manoomin
/mʌnoːmɪn/
The English phrase "wild rice" is translated into Ojibwe as manoomin.
manoomin refers to any species of the genus Zizania.
Meaning: any species of Zizania (noun)
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation is /mʌnoːmɪn/.
Did you know?
- The word manoomin is the catalyst for the ancestral migration of the Ojibwe people, who traveled from the Atlantic coast to the Great Lakes after a prophecy told them to search for 'food that grows on water'.
- The suffix in manoomin means 'berry or berry-like object', which reveals that the Ojibwe people historically categorized this grain as a type of berry.
- Rather than using nets or machinery, traditional harvesting of manoomin uses 'knocking sticks' to gently tap the grains into canoes, ensuring the plant can seed itself for the following year.
Examples in context
- Manoomin miinwendam.I like wild rice.
Example conversation
Nibi and Bemizii are planning a meal.
- NibiManoomin nindizhaawin.I am cooking wild rice.
- BemiziiAaniiin? Manoomin nindawaabam.Really? I see the wild rice.
- NibiEya, manoomin gikinawamaa.Yes, the wild rice was harvested.
- BemiziiMino-giizhigaa manoomin.Wild rice is good today.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “wild rice” translations and entries manoomin, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries manoomin, CC BY-SA 4.0.
