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How to use the Ojibwe People's Dictionary

mawinzo vai s/he picks berries

(applicative) mawinzwaadan vti pick it (fruit or berries) (applicative) mawinzwaazh vta pick h/ (fruit or berries)
mawinzwaadan vti pick it (fruit or berries)

Paired with: mawinzwaazh vta

mawinzwaan ni berries picked

mawinzwaazh vta pick h/ (fruit or berries)

Paired with: mawinzwaadan vti

mawishki vai s/he is a crybaby

mawiikaazo vai s/he pretends to cry

mawiinsiwi vai s/he cries a little

mayaganishinaabe na a Indian of a different or unfamiliar tribe

mayagendam vai2 s/he feels strange, feels oit of place

mayagendan vti think it strange

Paired with: mayagenim vta

mayagendaagozi vai s/he is thought strange

Paired with: mayagendaagwad vii

mayagendaagwad vii it is thought strange

Paired with: mayagendaagozi vai

mayagenim vta think h/ strange

Paired with: mayagendan vti

mayagi- pv lex exotic; foreign; strange; unusual; different from the usual

mayagi-anishinaabe na a non-local Indian

mayagi-anishinaabemo vai s/he speaks a different dialect of Anishinaabemowin

mayagi-bine na a pheasant

[
ring-necked pheasant
; 
Phasianus colchicus
]

mayagigondaagane vai h/ voice sounds strange

mayagikawe vai s/he leaves strange tracks

mayagimaagozi vai s/he smells strange

Paired with: mayagimaagwad vii

mayagimaagwad vii it smells strange

Paired with: mayagimaagozi vai

mayagimaam vta find s/he smells strange

Paired with: mayagimaandan vti

mayagimaandan vti find it smells strange

Paired with: mayagimaam vta

mayaginan vti see it as strange or different

Paired with: mayaginaw vta

mayaginaw vta see h/ as strange or different

Paired with: mayaginan vti

mayaginaagozi vai s/he looks strange, looks foreign

Paired with: mayaginaagwad vii

mayaginaagwad vii it looks strange, looks foreign

Paired with: mayaginaagozi vai

mayagip vta find h/ tastes strange

Paired with: mayagipidan vti

mayagipidan vti find it tastes strange

Paired with: mayagip vta

mayagipogozi vai s/he tastes strange, tastes unfamiliar

Paired with: mayagipogwad vii

mayagipogwad vii it tastes strange, tastes unfamiliar

Paired with: mayagipogozi vai

mayagitaagozi vai s/he sounds strange, sounds foreign, has an accent

Paired with: mayagitaagwad vii

mayagitaagwad vii it sounds strange, sounds foreign

Paired with: mayagitaagozi vai

mayagizi vai s/he is strange, is foreign

mayagwe vai s/he speaks a strange way, speaks a foreign language

mayagwemo vai s/he speaks a foreign language

mayagwewinini na a foreigner, a speaker of a foreign language

mayaajiibizod na-v engine

mayaawabi vai s/he sits up

mayaawizi vai s/he is upright, perks up, comes alive

mazaanag na chaff from wild rice [plural]

mazaanaatig na nettle, thistle, thorn

(verb of abundance) mazaanaatigokaa vii there are (a lot of) thistles, burrs, thorns
mazaanaatigokaa vii there are (a lot of) thistles, burrs, thorns

mazhi vta have sexual intercourse with h/

mazina'amaw vta owe (it) to h/, get credit from h/, charge (it) (on an account with h/)

mazina'an vti buy it on credit, charge it to an account

(detransitive) mazina'ige vai s/he owes something, gets or has credit, buys on credit, charges to an account, goes into debt
mazina'igan ni a book, a letter, a document, a paper

