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How to use the Ojibwe People's Dictionary

oshkidaabaane vai s/he has, gets a new car

oshkigiboodiyegwaazone vai s/he has new pants

oshkigoodaase vai s/he has a new dress

oshki'o vai s/he wears new clothes

oshkijiimaane vai s/he has a new boat or canoe

oshkijiishkiwagad vii it is or has fresh mud

oshkijiishkiwaginan vti put fresh mud on it

oshkikawe vai s/he leaves fresh tracks, there are fresh tracks of h/

oshkikonaye vai s/he dresses in a new outfit

oshkimagoodaas ni [BL] a new dress

oshkiminjikaawane vai s/he has new mittens

oshkinawe na a young man, an adolescent boy

(verb of being) oshkinawewi vai he is a young man, an adolescent boy (verb of pretending) oshkinawekaazo vai s/he pretends to be a young man
oshkinawekaazo vai s/he pretends to be a young man

oshkinawewi vai he is a young man, an adolescent boy

oshkiniigikwe na a young woman, an adolescent girl

(verb of being) oshkiniigikwewi vai she is a young woman, an adolescent girl
oshkiniigikwewi vai she is a young woman, an adolescent girl

oshkiniigii vai s/he is young, is an adolescent

oshkinzh nid h/ snout

oshkiwaakaa'igane vai s/he has a new house

oshkiwiiwakwaane vai s/he has a new hat

oshkiinaagozi vai s/he looks young, looks new

Paired with: oshkiinaagwad vii

oshkiinaagwad vii it looks new

Paired with: oshkiinaagozi vai

oshkiinzhig nid h/ eye

oshkiinzhigokaajiganan ni glasses, eyeglasses

oshkiinzhigokaanan ni glasses, eyeglasses

oshkiinzhigokaanens ni a contact lens

oshkiinzhigoke vai
  1. s/he wears glasses
  2. s/he makes glasses

oshkiinzhigokewinini na an eye doctor, an optometrist

oshtigwaan nid h/ head

See also: otigwaan nid [BL]

oshtigwaanens ni a postage stamp

oshtigwaanigegan nid h/ skull

oshtigwaanzhaabonigan ni a common pin

otawag nid h/ ear

otigwaan nid [BL] h/ head

See also: oshtigwaan nid

owa pc disc [exclamation of agreeable surprise]

owaagaakwado vai s/he has an ax

owaagwaakwadomi vai s/he has an ax or axes

owaawano vai s/he has an egg or eggs; she lays eggs

owe pron dem this (inanimate singular)

See also: o'ow pron dem ; o'owe pron dem [N]

owedi pron dem this over here (inanimate singular)

See also: o'owedi pron dem

owidi adv loc over here, over this way

See also: o'owidi adv loc

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

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

ozagaskwaajime na a leech, a bloodsucker

Paired with: zagaskwaajime na

ozagiin nid animal arm; front quarter

ozha' vta scare h/ (a game animal) off

ozha'wi vta

► ozha' vta

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

ozhaashamon vii it (road or trail) is slippery

ozhaashandan vti

ozhaashaa vii it is slippery, is slick

Paired with: ozhaashizi vai

ozhaashaabikad vii it is slippery (as something mineral)

Paired with: ozhaashaabikizi vai

ozhaashaabikaa vii there is slippery rock

ozhaashaabikishin vai s/he slips and falls on rocks

ozhaashaabikizi vai s/he is slippery (as something mineral)

Paired with: ozhaashaabikad vii

ozhaashaabiigad vii it is slippery (string-like)

ozhaashaagonagaa vii there is slippery snow

ozhaashaakozi vai s/he is slippery (as something stick- or wood-like)

Paired with: ozhaashaakwad vii

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

Paired with: ozhaashaakozi vai

ozhaashi- pv lex slippery

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

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

ozhaashikamii vai h/ foot slips

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 s/he is slippery, is slick

Paired with: ozhaashaa vii

ozhaashizigwaa vii there is slippery ice

ozhaashiigad vii it is slippery (as something sheet-like)

Paired with: ozhaashiigizi vai

ozhaashiigizi vai s/he is slippery (as something sheet-like)

See also: ozhaashiigad vii

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

Paired with: ozaawadaawangizi vai

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

Paired with: ozaawadaawangad 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.