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Vocabulary in Native American Languages: Iroquois Words

Welcome to our Iroquois vocabulary page! There are six languages spoken by the Iroquois Nations: Mohawk, Seneca, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, and Tuscarora. These are related Iroquoian languages, but they are different enough that speakers of the six languages cannot easily understand each other. Here is a comparative chart of some basic vocabulary words in the six Iroquois Confederacy languages.

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Bear in mind that Iroquoian languages use prefixes on their verbs, unlike Indo-European languages (which generally use suffixes). For example, all the Mohawk verbs start with "ra," "ron," "ro" or "ren" because those are the 3rd person singular prefixes in Mohawk. So if you're used to speaking English, French, or another European language, you may have to look closely for the verb roots.

English (Français)	Cayuga	Mohawk	Oneida	Seneca	Tuscarora
One (Un)	Sga:t	Enhskat	Úska	Ska:t	Ę:chi
Two (Deux)	Dekni:	Tekeni	Tékeni	Tekhni:h	Né:kti:
Three (Trois)	Ahsenh	Ahsen	Áhsv	Sëh	Áhsę
Four (Quatre)	Gei:	Kayeri	Kayé:	Ke:ih	Hę'tahk
Five (Cinq)	Hwihs	Wisk	Wísk	Wis	Wísk
Man (Homme)	Ho:nhgweh	Ronkwe	Lukwé	Hökwe	Rę:kweh
Woman (Femme)	Ago:nhgweh	Yakonkwe	Yakukwé	Yakökwe	Akę:kweh
Dog (Chien)	So:wa:s	Erhar	É:lhal	Ji:yäh	Chír or Gís
Sun (Soleil)	Ga:gwa:'	Karahkwa	Yotahala	Kä:hkwa:'	Híhte'
Moon (Lune)	Enhni'da:'	Ehnita	Ohní:ta'	Ë:ní'ta:'	Í:ka'r
Water (Eau)	Ohneganohs	Ohneka	Ohne:kánus	O:ne:ka'	À:we
White (Blanc)	Genh'ge:nh	Kenraken	Owískela'	Kakë:'ët	Uhwaryá:kę'
Yellow (Jaune)	Oji:tgwa:'	Otsinekwar	Otsí:nkwala'	Jitkwä:'ë:'	Uchi'tkwáhneh
Red (Rouge)	Otgwenhj'ia:'	Onekwenhtara	Onikwvhtala'	Tkwëhtä:'ë:'	Katkwarà:yę'
Black (Noir)	Swenh'd'aenh	Kahòntsi	O'swv:ta'	Jë:sta'ë:'	Kahęschi
Eat (Manger)	I:ge:s	Raeks	Í:laks	I:se:k	Rachù:rih
See (Voir)	Ge:genh	Ratkahthos	La:kvhe'	Hato:kha'	Ratkáhthuhs
Hear (Entendre)	Hoto:nhde'	Rahronkas	Lothu:té:	Ha:ökha'	Rathęhna:ch
Sing (Chanter)	Hore:nho:t	Raterennotha'	Tehalihwákhwa'	Hatënotha'	Ra'nwę'è:ręh

Click here to see Iroqoquois Confederacy vocabulary words compared to words in related Iroquoian languages such as Cherokee: Iroquoian Indian Words

Additional Resources

   The Iroquois
   Native American tribes of New York
   Indian dictionaries
   Indian names and their meanings
   Woodlands Indians