ᑕᐚᐤ
tawaaw
In Cree, "welcome" is said as ᑕᐚᐤ (tawaaw). Wiktionary also lists ᑕᑕᐘᐤ (tatawaw).
Meaning: greeting given upon someone's arrival (intj)
Ways to say it
| Cree | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| ᑕᐚᐤ | tawaaw |
| ᑕᑕᐘᐤ | tatawaw |
The phrase is used as a greeting given upon someone's arrival.
Which one should you use?
The form ᑕᐚᐤ (tawaaw) is the standard version, while ᑕᑕᐘᐤ (tatawaw) is another variation used for the same meaning.
How do you pronounce it?
tawaaw
Did you know?
- Because Cree is a polysynthetic language, 'welcome' can be expanded into much longer words that describe the specific act of welcoming someone into a home, a circle, or a community.
- The spelling and sound of ᑕᐚᐤ are rooted in the syllabics system, a writing method originally developed by James Evans in the 1840s to facilitate literacy across many Indigenous languages.
- Greeting a visitor with words like ᑕᐚᐤ is often accompanied by an offer of food or tea, as hospitality in many Cree communities is an action rather than just a spoken word.
Examples in context
- ᑕᐚᐤ.tawaw.Welcome.
Example conversation
A visitor arrives at a friend's house.
- Aᑕᐚᐤ!Tawô!Welcome!
- Bᑭᐣᐤᐣ ᑕᐤᐘᐤ.Kinân tawô.Thank you.
- Aᐌᐤᐣᐤᐣ ᓂᐎᐤᐣ ᐜᐎᐤᐣ.Wîwan nimâ-kâ-yân.Come into my home.
- Bᒥᐣᐤᐣ ᐌᐤᐣᐤᐣ.Mînan wîwan.I am coming.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “welcome” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