(verb of possession) omazina'igani vai s/he has a book or books, has a document or documents
mazina'igani-makak ni a cardboard box

mazina'igani-mashkimodens ni a paper sack, a paper bag

mazina'igani-zhooniyaa na paper money

mazina'iganiiwi-makak ni a mailbox

mazina'iganiiwidaabaan na a mail truck

mazina'iganiiwigamig ni a post office

mazina'iganiiwikwe na female mail deliverer; female post office clerk

mazina'iganiiwinini na a postman

(verb of being) mazina'iganiiwininiiwi vai s/he is a postman
mazina'iganiiwininiiwi vai s/he is a postman

mazina'igaans ni a small book or document: a ticket, a license

mazina'ige vai s/he owes something, gets or has credit, buys on credit, charges to an account, goes into debt

mazina'igewin ni something owed: a bill, a debt, credit

mazinashkibijigan na a doll of hay or grass

mazinaabidoo'an vti bead it on a loom

(detransitive) mazinaabidoo'ige vai s/he beads things on a loom (derived noun) mazinaabidoo'igan ni an item of woven beadwork
mazinaabidoo'igan ni an item of woven beadwork

mazinaabidoo'iganaatig ni a bead loom

mazinaabidoo'igani-naabikaagan ni [BL] a loom-woven beaded necklace

mazinaabidoo'igaade vii it is beaded (with loom beadwork) (by someone)

mazinaabidoo'ige vai s/he beads things on a loom

mazinaabidoo'igeyaatig ni [BL] a bead loom

mazinaabikinigan ni a rock painting

mazinaabikiwebinan vti type it

(detransitive) mazinaabikiwebinige vai s/he types (derived noun) mazinaabikiwebinigan ni a typewriter, a computer
mazinaabikiwebinigan ni a typewriter, a computer

mazinaabikiwebinige vai s/he types

mazinaadin vta make an image of h/

mazinaakide vii it is pictured, is photographed

Paired with: mazinaakizo vai

mazinaakiz vta take a picture of, photograph h/

Paired with: mazinaakizan vti

mazinaakizan vti take a picture of, photograph it

Paired with: mazinaakiz vta

(detransitive) mazinaakizige vai s/he takes a picture or pictures, photographs things
(derived noun) mazinaakizigan ni
  1. a camera
  2. a picture, a photograph
mazinaakizigan ni
  1. a camera
  2. a picture, a photograph

mazinaakizige vai s/he takes a picture or pictures, photographs things

mazinaakizo vai s/he is pictured, is photographed

Paired with: mazinaakide vii

(derived noun) mazinaakizon ni a picture (of someone), a photograph (of someone) mazinaakizowin ni a picture (of someone), a photograph (of someone)
mazinaakizon ni a picture (of someone), a photograph (of someone)

mazinaakizowin ni a picture (of someone), a photograph (of someone)

mazinaakizwi vta [NI]

► mazinaakiz vta

mazinaanakwad vii it is fancy cloud

mazinaanakwagoode vii it (cloud) forms an image

mazinaande vii it has a multicolored design, has a colorful pattern

Paired with: mazinaanzo vai

mazinaanzo vai s/he has a muticolored design, has a colorful pattern

Paired with: mazinaande vii

mazinaate vii it is projected

mazinaatebiigisin vii it is reflected in the water

Paired with: mazinaatebiigishin vai

mazinaatebiigishin vai s/he is reflected in the water

Paired with: mazinaatebiigisin vii

mazinaatebiisin vii it is reflected in the water

mazinaatese vii it is a movie

mazinaatesewigamig ni a movie theater

mazinaatesidoon vti2 project an image of, film it

(detransitive) mazinaatesijige vai s/he shows a movie, watches a movie (derived noun) mazinaatesijigan ni a television
mazinaatesijigan ni a television

mazinaatesijige vai s/he shows a movie, watches a movie

mazinaateshin vai s/he is in a movie; s/he is on television; s/he casts a shadow

mazinaatewebinigan ni a movie projector

mazinibaganjigan ni a dental pictograph on a leaf

mazinibaganjige vai s/he makes a dental pictograph on a leaf

mazinibii' vta draw h/

Paired with: mazinibii'an vti

mazinibii'amaw vta draw (it) for h/

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.