dibááʼ
/tɪ̀pɑ́ːʔ/
The Navajo word for hungry is dibááʼ.
dibááʼ is an adjective used to describe someone who is affected by hunger or is desirous of food.
Meaning: affected by hunger, desirous of food (adj)
How do you pronounce it?
/tɪ̀pɑ́ːʔ/
Did you know?
- In traditional Navajo thought, the sensation of hunger is often linked to the concept of balance and harmony within the body and environment.
- Navajo uses a specific set of classifiers for different types of food, meaning that what you are 'hungry for' can change how you describe the craving.
- Because Navajo is a tonal language, the pitch of the vowels in dibááʼ is crucial. Changing the tone can completely change the meaning of the word or render it nonsensical to a native speaker.
Example conversation
Kyle and Michelle are deciding what to eat for lunch.
- KyleDibááʼshį́į́h, Michelle.I am hungry, Michelle.
- MichelleShił hózhǫ́, Kyle.I am also hungry, Kyle.
- KyleT’áá áánííłgo nááshá.I'll go get some food then.
- MichelleÁádóó, tʼaa lą́ʼ.Okay, just a little.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry dibááʼ, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
