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How to use the Ojibwe People's Dictionary

zhooshkwa'an vti smooth it (using something)

zhooshkwajiwe vai s/he goes sliding, slides dowhill

zhooshkwakamigaa vii it is smooth ground

zhooshkwanagekozi vai s/he (a tree) has smooth bark

zhooshkwanaabikaa vii there is smooth flat rock

zhooshkwaa vii it is smooth, slick

Paired with: zhooshkozi vai

zhooshkwaabikad vii it is smooth (as something mineral), is rustless

Paired with: zhooshkwaabikizi vai

zhooshkwaabikizi vai s/he is smooth (as something mineral), is rustless

Paired with: zhooshkwaabikad vii

zhooshkwaabiigad vii it is straight and smooth (string-like)

Paired with: zhooshkwaabiigizi vai

zhooshkwaabiigizi vai s/he is straight and smooth (string-like)

Paired with: zhooshkwaabiigad vii

zhooshkwaada'aagan ni a skate, an ice skate

See also: zhooshkwaada'aagan na [RL]

zhooshkwaada'aagan na [RL] a skate, an ice skate

See also: zhooshkwaada'aagan ni

zhooshkwaada'e vai s/he skates

zhooshkwaada'e-aabajichigan ni item of hockey equipment

zhooshkwaada'ewasab na a hockey goal

zhooshkwaada'ewigamig ni a rink, a hockey arena

zhooshkwaagim na a ski

zhooshkwaagime vai s/he skis

zhooshkwaagimebizo vai s/he skis

zhooshkwaakozi vai s/he is smooth (as something stick- or wood-like)

Paired with: zhooshkwaakwad vii

zhooshkwaakwad vii it is smooth (as something stick- or wood-like)

Paired with: zhooshkwaakozi vai

zhooshkwegad vii it (sheet-like) is smooth

Paired with: zhooshkwegizi vai

zhooshkwega' vta iron h/

Paired with: zhooshkwega'an vti

zhooshkwega'an vti iron it

Paired with: zhooshkwega' vta

(detransitive) zhooshkwega'ige vai s/he irons clothes (derived noun) zhooshkwega'igan ni an iron
zhooshkwega'igan ni an iron

See also: zhooshkwega'igan na [RL]

zhooshkwega'igan na [RL] an iron

See also: zhooshkwega'igan ni

zhooshkwega'iganaatig ni an ironing board

zhooshkwega'ige vai s/he irons clothes

zhooshkwegizi vai it (animate; sheet-like) is smooth

Paired with: zhooshkwegad vii

zhooshooshkwajiwe vai s/he keeps sliding downhill

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.