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Vocabulary Words in Native American Languages: Chinook Jargon

We have included ten basic words, enough to give you a feeling for each language. All the nouns are singular and all the verbs are 3rd person singular ("he or she sings") because many Native American languages don't have a separate infinitive ("to sing") the way English and French do.

If you need to know a Chinook Jargon word that is not currently on our page, you can you can take part in our Indian translations fundraiser, buy a Chinook Jargon dictionary, or visit our main Chinook Jargon language site for more free resources.

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Chinook Jargon Word Set

Please note that since the Chinook Jargon is a trade pidgin (mixed language), many of the words in it come from English or French.

English (Français)	Chinook Jargon	Origin of Word
One (Un)	Ikt	From Chinook Ixt
Two (Deux)	Mokst	From Chinook Môkst
Three (Trois)	Klone	From Chinook Łun
Four (Quatre)	Lakit	From Chinook Lakt
Five (Cinq)	Kwinnum	From Chinook Kwanm
Man (Homme)	Man	From English
Woman (Femme)	Klootchman	Combining Nootka Łóóc, 'female,' with English man
Sun (Soleil)	Sun	From English
Moon (Lune)	Moon	From English
Water (Eau)	Chuck	From Nootka Ča'úk

Click here to see Chinook Jargon vocabulary words compared to words in related Penutian languages: Penutian Indian Words

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