Indian languages Indian tribes What's new on our site today!

Vocabulary in Native American Languages: Mesquaki-Sauk (Sac and Fox) Words

Welcome to our Sac and Fox vocabulary page! Sac and Fox, also known as Sauk, Mesquakie, and Meskwaki, is an Algonquian language, related to other languages like Blackfoot and Ojibwe. We have included twenty basic Sac and Fox words here, to compare with related American Indian languages. You can find more Meskwaki-Sauk Indian words in our online picture glossaries. If you'd like to know a word that is not in these wordlists, you can take part in our American Indian translations fundraiser or visit our main Meskwaki-Sauk language site for more free resources.

Thanks for your interest in Native American languages!

Sponsored Links

Meskwaki-Sauk Word Set

Meskwaki and Sauk are two dialects of the same language. They are very closely related and speakers of the two languages can understand each other easily, but, like American English and British English, the two dialects do have some different sounds and a few different words.

(Click here for Sac and Fox pronunciation guide)

English (Français)	Meskwaki words	Sauk words
One (Un)	Nekoti	Nekoti
Two (Deux)	Ni·šwi	Nîshwi
Three (Trois)	Neswi	Nethwi
Four (Quatre)	Nye·wi	Nyêwi
Five (Cinq)	Nya·nanwi	Nyânanwi
Man (Homme)	Neniwa	Neniwa
Woman (Femme)	Ihkwe·wa	Ihkwêwa
Dog (Chien)	Anemo·ha	Anemôha
Sun (Soleil)	Ki·šeswa	Kîshethwa
Moon (Lune)	Ki·šeswa	Tepehkî-Kîshethwa
Water (Eau)	Nepi	Nepi
White (Blanc)	Wa·peški	Wâpeshk
Yellow (Jaune)	Asa·wi	Athâw
Red (Rouge)	Meškwi	Meshkw
Black (Noir)	Mahkate·wi	Mahkatêw
Eat (Manger)	Mi·čiwa	Mîchiwa
See (Voir)	Wa·patamwa	Wâpatamwa
Hear (Entendre)	Ehtawe·wa	Ehtamwa
Sing (Chanter)	Nakamowa	Nakamowa
Leave (Partir)	Nakane·wa	Nâkwêwa

Click here to see Sac and Fox Indian words compared to words in related Algonquian languages: Algonquian Indian Words

Fox-Sauk Picture Dictionaries

Here are some themed Fox-Sauk word lists we have put together and illustrated for language learners. Feel free to print them out for classroom purposes!

Fox-Sauk animal words

Fox-Sauk body parts

Fox-Sauk color words

Fox-Sauk number words

Additional Resources

   Sauk and Fox
   Iowa Native American tribes
   Fox stories
   Woodland Indian facts

Back to American Indian Cultures
Back to the United States Indian maps
Learn more about the Sac and Fox Nation

Native American heritage Native American art Indian baby names

Would you like to help support our organization's work with endangered American Indian languages?