béésh łigaii
/péːʃ ɬɪ̀kɑ̀ìː/word by word
Silver in Navajo is béésh łigaii.
béésh łigaii is used to refer to the metal silver.
Meaning: metal (noun)
How do you pronounce it?
/péːʃ ɬɪ̀kɑ̀ìː/
Did you know?
- The color 'white' in łigaii doesn't just describe the shade but can signify purity and the direction east in Navajo cosmology.
- In Navajo culture, silver jewelry is often associated with protection and the prestige of the wearer rather than just monetary wealth.
- The root word for metal, béésh, is historically linked to the word for 'knife'.
Example sentences for Navajo are not verified yet.
Example conversation
Amanda and Tyler are looking at jewelry at a market.
- AmandaKééshééʼ béésh łigaii bííʼ ááłtsooí?Is this jewelry made of silver?
- TylerÁáʼgo, béésh łigaii tʼáá łééʼ.Yes, it is definitely silver.
- AmandaBéésh łigaii tʼáá łééʼ tʼáá łééʼ.It is truly silver.
- TylerŁááʼ yáʼáshąʼ.It is very beautiful.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “silver” translations and entries béésh łigaii, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (béésh, łigaii) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries béésh, béésh łigaii, łigaii, CC BY-SA 4.0.
