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How to use the Ojibwe People's Dictionary

nagamon ni a song

nagamoshkwemag ni a birch bark song scroll

nagamotaw vta sing to h/

nagamotaadiwag vai they sing to each other

nagamowin ni singing; a song

nagamoo-makak ni a phonograph, a record player, a cd player

nagamoo-mazina'igan ni a song book

nagazh vta leave h/ behind; abandon, outstrip h/

Paired with: nagadan vti

(detransitive) nagazhiwe vai s/he leaves people behind, abandons people
nagazaabam vta be used to the sight of h/

Paired with: nagazaabandan vti

nagazaabandan vti be used to the sight of it

Paired with: nagazaabam vta

nagazinan vti be used to the sight of it

Paired with: nagazinaw vta

nagazinaw vta be used to the sight of h/

Paired with: nagazinan vti

nagazitan vti be used to hearing it

Paired with: nagazitaw vta

nagazitaw vta be used to hearing h/

Paired with: nagazitan vti

nagazhiwe vai s/he leaves people behind, abandons people

nagaashkaa vii it stops moving, halts

Paired with: nagaashkaa vai

nagaashkaa vai s/he stops moving, halts

Paired with: nagaashkaa vii

nagaashkaa' vta make h/ stop

Paired with: nagaashkaatoon vti2

nagaashkaatoon vti2 make it stop

Paired with: nagaashkaa' vta See also: nagaashkaa' vta

nagaataa vai s/he stops moving

nagaawebin vta stop h/ forcefully by hand, push h/ back

Paired with: nagaawebinan vti

nagaawebinan vti push it back; stop it forcefully by hand

Paired with: nagaawebin vta

nagaawebinidiwag vai they stop each other forcefully by hand, push each other back

nagaawebishkan vti stop it (forcefully with foot or body), brake it

Paired with: nagaawebishkaw vta

(detransitive) nagaawebishkige vai s/he applies the brakes (derived noun) nagaawebishkigan ni brakes
nagaawebishkaw vta brake h/; stop h/ quickly with foot or body

Paired with: nagaawebishkan vti

nagaawebishkigan ni brakes

nagaawebishkige vai s/he applies the brakes

nagishkan vti meet it (while going somewhere)

Paired with: nagishkaw vta

nagishkaw vta meet h/ (while going somewhere)

Paired with: nagishkan vti

(detransitive) nagishkaage vai s/he meets people (reciprocal) nagishkodaadiwag vai they meet each other (while going somewhere)
nagishkaage vai s/he meets people

nagishkodaadiwag vai they meet each other (while going somewhere)

nagwaadan vti snare it

Paired with: nagwaazh vta

nagwaagan ni a snare

(verb of possession) onagwaagani vai s/he has a snare or snares
nagwaaganeyaab ni snare wire, snare

nagwaanidizo vai s/he snares h/ self

nagwaazh vta snare h/

Paired with: nagwaadan vti

(reflexive) nagwaanidizo vai s/he snares h/ self
nagwaazo vai s/he is caught in a snare, is ensnared

nagweyaab ni a rainbow

na' pc interj look!

na'abi vai s/he moves to get seated comfortably

na'agoodoon vti2 fix, reset, adjust how it hangs; hang it up

Paired with: na'agoozh vta

na'agoozh vta fix, rest, adjust how h/ hangs; hang h/ up

Paired with: na'agoodoon vti2

na'agwazhe' vta straighten h/ blanket

na'ashkime vai s/he fixes snowshoe webbing

na'aabam vta see h/ clearly, spot h/ right away

Paired with: na'aabandan vti

na'aabandan vti see it clearly, spot it right away

Paired with: na'aabam vta

na'aabi vai s/he has sharp vision, acute eyesight

na'aabikisidoon vti2

Paired with: na'aabikishim vta

na'aabikishim vta

Paired with: na'aabikisidoon vti2

na'aabiiginan vti adjust it (string-like)

na'aangabi vai he (a son-in-law) lives with his wife's parents

na'aanganikwe na a daughter-in-law

na'aangish na a son-in-law

na'aangii nad

► na'aangish na

na'egaaj adv man go easy!; not too hard!; easily; without effort

na'endam vai2 s/he feels satisfied (with the outcome of some change or correction)

na'endan vti think it is easy

na'enimo vai s/he stores things away

na'idaa adv tmp coincidentally; just then; right at the time

na'igaabawi vai s/he adjusts h/ stance

na'imaam vta be able to smell h/ well

Paired with: na'imaandan vti

na'imaandan vti be able to smell it well

Paired with: na'imaam vta

na'imaanjige vai s/he is able to smell something well, has a good sense of smell

na'imine vai s/he stores rice or berries

na'in vta bury h/; put away, store h/

Paired with: na'inan vti

na'inamaw vta put it away, store (it) for h/

na'inan vti put away, store away it

Paired with: na'in vta

(benefactive) na'inamaw vta put it away, store (it) for h/ (detransitive) na'inige vai s/he puts things away (verb of undergoing) na'inigaade vii it is put away, stored (by someone), "they" put it away, store it (verb of undergoing) na'inigaazo vai s/he is put away (by someone), "they" put h/ away; s/he is buried (by someone), "they" bury h/
na'inigaade vii it is put away, stored (by someone), "they" put it away, store it

na'inigaazo vai s/he is buried (by someone), "they" bury h/; s/he is put away (by someone), "they" put h/ away

na'inige vai s/he puts things away

na'isidoon vti2 adjust it; put it in order, put it away

Paired with: na'ishim vta

(detransitive) na'isijige vai s/he puts things in order
na'isijige vai s/he puts things in order

na'ishim vta put h/ in order; adjust h/; stash h/

Paired with: na'isidoon vti2

na'itam vai2 s/he hears well

na'itan vti hear it well

Paired with: na'itaw vta

na'itaw vta hear h/ well

Paired with: na'itan vti

na'ii vai s/he is right-handed; s/he is good at something, is skilled, is efficient

na'iigisidamaw vta fix, adjust it (something sheet-like) on something for h/

na'iigisidoon vti fix, adjust it (something sheet-like) on something

na'iiwinike vai [BL] s/he is right-handed

nakodan vti answer it

Paired with: nakom vta

nakom vta agree with h/; answer h/; reply to h/

Paired with: nakodan vti

(reciprocal) nakondiwag vai they answer each other; they reply to each other
nakomewizi vai h/ prayers are answered

nakondiwag vai they answer each other; they reply to each other

nakwadin vii it freezes, is frozen, is frosted from condensation of the breath

nakwebidoon vti2 catch it

Paired with: nakwebizh vta

(detransitive) nakwebijige vai s/he catches things
nakwebijige vai s/he catches things

nakwebijige-minjikaawan na a catcher's mitt

nakwebijigewinini na a catcher (in baseball)

nakwebizh vta catch h/

Paired with: nakwebidoon vti2

nakwebii'amaw vta write (it) back to h/

(reciprocal) nakwebii'amaadiwag vai they write (it) back to each other
nakwebii'amaadiwag vai they write (it) back to each other

nakweganaandan vti hit it right on

nakweshkaw vta meet h/

(reciprocal) nakweshkodaadiwag vai they meet each other
nakweshkodaadiwag vai they meet each other

nakwetam vai2 s/he answers

nakwetan vti answer it

Paired with: nakwetaw vta

nakwetaw vta answer h/

Paired with: nakwetan vti

(detransitive) nakwetaage vai s/he answers (people) (reciprocal) nakwetaadiwag vai they answer each other; they converse
nakwetaadiwag vai they answer each other; they converse

nakwetaage vai s/he answers (people)

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.