nímasii
/nɪ́mɑ̀sìː/
The English word potato is translated into Navajo as nímasii.
The term refers to the plant tuber eaten as a starchy vegetable.
Meaning: plant tuber eaten as starchy vegetable (noun)
How do you pronounce it?
/nɪ́mɑ̀sìː/
Did you know?
- The Navajo word nímasii literally translates to 'it is spherical' or 'it rolls'.
- Navajo is an agglutinative language, meaning nímasii is built by adding a nominalizer to a descriptive root to create a noun.
- A Navajo speaker might use the same linguistic root found in nímasii to describe a ball. The language prioritizes the shape and action of the object over its identity as food.
Example sentences for Navajo are not verified yet.
Example conversation
Tyler and Sarah are preparing dinner together.
- TylerNímasii náníshį́į́ʼI am peeling the potatoes.
- SarahTʼáá ákóósThat is good.
- TylerNímasii hádááłDo we have more potatoes?
- SarahÁáʼYes, we do.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “potato” translations and entries nímasii, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries nímasii, CC BY-SA 4.0.
