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Vocabulary Words in the Wakashan Language Family

These Wakashan words are not spelled phonetically--each word is spelled according to the orthography of its own language, so if you're not familiar with these languages you will need to follow the links to see how to pronounce them. We are working on a second chart transcribed into IPA symbols. We have included twenty basic Wakashan Indian 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 would like to know a Wakashan word that is not currently on our page, you can take part in our American Indian translations fundraiser or visit our main Wakashan languages site for more free resources.

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Wakashan Word Sets

	Northern Wakashan			Southern Wakashan
English (Français)	Haisla	Heiltsuk	Kwakiutl	Makah	Nootka
one (un)	n'aukw	m'ən	nem	'cakwa∙'ak	c'awa'
two (deux)	màlaukw	mał	ma'ł	atł	'ała
three (trois)	yudùkw	yuduk^w	yudx^w	wi∙	qacc'a
four (quatre)	muukw	muk^w	mu	bu∙	muu
five (cinq)	sk'aukw	sk'auk^w	sek'a	šu'č	suč'a
man (homme)	wìsəm	wisəm	wisəm	ła∙uk	čakup
woman (femme)	ğənəm	ğənəm	gnəm	xad'ak	łuuc
dog (chien)	w'às	w'ac'	w'as	'qidi∙tł	'iniił
sun (soleil)	n'aqwəla		ł'isla	daka∙	ł'uup'in
moon (lune)		n'usi	m'k^wla	daka∙	hupał
water (eau)	w'ap	w'apa	w'ap	ča'ak	č'a'ak
white (blanc)	mùqwa	muq^wa	m'la	'tłisuk	łisuk
yellow (jaune)	tìҳsdu	tixa	muq^wa	xusboxuk	xicp'iqak
red (rouge)	ł'àqwa	l'aq^wa	l'aq^wa	'tłiuk	ł'ix^w
black (noir)	c'ùłəla	dabənt or c'uła	c'uła	tupkuk	tupkuk
eat (manger)	həmsa	həmsa	həmsa	ha'u∙	haw'a
see (voir)	dùqwəla	duq^wəla	duq^wla	dač'oł	n'ač
sing (chanter)	həna	nəna	nla	dudu∙	nuu
leave (partir)	bua	bua	bau	wuha	wah

Additional Resources

Wikipedia: Wakashan

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