common nahuatl words

Nahuatl's most common words

• Words that have been kept uniform. Alt : This word means water. Metzli, Tonaltzintli : With this phonetic conjunction...
• Animal Names. Tecuani : With this word they pointed out the most common feline in the whole region; The jaguar .
• Color Names. The colors were part of the popular culture among the Aztecs. Within its rudimentary works and...

Full Answer

How do you say I Love you in Nahuatl?

Basic Nahuatl Phrases & Greetings

• Hello: Pialli (pee-ahh-lee)
• Please: NimitztlaTlauhtia (nee-meetz-tla-tlaw-ti-ah)
• Thank You: Tlazocamati (tlah-so-cah-mah-tee)
• Thank You very Much: Tlazohcamati huel miac. ...
• You’re Welcome/It’s nothing: Ahmitla (ahh-mee-tla)
• Excuse me: Moixpantzinco (mo-eesh-pahntz-ink-oh) How Are You?
• And You\You as Well: Huan Tah (wahn-tah)
• Good: Cualli (kwal-lee)

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What does the name Nahuatl mean?

• The Nahuatl language.
• A city, the county seat of San Juan County, New Mexico, United States.
• A Mexica.
• A Nahua.

What does Nahuatl, classical language mean?

What does nahuatl, classical language mean? Here are all the possible meanings and translations of the word nahuatl, classical language. Classical Nahuatl is any of the variants of the Nahuatl language that were spoken in the Valley of Mexico — and central Mexico as a lingua franca — at the time of the 16th-century Spanish conquest of Mexico.

How to say Nahuatl?

nāhuatl / nawatlahtolli (Nahuatl) Welcome: Ximopanōltih: Hello (General greeting) Niltze Tialli Pialli: How are you? ¿Quen tinemi? (How do you live?) ¿Quen tica? (inf) Reply to 'How are you?' Cualli ninemi, tlazocāmati. ¿Īhuān tehuatl? Long time no see: Ahmo titonāmiqui ye huehcāuh: What's your name? ¿Quen motoca? My name is ... Notōcā ... Nehua notōcā ...

How do you say hello in Nahuatl?

A collection of useful phrases in Nahuatl or Aztec, a Uto-Aztecan language spoken mainly in central Mexico....Useful phrases in Nahuatl.Englishnāhuatl / nawatlahtolli (Nahuatl)Hello (General greeting)Niltze Tialli PialliHow are you?¿Quen tinemi? (How do you live?) ¿Quen tica? (inf)54 more rows

How do you say beautiful in Nahuatl?

In Nahuatl, we don't just “drop” the copula. Instead, we treat the noun/adjective in question as a verb, adding a subject prefix to it. “Beautiful” is “cualtzin,” “cualnēzqui” or “quetzaltic,” to be a little more poetic. “You are beautiful” is “ticualtzin,” “ticualnēzqui” or “tiquetzaltic.”

How do you say Angel in Nahuatl?

ángel.(a loanword from Spanish)Headword: ... an angel (see attestations)angelotin (noun) = angels.More items...

How do you say love in Aztec?

Yollotl. Love is a universal language, but it's always fun, and romantic, to learn some words that describe it in other languages. Yollotl is the Nahuatl word for “heart.”

How do you say Princess in Aztec?

Nahuatl (Aztec) translation: nayeli.

How do you say star in Aztec?

Citlalee: (pronounced see-tah-lee) A beautiful celestial, gender-neutral Aztec name, Citalee means “star”.

How do you say soul in Nahuatl?

-Yolia is one of the principal indigenous terms present in Christian Nahua terminology in the first decades of European contact. It is employed for “soul” or “spirit” and often forms a doublet with ánima in Nahuatl texts of an ecclesiastical, devotional, or secular nature.

How do you say heart in Nahuatl?

Yollotl is the Nahuatl word for “heart.”

How do you say Wolf in Nahuatl?

CUETLĀCH-TLI pl: CUĒCUETLĀCHTIN wolf / lobo (M) [(2)Cf.

What does Cualtzin mean?

​Cualtzin (kwaltsin): The word originates from Nahuatl, the language of the Aztec Empire, and is still spoken in some parts in the Valley of Mexico. Cualtzin means pretty, beautiful, gorgeous.

