AnishinaabemdaaLittle River Band of Ottawa Indians

decorative icon Diminutive Terms

Diminutive simply means small. When the following sounds are put on the end of the word, it makes someone or something small. The sounds are "anhs", "aanhs", "enhs", "inhs", "iinhs", "onhs", "oonhs". Actually, it is the “s” sound that completes the term, because some words have the nasal sound in it already. Only a fluent speaker of Anishinaabemowin knows which sound to attach to the end of the word. You have to remember that the plural term is always the last part of a word.

Large and small dogs and cats
AnimalLargeSingularSmallPluralSmall & Plural
DogKchiAnimoshAnimoonhsAnimoshakAnimoonhsak
*DogKchiAnimokaajiinhAnimokaajiinhsAnimokaajiinhakAnimokaajiinhsak
CatKchiGaazhagGaazhagenhsGaazhagakGaazhagenhsak
HorseKchiBezhigogshiiBezhigogshiinhsBezhigogshiikBezhigogshiinhsak
CowKchiBizhikiBizhikiinhsBizhikokBizhikiinhsak
DeerKchiWawashkeshWawashkeshiinhsWawashkeshakWawashkeshiinhsak
RabbitKchiWaabozWaabozoonhsWaabozokWaabozoonhsak
SkunkKchiZhagaagZhagaagoonhsZhagaagakZhagaagoonhsak
WolfKchiMahiinganMahiingaanhsMahiinganakMahiingaanhsak
FoxKchiWaagoshWaagoshenhsWaagoshakWaagoshenhsak
SeagullKchiGyashkGyashkenhsGyashkakGyashkenhsak
CrowKchiAandegAandegoonhsAandegakAandegoonhsak
LoonKchiMaangMaangoonhsMaangakMaangoonhsak
DuckKchiShiishiibenhShiishiibenhsShiishiibenhakShiishiibenhsak
BeeKchiAamoAamoonhsAamoikAamoonhsak
SpiderKchiEzibikenhEzibikenhsEzibikenhakEzibikenhsak
MosquitoKchiZgimenhZgimenhsZgimenhakZgimenhsak
FishKchiGiigonhGiigonhsGiigonhikGiigonhsak
TroutKchiNmegosNmegosenhsNmegosakNmegosenhsak
WhitefishKchiDikmegDikmegonhsDikmegakDikmegonhsak
BassKchiShiganShigaanhsShiganakShigaanhsak
PikeKchiGnoozheGnoozhenhsGnoozhekGnoozhenhsak
PerchKchiSaaweSaawenhsSaawekSaawenhsak

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