dibéłchíʼí
/tɪ̀pɛ́ɬt͡ʃʰɪ́ʔɪ́/
Brown in Navajo is dibéłchíʼí.
dibéłchíʼí describes something that is brown, such as an animal or an object.
Meaning: having a brown color/colour (adj)
How does it change in a sentence?
dibéłchíʼí describes one or two things. For three or more, the form changes to daalchííʼ.
How do you pronounce it?
dibéłchíʼí is pronounced /tɪ̀pɛ́ɬtʃʰɪ́ʔɪ́/. The ł is a breathy l sound and the ʼ marks a glottal stop.
Did you know?
- The word dibéłchíʼí is literally composed of the words for 'sheep' and 'red'. In Navajo, brown is not a primary color name but is described as the color of a red sheep.
- The term dibéłchíʼí reflects the historical importance of livestock and herding within Navajo culture.
- The character ł in dibéłchíʼí is a voiceless lateral fricative. It is produced by placing the tongue in the position for an 'l' but blowing air around the sides without using the voice.
Examples in context
- Ayání daalchííʼThe (three or more) buffalo are brown.daalchííʼ is the form used for three or more buffalo.
- Ayání dibéłchíʼíThe (one / two) buffalo (is / are) brown.dibéłchíʼí is used here because there are only one or two buffalo.
Example conversation
Kyle and Michelle are looking at a piece of leather.
- KyleDibéłchíʼí bííʼ áłtsó.It is a brown leather.
- MichelleÁáʼá, tʼáá dibéłchíʼí.Yes, it is very brown.
- KyleTʼáá ááshí hílwááʼ.I really like that one.
- MichelleShíʼdoolgo.I will get it.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry dibéłchíʼí, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries dibéłchíʼí, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Wiktionary CC BY-SA 4.0.