What does Nochipa mean?

forevernochipa. forever (see Karttunen)

What does Pialli mean?

helloInterjection. pialli. hello (greeting).

When was Nahuatl written?

Because Nahuatl was written using Spanish orthography beginning in the 1500s, it is easy to trace the words that have been absorbed into English in the ensuing centuries, words that describe the plants, animals, and food of the New World.

What is a chipotle?

Its definition is “a smoked and usually dried jalapeño pepper, ” and jalapeño, meaning “from or of the Mexican city Jalapa” is also of Nahuatl origin (and the name of the city is sometimes spelled Xalapa ). Jalapeño didn’t enter English until the 1930s.

What does chocolate mean in Spanish?

Chocolate also came to English through Spanish, but has a different Nahuatl root word: chocolātl, from the combined words chikolli meaning “hook,” probably referring to the beater used to mix chocolate with water, and ātl, meaning “water” or “liquid.”. As this etymology makes clear, chocolate originally meant “a beverage made by heating cocoa ...

Where did the coyote come from?

The word coyote came to English through Mexican Spanish from the Nahuatl word coyōtl in the mid-1700s. The canine animal is native to North America, and prior to that time, many Europeans simply called them wolves; it is sometimes described as a wild dog or called the prairie wolf. It is a distinct species and is smaller than a wolf, but they are so closely related to other canines that crossbreeding sometimes takes place: a coydog is the offspring of a coyote and a feral dog. The wolf-coyote cross called coywolf also exists.

Where did the word "avacado" come from?

The English word avocado is a transliteration first used in the late 1600s of the Spanish word aguacate, which came from the Nahuatl name for the indigenous fruit, āhuacatl. A corruption of aguacate led to another term for the fruit, alligator pear, and because of the shape of the fruit, avocado pear is a term used in British English.

What is chili con carne?

The spicy stew made with beans, minced chilis, and usually meat called chili con carne came much later, in the mid-1800s, and is now also called just plain chili. The country called Chile (often spelled Chili in English until the 20th century) in South America is probably not named for the hot pepper.

What are cocoa beans called?

Those seeds are also called, somewhat confusingly, cocoa beans. The word cocoa was at first just a variant (and therefore a synonym) that first appeared about a century after cacao, and the two words have been used interchangeably to refer to the seeds, beans, and tree ever since.

What language do you call your mom in Nahuatl?

You already know how to say “mom” in Nahuatl, but like TLC once said, “what about your friends?!” Surprise your BFF by calling her “amiga” in the Aztec/Nahua language: ikniutli.

What is the Nahuatl word for Pozolli?

Now it’s time for another Nahuatl word you know, in some form or another. Pozolli is the Nahuatl word for “pozole,” or “posole,” the delicious hominy, meat, seasoned and garnished stew from Mexico and New Mexico. This is a good thing to point out to those you are with when downing a bowl of this warm and cozy meal.

What do you call a tortilla?

Whether you speak English or Spanish (or both), you call a tortilla a tortilla. It’s cool to know that there’s another word used to describe it. In Nahuatl, tortillas are referred to as “tlaxcalli.”

What is the word for prickly pears in Nahuatl?

The next word in Nahuatl we will learn next is another familiar-looking one. “Nohpalli” is how we got the word “nopal.” Nopales refer to prickly pears, a.k.a. Opuntia cacti (native to Mexico), and their pads.

What is the name of the sacred feathers of the Quetzal?

Many Mexican names come from Nahuatl words. Quetzalli is Nahuatl for “feather,” “precious thing,” and/or “which is adorned with the sacred feathers of the quetzal.”. These names, in addition to being unique and pretty, also shout out and show pride for indigenous roots.

Where does cilantro come from?

Cilantro (and we assume culantro as well, as it is native to the Americas) comes from the Nahuatl word “culanto.”

What is the most important word in Latina life?

One of the most important words in any Latina’s life is “mujer.”. It’s super cool to learn how to say this empowering and strong word in Nahuatl. The term is “siwatl,” also written as “cihuatl,” and it is also used to describe a wife/bride, female, girl, hen, and uterus. Now, go and say “siwatl/cihuatl,” loud and proud!

