Using -di and -gi with places When you need to talk about a place in Navajo, you’ll use the word fragment -di (dih) and its more specific form -gi (gih). You’ll attach them to the end of the place name, like this:

New Mexico, Albuquerque: Yootó Hahoodzodi Be’eldííldahsinilgi There are a few things to note about the example. When you have a place within a more general area, you’ll use -di first with the bigger area (the state in the example). Then you’ll follow that with the more specific location using -gi (the city of Albuquerque).

If you only have one place to name, use -di. You can practice the concept by thinking about different locations, and attaching -di and -gi to get a hang of it. Like this:

• Tuba City-di, Yellowman Park-gi
• University of New Mexico-di, Zimmerman Library-gi
• Grand Canyon-di, Bright Angel Trail-gi