ᎡᏂᏏ
enisi
The Cherokee word for grandmother is ᎡᏂᏏ (enisi). If unsure, use ᎡᏂᏏ. Wiktionary also lists ᎠᎵᏏ (alisi).
Meaning: mother of someone's parent (noun)
Ways to say it
| Cherokee | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| ᎡᏂᏏ | enisi |
| ᎠᎵᏏ | alisi |
The term refers to the mother of one's parent.
How do you pronounce it?
enisi
Did you know?
- The Cherokee syllabary used to write ᎡᏂᏏ was invented by Sequoyah, who was not literate in English when he created it.
- The distinction between the two forms ᎡᏂᏏ and ᎠᎵᏏ often depends on whether the person is being spoken to directly or being spoken about in the third person.
- In traditional Cherokee culture, the grandmother's role is central to the matrilineal clan system, where she passes down the clan identity to her grandchildren.
Example sentences for Cherokee are not verified yet.
Example conversation
A grandchild is talking to their parent about their grandmother.
- AᎡᏂᏏ ᏓᏓᎾᏓᏓᎵᏍᏓ?Enisi dadanadadalisda?Is grandmother sleeping?
- BᎥᎥ, ᏓᏓᎾᏓᏓᎵᏍᏓ.Vv, dadanadadalisda.Yes, she is sleeping.
- AᎡᏂᏏ ᎢᏓᏓᏅᏓᎵ.Enisi idadanvdali.Grandmother is here.
- BᏓᏓᎾᏓᏓᎵᏍᏓ ᎡᏂᏏ.Dadanadadalisda enisi.Grandmother is resting.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “grandmother” translations and entries ᎡᏂᏏ, ᎠᎵᏏ, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
