inini
The Ojibwe word for man is inini.
inini is a noun used to refer to an adult male human.
Meaning: adult male human (noun)
Did you know?
- Because Ojibwe is a polysynthetic language, inini can be incorporated into a verb to indicate that a man is the object of an action within a single long word.
- In the Ojibwe language, nouns like inini are categorized into animate and inanimate genders, and inini belongs to the animate category.
- The word inini descends from the Proto-Algonquian root *erenyiwa.
Examples in context
- Bedowe gaagiigidod aʼawe inini.That man speaks softly when he talks.This sentence shows how to use the noun inini when describing a person's manner of speaking.
Example conversation
Makwa and Oma are talking about a neighbor.
- MakwaInini gichi-apiishii.The man is very kind.
- OmaAʼawe inini?Which man?
- MakwaInini e-wiidookaa miiyigo.The man who helps us.
- OmaEe, inini gichi-apiishii.Yes, that man is very kind.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “man” translations and entries inini, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries inini, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Wiktionary CC BY-SA 4.0.
