acheii
/ʔɑ̀t͡ʃʰɛ̀ìː/
Grandfather in Navajo is acheii for your mother's father, while análí is used on your father's side. If unsure, use acheii.
Meaning: grandfather (from either side) (noun)
Ways to say it
| Navajo | IPA |
|---|---|
| acheii | /ʔɑ̀t͡ʃʰɛ̀ìː/ |
| análí | /ʔɑ̀nɑ́lɪ́/ |
Navajo uses different words for grandparents on each side of the family. acheii is the mother's father and análí is a grandparent on the father's side.
Which one should you use?
análí is used specifically for a paternal grandfather, and it can also refer to a paternal grandmother or great uncle or great aunt, as the example shows.
How does it change in a sentence?
Kinship words usually carry a possessive prefix. Adding shi to análí gives shinálí, my paternal grandfather.
How do you pronounce it?
acheii is pronounced /ʔɑ̀tʃʰɛ̀ìː/, with a glottal stop at the start and a long vowel at the end.
Did you know?
- Navajo kinship is matrilineal, which is why the term acheii for the maternal grandfather holds a distinct and primary place in the language's structure.
- In Navajo culture, kinship terms like análí are not just labels but indicators of specific social roles and obligations within the clan system.
- The word acheii starts with a glottal stop, which is a distinct consonant sound produced by closing the vocal folds, acting as a full letter of the alphabet.
Examples in context
- shinálíMy paternal grandfather, my paternal grandmother, my paternal great-uncle, my paternal great-auntshinálí covers several relatives on the father's side, not only the grandfather.
- Acheii dóó átʼááhoodíí.Grandfather and grandmother.
Example conversation
Tyler and Amanda are looking at old family photographs.
- TylerKʼee, acheii tʼáá áánííh.Look, grandfather is very old.
- AmandaÁá, tʼáá áánííh.Yes, he is very old.
- TylerAcheii tʼáá ákʼelgáá.Grandfather is very strong.
- AmandaHózhóóh.That is good.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “grandfather” translations and entries acheii, análí, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Wiktionary CC BY-SA 4.0.
