NavajoWOTD

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k'ad

now

kah dh

K’ad means “now.” It can be used in a variety of ways. Examples: Let’s go k’ad. K’ad it’s finished. Final exams are this week — k’ad time to study. Instead of walking everywhere, k’ad I have a bike to go to class. Try using some previous words to build a phrase using k’ad. If you need help, shoot us an email! Have a great Sunday.

dá'ák'eh

cornfield garden

dah uk keh

Around this time of the year is when you begin preparing one of these: a garden or crop. Historically, Navajo crops were comprised largely of corn, and in some places, peach and apricot orchards were kept. Now, a typical garden includes tomatoes, watermelon, squash, pumpkins, some chili varieties, and more. So the term has expanded from “corn field” to garden (in general).

Nda'iiníísh

Friday

nh dah ee knee sh

Today’s Navajo word is everybody’s favorite: Friday.

Technically, you may hear this word also said like this, “Ashdla’ajį́ nda’anish.” The first part of the phrase contains jį́ (see díí jį́), and ashdla’ (which is the number five), so it approximates to “the fifth day.” The latter part of the phrase contains the particle -nish in reference to work, or working, preceded by the particle nda- which can mean no, or none, and in this case (the) end.

Nda’iiníísh is the more common way to say Friday in Navajo.

Phrase: Díí jį́ éí Nda’iiníísh. Today is Friday.

tsin

tree or evergreen trees

tsihn

In the simplest sense, tsin means tree in Navajo. It serves as a general term for both evergreen trees, like the juniper and pine trees, and trees that are affected by seasonal changes. Specific trees are denoted by certain descriptive terms, in much the same fashion as previous words-of-the-day. Namely, their Navajo names inherit unique names based largely upon obvious distinctions unique to particular trees.

shik'is

my friend brother

shih kiss

Literally: my friend.

The Navajo word ak’is means friend, so shí, , or is attached to mean my, your, or his (her). This word is essentially used to describe siblings and maternal cousins, but in all of these cases it only applies to people of the same sex.

Modern usage has somewhat allowed the word to be applied to friendships between men and women. But, in the old days, you simply could not say that a woman was just your friend (if you were a man), or that a man was just your friend (if you were a woman). Especially when it was not uncommon for men to have multiple wives.

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