Ojibwe Language Guide

Ojibwe, otherwise anglicized as Chippewa, Ojibwa or Ojibway and known to its own speakers as Anishinabe or Anishinaabemowin, is an Algonquian language spoken by 50,000 people in the northern United States and southern Canada.

Visit native-languages.org for more information on the Ojibwe Language and Culture.

Ojibwe

abwi

canoe paddle

agidaajiwan

upstream

akawaabi

he waits for, he looks out for

aki

land, earth, soil, or place

amik

beaver

aniin minik

how many

anishaa

just for fun

anishinaabe bimaa

he lives the Indian way

awenen

who?

baashkizigan

gun or rifle

bekaa

slow down, or wait

biiwaanag

flint

endogwen

I don't know

eya

yes

gaa mashi

not yet

gakiiwe

portages

ganabaj

maybe, perhaps

gichi mookomaan

white man

giiwedinong

to the north

kookum

grandmother

maanoo

nevermind

makizin

moccasin

mazina' ige

he gives credit (trader)

miigwech

it is too much

miijim

food

minose

it goes well

misawend

wants or desires it

mishi

firewood

mishom

grandfather

naangiwane

he carries a light load or pack

niinawind

we, us

nishkaadizi

he is angry

onji

why?

waasawad

it is far

wegonen

what?

wii

do you want to? (do something)

wiigawaassi-jiimaan

birchbark canoe