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How to use the Ojibwe People's Dictionary

odaanaang adv loc behind, at the back, in the rear

odaangoshenyan nad her cross-cousin: (a female cross-cousin: her mother's brother's daughter, her father's sister's daughter)

odaangweyan nad her sister-in-law (a female's sister-in-law)

odaani vai s/he has a daughter

odaanisan nad h/ daughter

odaanisi vai s/he has a daughter

odaanisim vta have h/ as a daughter

odaanisimaa na [BL] a daughter

odaanzhenan vti turn it (a fire, a light) down, dim it

(detransitive) odaanzhenige vai s/he turns the fire down, dims the light
odaanzhenige vai s/he turns the fire down, dims the light

odaapide vii it shrinks (from heat)

Paired with: odaapizo vai

odaapin vta take, accept, pick h/ up

Paired with: odaapinan vti

(detransitive) odaapiniwe vai s/he takes, pick ups (people)
odaapinamaw vta accept, take (it) from h/; pick (it) up from h/

odaapinan vti take, accept; pick it up

Paired with: odaapin vta

(detransitive) odaapinige vai s/he accepts, takes, picks things up (benefactive) odaapinamaw vta accept, take (it) from h/; pick (it) up from h/ (verb of undergoing) odaapinigaade vii it is taken, accepted, picked up (by someone); "they" take, accept, pick it up (verb of undergoing) odaapinigaazo vai s/he or it (animate) is taken, accepted, picked up (by someone); "they" take, accept, pick h/ or it (animate) up
odaapinigaade vii it is taken, accepted, picked up (by someone); "they" take, accept, pick it up

odaapinigaazo vai s/he or it (animate) is taken, accepted, picked up (by someone); "they" take, accept, pick h/ or it (animate) up

odaapinige vai s/he accepts, takes, picks things up

odaapinigewaawasoo-minimoowenh na

odaapiniwe vai s/he takes, pick ups (people)

odaapishkaa vai it (animate; sheet-like) shrinks, shrivels up

Paired with: odaapishkaa vii

odaapishkaa vii it shrinks

Paired with: odaapishkaa vai

odaapiz vta shrink h/ (by heat)

Paired with: odaapizan vti

odaapizan vti shrink it (by heat)

Paired with: odaapiz vta

odaapizo vai it (animate) shrinks (from heat)

Paired with: odaapide vii

odaapizwi ni [NI]

► odaapiz vta

odaawaamo vai s/he speaks Odawa (Ottawa)

odedeyan nad h/ father

See also: obaabaayan nad

odedeyi vai s/he has a father

See also: obaabaayi vai

odedeyim vta have h/ as a father

See also: obaabaayim vta

ode' nid h/ heart

ode'imin ni a strawberry

(verb of making) ode'iminike vai s/he picks strawberries, processes strawberries
ode'iminaganzh ni a strawberry plant

ode'imini-bakwezhigan na [BL] strawberry bannock

ode'imini-baashkiminasigan ni strawberry sauce or jam

ode'imini-giizis na June

ode'iminibag ni a strawberry leaf

ode'iminike vai s/he picks strawberries, processes strawberries

ode'iminikewi-giizis na [BL] June

odemikwaani vai s/he has a spoon or spoons, has a ladle or ladles

odemikwaani vai s/he (a turtle) has a shell

odenaniw nid h/ tongue

odenaniw ni [BL] trap trigger

odenaniwikaan ni

odengway nid [ML] h/ face

odengwaan nid [N] h/ face

nindengwaan nid [N] my face gidengwaan nid [N] your face
odenigoman nad h/ nostril

odeshkani vai s/he has horns, has antlers; it (animate; insect or bug) has antennae, has feelers

odewe'igani vai s/he has a drum or drums

odezigaami vai s/he has a woodtick or woodticks

odikinaagani vai s/he has a cradleboard, is in the cradleboard

odikomi vai s/he has lice

odikwemi vai he has a woman, has a wife

odinimaangan nid h/ shoulder

odiniigan nid h/ shoulder blade (scapula)

odiniigan nad

odis nid h/ navel, umbilical cord

odisaabam vta get to the time of seeing h/

Paired with: odisaabandan vti

odisaabandan vti get to the time of (seeing) it

odisidiwag vai they meet each other; they come to each other

odisiiyaab nid

odish vta come up to, reach, visit h/; get to where h/ is

Paired with: oditan vti

(detransitive) odishiwe vai s/he comes up to, visits people; gets to where people are (reciprocal) odisidiwag vai they meet each other; they come to each other
odishiwe vai s/he comes up to, visits people; gets to where people are

odishkodemi vai s/he has a fire or fires

odishkodensimi vai s/he has a match or matches

odita'an vti get to it (by water), reach it (by water)

Paired with: odita'wi vta [NI]

odita'odiwag vai they paddle up to each other

odita'owe vai s/he paddles up to where people are

odita'wi vta [NI] paddle up to h/

Paired with: odita'an vti

(detransitive) odita'owe vai s/he paddles up to where people are (reciprocal) odita'odiwag vai they paddle up to each other
oditan vti come up to, reach it

Paired with: odish vta

odiy nid h/ rump, rear end, butt

odoodaminwaagani vai s/he has a toy or doll

odoodaabaani vai s/he has a car or cars

odoodeman nad h/ clan

odoodemi vai s/he has a clan

odoodemim vta s/he has h/. as h/ clan or fellow clan member

(reciprocal) odoodemindiwag vai they have the same clan
odoodemindiwag vai they have the same clan

odoodenawi vai s/he has as h/ town

odoodikosiwan nad h/ kidney

odoodikosiwaapine vai s/he has a kidney disease

odoodooshiman nad her breast

odoogimaami vai s/he has a boss or bosses, a chief or chiefs

odoomoodaami vai s/he has a bottle

odoon nid h/ mouth

odoonaagani vai s/he has a dish or dishes

odoondan ni heel of shoe

odoondan nid h/ heel

odoondanegwaajigan ni a tab at heel of moccasin

odoonibiins na a tullibee

[
cisco, lake herring
; 
Coregonus artedii
]

odoopwaagani vai s/he has a pipe or pipes

odooskwan nid h/ elbow

odooskwana'an vti elbow it

Paired with: odooskwana'wi vta [NI]

odooskwana'wi vta [NI] elbow h/; nudge h/ with an elbow

Paired with: odooskwana'an vti

odoozhiman nad
  1. h/ nephew (parallel nephew: male's brother's son or female's sister's son)
  2. h/ stepson

odoozhimikweman nad h/ stepdaughter

odoozhimisan nad h/ niece (parallel niece: female's sister's daughter or male's brother's daughter)

ogashkibidaagani vai s/he has a medicine bag

ogashkibidaaganin vai + o have it or it (animate) as a pouch

ogashkimanisii na [NI] a kingfisher

[
belted kingfisher
; 
Ceryle alcyon 
]

See also: ogiishkimanisii na

ogaa na a walleye

[
Stizostedion vitreum
]

ogaazhagensimi vai s/he has a cat or cats

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.