shash
/ʃɑ̀ʃ/
The Navajo word for bear is shash.
shash refers to the large mammal of the family Ursidae.
Meaning: large mammal of family Ursidae (noun)
How do you pronounce it?
/ʃɑ̀ʃ/
Did you know?
- In many Navajo traditions, speaking the name shash directly can be seen as disrespectful or even dangerous, so people may use euphemisms instead.
- The word shash shares a linguistic ancestor with the Ahtna word sos used in Alaska.
- Many Navajo traditional stories depict the shash as a creature capable of speaking and interacting with humans.
Example sentences for Navajo are not verified yet.
Example conversation
Amanda and Justin are looking at a picture book of animals.
- AmandaYááʼ shash łání.Look, there is a bear.
- JustinÁą́á', shash tʼáá ááshą́ą́.Wow, the bear is very big.
- AmandaHózhǫ́ shash bitsʼááʼ.The bear's fur is beautiful.
- JustinYááʼ, áádááł.Yes, it is.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “bear” translations and entries shash, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries shash, CC BY-SA 4.0.
