ᏩᏙ
wado
In Cherokee, the phrase for "thank you" is expressed as ᏩᏙ (wado). Wiktionary also lists ᎠᎾᎵᎮᎵᎬ (analiheligv).
Meaning: an expression of gratitude (intj)
Ways to say it
| Cherokee | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| ᎠᎾᎵᎮᎵᎬ | analiheligv |
| ᏩᏙ | wado |
Both ᏩᏙ and ᎠᎾᎵᎮᎵᎬ are used to express gratitude toward someone.
Which one should you use?
ᏩᏙ translates to "thanks" or "thank you" and serves as the standard, common way to express gratitude. ᎠᎾᎵᎮᎵᎬ carries a more emphatic meaning, such as "I am grateful to you" or "I thank you."
How do you pronounce it?
wado
Did you know?
- The syllabary used to write ᏩᏙ was invented by Sequoyah, a man who was actually illiterate in English at the time of his invention.
- The word ᏩᏙ is used not only for 'thank you' but also as a general greeting like 'hello'.
- Because Cherokee is a polysynthetic language, a single word like ᎠᎾᎵᎮᎵᎬ can contain the complexity of an entire English sentence.
Examples in context
- ᏩᏙ.vado.Thank you.
Example conversation
A person receives a gift from a friend.
- AᎯᏯ ᎢᏓᏅᏓᏓᏅᏓ!Hiya idanvdanvda!Here is a gift!
- BᏩᏙ!Wado!Thank you!
- AᎢᏓᏅᏓᏓᏅᏓ ᎢᎬᎢ.Idanvdanvda igui.You are very welcome.
- BᏩᏙ ᎢᎬᎢ.Wado igui.Thank you so much.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “thank you” translations and entries ᎠᎾᎵᎮᎵᎬ, ᏩᏙ, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
