ᎡᎮᎾ
ehena
The English verb 'come' is translated into Cherokee as ᎡᎮᎾ (ehena).
ᎡᎮᎾ is used to express the action of arriving or appearing.
Meaning: to arrive, to appear (verb)
How do you pronounce it?
ehena
Did you know?
- The Cherokee writing system used for ᎡᎮᎾ was created by Sequoyah in the 1820s, making it one of the few instances where a non-literate person invented a full writing system for their language.
- Cherokee verbs for 'come' can incorporate a 'directional' prefix that tells the listener if the person is coming from a high place or a low place.
- In Cherokee, the concept of 'coming' is tied to the speaker's location. A verb like ᎡᎮᎾ is used only when the movement is toward the person speaking, whereas a different verb is used if someone is 'coming' toward a third party.
Example conversation
A person is calling a friend over to look at something.
- AᎢᎩ ᎡᎮᎾ!Tigi Epona!Come over here!
- BᎪᏒ ᎡᎮᎾ.Kosa Epona.I am coming now.
- AᏓᏓᏍᏓᎪᏪᎢ.Dadaskogowei.Look at this.
- BᏩᏓᏍᏓᎪᏪᎢ.Wadasdogowei.I see it.