Take our quiz!

If you’re interested in broadening your linguistic heritage by reviewing all of these words in English that come from Nahuatl, you can check out our word list here. Or you can grind together the nuggets of knowledge you’ve learned and apply it to our short quiz.

What is Nahuatl?

From crowd-pleasers like guacamole and tamales to cold-weather comfort foods like pozole and atole, Mexican culture has gifted us with specially adored dishes. At a superficial glance, it may seem that the origins of these words are Spanish.

chocolate

Let’s start with a word we all love— chocolate! While most people might associate this quintessential sweet with Swiss chocolatiers, the cacao bean is from the Americas. However, the origin of the Spanish word (from which the English word derives) is highly contested.

avocado

Here’s a name that’s undergone a lot of evolution over the years. Avocado ’s Spanish-language predecessor is aguacate, which originated from the word ahuacatl. Now, a common misconception is that ahuacatl is Nahuatl for “testicle” (the actual word is ātetl ).

guacamole

Now that we’ve cleared up the history of avocado, perhaps guacamole seems less unsettling. Ahuacatl combines with the Nahuatl word for sauce, molli, to form āhuacamōlli or simply, “avocado sauce.” The dish is popularly served with onions, tomatoes, chiles, and lime. Guacamole is noted as entering English from Mexican Spanish circa 1915–1920.

coyote

Whether you live in a rural area or a big city, chances are you’ve seen—or at least heard the distinct cackle—of coyotes in the area.

atole

It’s getting around that time of year! Derived from the Classical Nahuatl word ātōlli, atole is a warm, sweet drink made from cornmeal and typically served in the winter time. Atole may also be accompanied with vanilla or cinnamon for flavor. When blended with chocolate, atole becomes another familiar drink called champurrado.

What are some words that are derived from Nahuatl?

A phonetic syllabary also existed before the arrival of Europeans. Castilian has inherited some words from Nahuatl, such as: avocado, chile and coyote. You may also like to know What is the legend of the nahual of Mexico .

What is Nahuatl language?

Náhuatl: Common Words, Characteristics and Effectiveness. Nahuatl Is a set of dialects that belongs to the group of Native Americans originating in Mexico. It is the historical language of Aztecs .

What is the most spoken language in Mexico?

However, due to the extensive power of the Aztec empire, what is known as classical Nahuatl became the most spoken form, becoming a lingua franca throughout Mexico and other Mesoamerican countries before the European conquest. It is one of the oldest dialects with the greatest records of the colonial period.

What denomination is the most common to talk about man and woman?

Tlacatl, Cihuatl : Was the most common denomination to talk about man and woman. Ce, Ome ', Yeyi, Nahui : These are the words known to list the decimals from one to four.

Where is Nahuatl spoken?

Nahuatl continues to be spoken in different regions of Mexico City , such as Milpa Alta, Xochimilco and Tláhuac. It is also spoken in other states of Mexico such as Nayarit, Colima, Aguascalientes, San Luis Potosí, south of Michoacan, Jalisco, Queretaro, Hidalgo, Puebla, Tlaxcala, Veracruz, Morelos, east of Oaxaca, Guerrero, ...

What is the fourth word equivalent to?

The fourth word is equivalent to the denomination that is equivalent to cocoa and to the earth Brown That would end up being known as chocolate .

What did the Aztecs encounter?

The encounter with these was due to the distances that the Aztecs had to include between tribe and tribe between the rivers and mangroves on their canoes.

What is a Nahuatl?

Nahuatl Borrowings in Mexican Spanish Vocabulary. smooth, flat griddle typically used in Mexico to cook tortillas, toast spices, sear meat. Mexican Sauce containing chiles, chocolate, peanutes and other ingredients used usually on chicken, pork or beef. means spoiled but is an alcoholic drink with the same name.

Where did the name Chiclets gum come from?

Chiclets gum's name comes from the Nahuatl word chicle! Nahuatl is related to the languages spoken by the Hopi, Comanche, Pima, Shoshone, and other peoples of western North America, as they all belong to the Uto-Aztecan language family. Nahuatl Wikipedia site with more words.