirt or new shirts

oshkibabiinzikawaagane vai s/he has a new coat

oshkidaabaan ni [RL] a new car

oshkidaabaane vai s/he has, gets a new car

oshkigi vai it (animate) is new growth, is fresh, freshly-harvested

Paired with: oshkigin vii

oshkigiboodiyegwaazone vai s/he has new pants

oshkigin vii it is new growth, is fresh, freshly-harvested

oshkigoodaase vai s/he has a new dress

oshki'o vai s/he wears new clothes

oshkijiimaane vai s/he has a new boat or canoe

oshkijiishkiwagad vii it is or has fresh mud

oshkijiishkiwaginan vti put fresh mud on it

oshkikawe vai s/he leaves fresh tracks, there are fresh tracks of h/

oshkikonaye vai s/he dresses in a new outfit

oshkimagoodaas ni [BL] a new dress

oshkiminjikaawane vai s/he has new mittens

oshkinawe na a young man, an adolescent boy

(verb of being) oshkinawewi vai he is a young man, an adolescent boy (verb of pretending) oshkinawekaazo vai s/he pretends to be a young man
oshkinawekaazo vai s/he pretends to be a young man

oshkinawewi vai he is a young man, an adolescent boy

oshkiniigikwe na a young woman, an adolescent girl

(verb of being) oshkiniigikwewi vai she is a young woman, an adolescent girl
oshkiniigikwewi vai she is a young woman, an adolescent girl

oshkiniigii vai s/he is young, is an adolescent

oshkinzh nid h/ snout, muzzle

oshkinzhii vai s/he has a snout, a muzzle

oshkiwaakaa'igane vai s/he has a new house

oshkiwiiwakwaane vai s/he has a new hat

oshkiinaagozi vai s/he or it (animate) looks young, looks new

Paired with: oshkiinaagwad vii

oshkiinaagwad vii it looks new

Paired with: oshkiinaagozi vai

oshkiinzhig nid h/ eye

oshkiinzhigokaajiganan ni glasses, eyeglasses

oshkiinzhigokaanan ni glasses, eyeglasses

oshkiinzhigokaanens ni a contact lens

oshkiinzhigoke vai
  1. s/he wears glasses
  2. s/he makes glasses

oshkiinzhigokewinini na an eye doctor, an optometrist

oshkiinzhigomin ni

oshkiinzhigominaganzh na

oshpiming adv loc [LLC] in the sky, above, in heaven

See also: ishpiming adv loc

oshtigwaan nid h/ head

See also: otigwaan nid [BL]

oshtigwaanens ni a postage stamp

oshtigwaanigegan nid h/ skull

oshtigwaanzhaabonigan ni a common pin

otawag nid h/ ear

otawagaa vai s/he has ears

otigwaan nid [BL] h/ head

See also: oshtigwaan nid

owa pc disc [exclamation of agreeable surprise]

owaagaakwado vai s/he has an ax or axes

owaagwaakwadomi vai s/he has an ax or axes

owaawano vai s/he has an egg or eggs; she lays eggs

owe pron dem this (inanimate singular)

See also: o'ow pron dem ; o'owe pron dem [N]

owedi pron dem this over here (inanimate singular)

See also: o'owedi pron dem

owidi adv loc over here, over this way

See also: o'owidi adv loc

owiibidaa vai s/he has teeth

owiigiwaami vai s/he has a wigwam

owiijikiwenyan nad his brother

owiijikiwenyi vai he has a brother or male agemate

owiijiiwaagani vai s/he has a partner, has a companion

owiinge adv deg [NI] carefully; completely; properly; well

See also: wawiinge adv man

owiinimo vai s/he has a sibling-in-law of opposite sex: she has a brother-in-law, he has a sister-in-law

owiinimom vta s/he has h/ as a sibling-in-law (of the opposite sex)

owiinimoshenyan nad h/ cross-cousin (of the opposite sex to h/): h/ mother's brother's child, h/ father's sister's child ; h/ sweetheart

See also: wiinimoshenyan nad

owiinimoon nad (if someone is female) her brother-in-law; (if someone is male) his sister-in-law

See also: wiinimoon nad

owiinindib nid h/ brain

owiinizis nid h/ (strand of) hair

See also: wiinizis nid

owiinizisi vai s/he has hair

owiitaan nad his brother-in-law (a man's brother-in-law)

See also: wiitaan nad

owiiwan nad [RL] his wife

See also: wiiwan nad

owiiyaw nid h/ body

owoosi vai s/he has a father

See also: o'oosi vai ; oyoosi vai

owoosim vta have h/ as a father

See also: o'oosim vta ; oyoosim vta

oyoosi vai s/he has a father

See also: o'oosi vai ; owoosi vai

oyoosim vta have h/ as a father

See also: o'oosim vta ; owoosim vta

ozhaga'aa vai s/he has skin

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.