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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

ozhaga'e nad [BL] h/ skin

ozagaskwaajime na a leech, a bloodsucker

Paired with: zagaskwaajime na

ozagiin nid animal arm; front quarter

ozha' vta [S] scare it (animate; a game animal) off

See also: ozha'wi vta [NI]

ozha'wi vta [NI] scare it (animate; a game animal) off

See also: ozha' vta [S]

ozhaaboomin na [BL] a gooseberry

[
northern gooseberry
; 
Ribes oxyacanthoides
]

See also: zhaaboomin na

ozhaashadamon vii it (road or trail) is slippery

ozhaashakamigaa vii it is slippery ground

ozhaashakamigaabaawe vii the ground is slippery with water

ozhaashamon vii it (road or trail) is slippery

ozhaashandan vti

ozhaashaa vii it is slippery, is slick

Paired with: ozhaashizi vai

ozhaashaabikad vii it (mineral) is slippery

Paired with: ozhaashaabikizi vai

ozhaashaabikaa vii there is slippery rock

ozhaashaabikishin vai s/he slips and falls on rocks

ozhaashaabikizi vai it (animate; mineral) is slippery

Paired with: ozhaashaabikad vii

ozhaashaabiigad vii it is slippery (string-like)

ozhaashaagonagaa vii there is slippery snow; it is slippery with snow

ozhaashaagoneshin vai s/he slips and falls on snow

ozhaashaakozi vai it (animate; stick-like) is slippery

Paired with: ozhaashaakwad vii

ozhaashaakwad vii it is slippery (as something stick- or wood-like)

Paired with: ozhaashaakozi vai

ozhaashi- pv lex slippery

ozhaashibagaa vii there are slippery leaves

ozhaashibide vii it speeds sliding or slipping, skids

Paired with: ozhaashibide vii

ozhaashibidoon vti2 have it slip from grasp

ozhaashibizh vta have h/ slip from grasp

Paired with: ozhaashibidoon vti2

ozhaashibizo vai s/he speeds sliding or slipping, skids

Paired with: ozhaashibide vii

ozhaashibiigishin vai s/he slips and falls in water on something

ozhaashibiiyaa vii it is slippery from a liquid

ozhaashigob na a slippery elm

[
red elm
; 
Ulmus rubra
]

ozhaashijiishkiwagad vii it is slippery mud

ozhaashijiishkiwagaa vii there is slippery mud

ozhaashijiishkiweshin vai s/he slips and falls on the mud

ozhaashikamii vai h/ foot slips on something

ozhaashikoshin vai s/he slips and falls on the ice

ozhaashikwaa vii there is slippery ice

ozhaashisagaa vii it is a slippery floor

ozhaashisagishin vai s/he slips and falls on the floor

ozhaashise vii it slips, slides (by itself)

Paired with: ozhaashise vii

ozhaashise vai s/he slips, slides

Paired with: ozhaashise vii

ozhaashishin vai s/he slips and falls

ozhaashizi vai it (animate) is slippery, is slick

Paired with: ozhaashaa vii

ozhaashizigobizo vai s/he or it (animate) slips speeding on the ice

ozhaashizigwaa vii there is slippery ice

ozhaashiigad vii it (sheet-like) is slippery

Paired with: ozhaashiigizi vai

ozhaashiigizi vai it (animate; sheet-like) is slippery

See also: ozhaashiigad vii

ozaawadaawangad vii it (sand-like, powder) is yellow, is brown

Paired with: ozaawadaawangizi vai

ozaawadaawangaa vii there is brown sand

ozaawadaawangizi vai it (animate; sand-like, powder) is yellow, is brown

Paired with: ozaawadaawangad vii

ozaawadis vta dye h/ brown or yellow

Paired with: ozaawadisan vti

ozaawadisan vti dye it brown or yellow

Paired with: ozaawadis vta

ozaawadiso vai s/he or it (animate) turns brown or yellow from the sun, is dyed brown or yellow

Paired with: ozaawadite vii

ozaawadiswi vta [NI]

► ozaawadis vta

ozaawadite vii it turns brown or yellow from the sun, is dyed brown or yellow

Paired with: ozaawadiso vai

ozaawadowe vai s/he has brown or yellow fur

ozaawagosimaan ni [RL] a pumpkin

ozaawakamigaa vii it is a brown or yellowish landscape

ozaawakik na a brass kettle

ozaawakone vii it is a brown or yellow flame

ozaawakwa na

ozaawamik na a brown beaver

ozaawanagekozi vai it (animate) has brown or yellow bark

Paired with: ozaawanagekwad vii

ozaawanagekwad vii it has brown or yellow bark

Paired with: ozaawanagekozi vai

ozhaawashko- pv lex blue, green

ozhaawashko-aniibiish ni green tea

ozhaawashko-bineshiinh na a bluebird

[
eastern bluebird
; 
Sialia sialis
]

ozhaawashko-ginoozhe na a muskellunge

ozhaawashko-manidoominens na a blue bead; a green bead

ozhaawashko-manoomin ni green wild rice

ozhaawashkobii'an vti color, paint it blue or green

(detransitive) ozhaawashkobii'ige vai s/he colors, paints things blue or green (verb of undergoing) ozhaawashkobii'igaade vii it is colored, painted blue or green (by someone)
ozhaawashkobii'igaade vii it is colored, painted blue or green (by someone)

ozhaawashkobii'ige vai s/he colors, paints things blue or green

ozhaawashkogwan na a blue feather; a green feather

ozhaawashko'o vai s/he wears blue, wears green

ozhaawashkojiisag ni foxfire; (a piece of) rotten wood that glows at night

See also: ozhaawishkojiisag ni [NI]

ozhaawashkominagad vii it (something small and round; grain/rice) is blue or green

Paired with: ozhaawashkominagizi vai See also: ozhaawishkominagad vii [NI]

ozhaawashkominagizi vai it (animate; something small and round, berry) is blue or green

Paired with: ozhaawashkominagad vii See also: ozhaawishkominagizi vai [NI]

ozhaawashkonaagozi vai s/he looks blue, appears blue; s/he looks green, appears green

Paired with: ozhaawashkonaagwad vii

ozhaawashkonaagwad vii it looks blue, appears blue; it looks green, appears green

Paired with: ozhaawashkonaagozi vai

ozhaawashkozi vai s/he or it (animate) is blue, is green

Paired with: ozhaawashkwaa vii

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.