ᏙᎯᏧ?
tohiju?
In Cherokee, the phrase "how are you?" is expressed as ᏙᎯᏧ? (tohiju?)
ᏙᎯᏧ? is a common greeting used to ask someone about their current well-being.
How do you pronounce it?
The romanization is tohiju?
Did you know?
- In Cherokee culture, it is more traditional to greet someone by asking if they have eaten rather than asking ᏙᎯᏧ? This reflects a deep cultural emphasis on hospitality and the physical well-being of the guest.
- The phrase ᏙᎯᏧ? uses the Cherokee syllabary, a unique writing system invented by Sequoyah in the 1820s. Unlike the Latin alphabet, each character represents a full syllable rather than a single letter.
- Cherokee is a polysynthetic language, meaning a single word like ᏙᎯᏧ? can contain as much information as a whole English sentence. The structure allows a single complex word to function as a complete thought.
Example conversation
Two friends meet on a street.
- AᎣᏏᏲ! ᏙᎯᏧ?osiyo! do-hi-tsu?Hello! How are you?
- BᎣᏏᏳ, ᎢᏳᎢ. ᏙᎯᏧ?osiyu, iyu-i. do-hi-tsu?I am well. And you?
- AᎣᏏᏳ ᎢᏳᎢ.osiyu iyu-i.I am doing well too.
- BᎣᏏᏲ.osiyo.Goodbye.
