ᏙᎾᏓᎪᎲ
donadagohv
The English phrase 'goodbye' is expressed in Cherokee as ᏙᎾᏓᎪᎲ (donadagohv). Wiktionary also lists ᏗᏓᏲᎵᎲᏛᎦᎴᏂᏍᎬ (didayolihvdvgalenisgv) and ᏙᏓᏓᎪᎲ (dodadagohv).
Meaning: farewell (intj)
Ways to say it
| Cherokee | Romanization (Wiktionary) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| ᏙᎾᏓᎪᎲ | donadagohv | |
| ᏗᏓᏲᎵᎲᏛᎦᎴᏂᏍᎬ | didayolihvdvgalenisgv | |
| ᏙᏓᏓᎪᎲ | dodadagohv | plural |
What does it mean word for word?
The word ᏙᎾᏓᎪᎲ literally means 'we see each other again'.
How does it change in a sentence?
The plural form ᏙᏓᏓᎪᎲ is used when addressing more than one person.
How do you pronounce it?
donadagohv
Did you know?
- The Cherokee syllabary used to write ᏙᎾᏓᎪᎲ was invented by Sequoyah in the early 19th century. He created it so that all Cherokee people, regardless of education, could become literate in their own language.
- Cherokee is a polysynthetic language, meaning a single word like ᏙᎾᏓᎪᎲ can function as an entire sentence in English. It packs the subject, object and action into one complex unit.
- Unlike the English 'goodbye' which evolved from 'God be with ye', the Cherokee expression is entirely secular and rooted in human interaction.
Examples in context
- ᏙᎾᏓᎪᎲ.tonadagohv.Goodbye.
Example conversation
Two friends are leaving a community gathering.
- AᏙᎾᏓᎪᎲ!Donadagohv!Goodbye!
- BᏙᎾᏓᎪᎲ! ᎢᏓᏓᎪᎲ ᎦᏐ.Donadagohv! Idadagohv gaso.Goodbye! See you tomorrow.
- AᎣᏏ ᎢᏓᏓᎪᎲ.Osi idadagohv.Okay, see you then.
- BᎣᏏ, ᏙᎾᏓᎪᎲ.Osi, donadagohv.Okay, goodbye.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “goodbye” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
