atsilí
/ʔɑ̀t͡sʰɪ̀lɪ́/
Brother in Navajo is atsilí for a younger brother, while an older brother is ánaaí. If unsure, use atsilí.
Meaning: male sibling (noun)
Ways to say it
| Navajo | IPA |
|---|---|
| atsilí | /ʔɑ̀t͡sʰɪ̀lɪ́/ |
| ánaaí | /ʔɑ́nɑ̀ːɪ́/ |
Navajo has no single word for brother. atsilí means younger brother and ánaaí means older brother, so you choose the word by the brother's age compared with yours.
Which one should you use?
atsilí is a younger brother. ánaaí is used specifically for an older brother.
How does it change in a sentence?
Kinship words in Navajo usually carry a possessive prefix. Add si in front of the stem to say my younger brother, sitsilí.
How do you pronounce it?
atsilí is pronounced /ʔɑ̀tsʰɪ̀lɪ́/, with a glottal stop at the start and a high tone on the last syllable.
What mistakes should you avoid?
Do not use atsilí for an older brother. For an older brother the word is ánaaí.
Did you know?
- In Navajo culture, your 'brothers' may include a wide range of male cousins because kinship is determined by the mother's clan rather than just biological parents.
- The word atsilí descends from a root in Proto-Athabaskan, a language family that spans from Alaska to western Canada and the American Southwest.
- Because kinship terms are so precise, a Navajo speaker can identify the exact age relationship between two siblings simply by hearing which word for 'brother' is used.
Examples in context
- sitsilíMy younger brothersitsilí begins with the prefix si, which means my.
Example conversation
Sarah is introducing her family to Brandon.
- SarahHashké, shitsilí ííníh.Brandon, this is my brother.
- BrandonYáʼátʼééh, atsilí.Hello, brother.
- SarahShiłtah lą́ʼí.He is my older sibling.
- BrandonYáʼátʼééh, shání.Hello, older brother.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “brother” translations and entries atsilí, ánaaí, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries atsilí, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Wiktionary CC BY-SA 4.0.
