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How to use the Ojibwe People's Dictionary

o- pv dir go somewhere to do something, go over there to...

See also: awi- pv dir

obabigomi vai s/he has a flea or fleas

obabiinzikawaagani vai s/he has a coat or jacket

obashkiigaa vii it is a swampy narrows, is a narrows through muskeg

obashkiigaang name place at the swampy narrows

obaabaayan nad h/ father

obaabaayi vai s/he has a father

obaabaayim vta have h/ as a father

obaabikaa vii it is a rocky narrows

obaakweyaa vii it is a wooded narrows

obaashiiwan vii it is a narrows

obaashkizigani vai s/he has a gun or guns

obigamaa vii there is a channel between lakes; there is a narrows

See also: wabigamaa vii

obikwako vai s/he has an arrow or arrows

obizhikiimi vai s/he has a cow, has cattle

obizhiinsimi vai [BL] s/he has a cat or cats

obiigomakakii na a toad

obiimiskodisii na a snail

obiiwidemi vai s/he has a visitor or visitors, has a guest or guests

oboodashkwaanishiinh na a dragonfly

obwayawe na a medium beaver

obwaam nid h/ (an animal's) hindquarter; h/ thigh (back of thigh)

odabinoojiinyimi vai s/he has a child or children; s/he is expecting a child

odabwii vai s/he has a paddle or paddles

odachaabii vai s/he has a bowstring

oda'amii vai s/he takes a step

odakiko vai s/he has a kettle, pot, pan, or pail

odakiimi vai s/he has land

odamikomi vai s/he has a beaver or beavers

odamino vai s/he plays

odaminwaage vai s/he uses (something) as a toy (derived noun) odaminwaagan na a doll (derived noun) odaminwaagan ni a toy; a plaything
odamino' vta make h/ play; play with h/

odaminoowaatese vii it is a children's movie

odaminoowigamig ni a recreation building

odaminwaadan vti play with it (as a toy)

Paired with: odaminwaazh vta

odaminwaagan na a doll

odaminwaagan ni a plaything; a toy

odaminwaaganikaan ni toy being made

odaminwaage vai s/he uses (something) as a toy

odaminwaagen vai + o play with it (as a toy); use it as a toy

odaminwaazh vta play with h/ (as a toy or doll)

Paired with: odaminwaadan vti

odanwiimi vai s/he has bullets, has (shotgun) shells

odasabaabisi vai [BL] s/he has thread

odasabii vai s/he has a net or nets

odasemaami vai s/he has tobacco

See also: odasemaawi vai

odasemaansimi vai s/he has a cigarette or cigarettes

odasemaawazhi vai s/he has a tobacco bag

odasemaawi vai s/he has tobacco

See also: odasemaami vai

odasiniinsimi vai s/he has gall stones

odatagaagomin na a blackberry

odatagaagominagaawanzh na a blackberry bush

odawemaan nad h/ sibling of the opposite sex: her brother, his sister

odaya'aami vai s/he has property, has dependents

odaya'iimi vai s/he has stuff, has property

odayan nad h/ dog; h/ horse

odayi vai
  1. s/he has a dog
  2. s/he has a horse

odazhigani vai s/he has socks

odaabaabika'igani vai s/he has a key or keys

odaabaadan vti drag, pull it as a load

Paired with: odaabaazh vta

odaabaajigaade vii it is dragged (by someone), "they" drag it

odaabaajigaazo vai s/he is dragged (by someone), "they" drag h/

odaabaan na [LL] [ML]
  1. something pulled or dragged as a means of conveyance: a sled, a sleigh, a wagon
  2. a car, an automobile, a vehicle

See also: odaabaan ni [N]

(verb of making) odaabaanike vai s/he repairs, works on, or makes a means of conveyance or vehicle: car, automobile, wagon, sled. sleigh (verb of possession) odoodaabaani vai s/he has a car or cars
odaabaan ni [N]
  1. something dragged or pulled as a means of conveyance: a wagon
  2. a car, an automobile, a vehicle

See also: odaabaan na [LL] [ML]

(verb of making) odaabaanike vai s/he repairs, works on, or makes a means of conveyance or vehicle: car, automobile, wagon, sled. sleigh (verb of possession) odoodaabaani vai s/he has a car or cars
odaabaanaak na a sled; a sleigh

(verb of making) odaabaanaakoke vai s/he makes sleds, makes sleighs
odaabaanaakoke vai s/he makes sleds, makes sleighs

odaabaaneyaab ni a sled rope

odaabaani-maajiishkaachigan ni a car starter

odaabaani-waabamojichaagwaan ni a rearview mirror

odaabaanikana ni a highway; a wagon trail

odaabaanike vai s/he repairs, works on, or makes a means of conveyance or vehicle: car, automobile, wagon, sled. sleigh

odaabaanikewigamig ni a repair garage

odaabaanikewinini na an automobile mechanic

odaabaaniiwigamig ni a garage

odaabaazh vta drag, pull h/ as a load

Paired with: odaabaadan vti

odaabii vai s/he drags, pulls a load; pulls a sled

odaabaadan vti drag, pull it as a load
(verb of undergoing) odaabaajigaade vii it is dragged (by someone), "they" drag it (verb of undergoing) odaabaajigaazo vai s/he is dragged (by someone), "they" drag h/
odaabaazh vta drag, pull h/ as a load
odaabii-mishtadim na [BL] a draft horse

odaabii' vta drive h/

(detransitive) odaabii'iwe vai s/he drives (derived noun) odaabii'aagan na a draft animal
odaabii'aagan na a draft animal

odaabii'iwe vai s/he drives

odaabii'iwe-mazina'igan ni a driver's license

See also: odaabii'iwe-mazina'igaans ni [ML]

odaabii'iwe-mazina'igaans ni [ML] a driver's license

See also: odaabii'iwe-mazina'igan ni

odaabii'iwewinini na a driver

odaabiisim na a sled dog

odaagimi vai s/he has a snowshoe or snowshoes

odaake vai
  1. s/he steers
  2. s/he governs, directs affairs

(derived noun) odaakewin ni government; management; law
odaake-ogimaa na a director; a governor

odaakewigimaa na a director

odaakewin ni government; management; law

odaamikan nid h/ chin; h/ jaw

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

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

odaapinamaw vta accept, take (it) from h/; pick (it) up from 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.