ayęęzhii
/ʔɑ̀jẽ̀ːʒìː/
The Navajo word for egg is ayęęzhii.
The word ayęęzhii refers to the edible egg of a domestic fowl, or the contents of such eggs when used as food.
Meaning: edible egg of a domestic fowl, the contents of such an egg or eggs used as food (noun)
How do you pronounce it?
/ʔɑ̀jẽ̀ːʒìː/
Did you know?
- In Navajo culture, the concept of the 'egg' is often linked to the 'Emergence' stories, where people moved through several colored worlds before reaching the current one.
- The word ayęęzhii belongs to a language family that includes the Tlingit and Ahtsamic languages of Alaska and Canada, far from the American Southwest.
- Navajo uses a complex system of classifiers, so the way one describes 'an egg' changes depending on its shape and state.
Examples in context
- ayęęzhii shibéezhgoA boiled eggThis sentence shows how to describe an egg that has been boiled using ayęęzhii.
Example conversation
Jessica and Justin are making breakfast in the kitchen.
- JessicaJustin, ayęęzhii łání łíní?Justin, can you fry an egg?
- JustinÁą́, ayęęzhii bee naashá.Yes, I'm cooking an egg.
- JessicaAyęęzhii tʼáá ááníł.The egg is broken.
- JustinTʼáá ákótʼé, tʼáá ááníł.That's right, it is broken.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry ayęęzhii, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Wiktionary CC BY-SA 4.0.
