Quileute Words

With Native American languages around the world being lost, preserving the Quileute language is important. Today the Quileute tribe’s put forth efforts not only save the language, but reinvigorate it:


“[In 2007], the Tribal Council set up a two-year Quileute Revitalization Project with the goal of encouraging the use of Quileute words and phrases in everyday village life. A basic vocabulary of greetings, questions, numbers, names of things, and “one-linders” in Quileute were made available to tribal members and staff through informal classes, email and computer CDs.”

Quileute WordsSome of the first steps to learning a new language are not that dissimilar from a child learning to speak. Learning to say the Quileute word for mother or some other chosen one is the first step at putting these words into phrases for useful communication.

To make things easy below is a list of words and phrases with their Quileute pronunciation. I’d start with a few words or phrases write them down and say the Quileute word several times a day. When you have the word committed to memory move on to the next word or phrase.

Learning the Quileute Language can be a way of preserving their sense of cultural and heritage. You can learn to speak Quileute.

Visit this page often (you might want to bookmark this page) as I’ll continue to add more words and phrases for you to study in the upcoming days.

Learn to Speak Quileute

[hah-ch chee-EH] “Good morning”
[hah-ch toe-CHOKE-tee-yuh] “Good afternoon”
[hah-ch uh-WAY] “Good night!”
[uh-YAH-so-CHUH] “How are you?” (-cha, said to a man)
[uh-YAH-so-CHID] “How are you? (-chid, said to a woman)
[HAH-ch-lee Ho] “I’m good/well”
[HATE-kwoh-lee] “I’m sick”
[yah-po-tahl-lee] “I’m tired”
[hay-LAH-uh-lee] “I’m grouchy”
[yup-THOH-oh-lee] “I’m hung over (also, I’m drunk)”
[WAH-shay-th-lee tick-thoh-oh-wah] “I’m going
crazy!”
[hah-HECK-tee-yuh] “today” [fqxi-here, now; -ktiya-day]
[uh-YAH-so-CHUH hah-HECK-tee-yuh] “How are you today?”
[HATE-kwoh-lee hah-HECK-tee-yuh] “I’m sick today”
[KAY-h-kuh] “Go away, Get away from me. Get outa here.”
[wuhs ho] “No way!”
[wuhs tuh-huh-KWAH-say] “Not so hot! “
[chee-tuh-KAY-do] “He’s/she’s/it’s a killer!”
[ah-thlah-CHUH to a man or –CHID to a woman] “What are you doing?”
[pah-KATE-lee] “I’m working.”
[TSAH-thlee] “I’m not doing anything.”
[quo-oh-KAY-th-chuh to a man, or –chid
to a woman] “Where are you going?”
[pah-kate-KAY-th-lee] “I’m going to work.”
[POKES-kay-thlee] “I’m going to Forks.”
[TAY-hwah-lee] “I’m going home.”
[hah-CHAH-th hah-hECK-tee-yuh] “Good weather today.”
[buh-SAH-th hah-HECK-tee-yuh] “Bad weather today.”
[CHAY-shuh hah-HECK-tee-yuh] “It’s windy today.”
[WAY-th] “one”
[THAH-oo] “two
[KWAH-uhl] “three”
[BAH-uh-yahs] “four”
[TAH-see] “five”
[EH-sh] “many, a lot”
[luh-KAH] “not many, a few”
[HAH-ch – buh-SAY] “Good –vs- bad (anything good: delicious, handsome, nice – versus – anything bad: naughty, sinful, worthless)”
[Tuh-HAH – hwOH-s] “hot -vs- cold (weather)”
[tuh-HAH-lee – keh-EE’ee-lee] “I’m warm –vsperson is feeling rather than the weather)”
[thuh-BAY-tee – hah-YAH-kuh] “strong -vs- weak”
[wiss-SAH – HATE-cool tah-THAY-tuh-lee] “happy –vs- sad (heart-sick)
[huh-BAH – TSAH-duh] “all –vs- none”
[KWOH-hwuh – BOH’oh-tuh] “skinny vs- fat”
[WAY-loh-oht – BOH-ts] “long –vs- short”
[HUH-hay] – “now (but also here)”
[hw-PA (as in hat)] – “in a little while, soon”
[chee PA (as in hat)] – “ a while ago”
[tsuh-DAH – THLOH-hwah-duhs] “young –old (of people)”
[TSAH-tuh – HAY-tuh-bah] “new – old, worn ou (of things)”
[ah-YAH-so-chuh or chid] “How are you?”
[ah-th-lah-CHUH or CHID] “What are you doing?”
[quoh-oh-KAY-th-CHUH or CHID] “Where are
you going?”
[SHAY-puh] “black”
[THLOH- puh] “r79pa means blue or green “
[PAY-chuh] “red”
[kuh-BAH-thluh] – “white” (but not White man….see A
below)
[pay-THLAY-so] “yellow”
[kuh-LAY-so] “brown”
[kwoh-LAY-yoh-t!] “Quileute”
[HAY-stuh AH-lit-uh] Give me something to eat (food) or Give me a fish.
[HAY-stuh TAH-see] Give me Five! (i.e. a “high five”)
[HAY-stuh TAH-luh] Give me a dollar or give me money
[HAY-stuh LAHB] Give me something to drink (i.e. alcoholic – lab is from “rum”)
[HO-quaht] “a non-Indian, usually White, but a black is a ship-h9k2at (a black non-Indian)”
[POH-ohk] “an Indian (male or female, not nec. Quileute)”
[WAH-lee tah-chuh-AH] “I don’t know.”

Quileute Words

blue jay is “kwáshkwash”

woman is “Wisatsu’upat.”

Comments

  1. I wonder…what did Jacob say to Bella in “New Moon” when he tried to kiss her at her house? He said something on this language but I can’t figure out what 🙁

    Whoever might know,
    I am grateful in advance 🙂

  2. i know.
    he says
    “stay with me. forever.”
    I THINK THAT IS SO SO SO SO SO SWEET!!!
    im not team jacob nor team edward.
    IM SWITZERLAND=D
    ~pickel=D

  3. ?á·čit says:

    How to Say I love you in Quileute
    Quo Pat is the true answer according to the culture teacher at the Quileute Tribal School. – “It is very short but i know for a fact this is the true translation.”

    • Anonymous says:

      =] our culturr teacher is pretty fun. If your readin this sorry crystal im transfering back to the hoquat school. I had a gr8 time down there but qvsd fits me more then qts. btw jacob’s not quileute for real…

  4. It does mean stay with me forever I just watch moved last night and did a lot of looking into that word because I love it when he say that to her and means stay ” Stay with me forever” I wish jacob would say that to me he so hot and wish I could meet him but I have say I love way edward loves bell. 🙂

  5. i thought jacob said ‘I love you’

  6. jacob is kool says:

    Jacob spoke Quileute “i love you”. They learn this from one of the Quileute elders.

  7. teamjacob says:

    well this is confusing. some say it was ‘Stay with me forever’ and the others think it was ‘I love you’. Which one is true?

  8. I was just wondering, if anyone knew how say & spell “Always” in Quileute. Any help would be much appreciated, thanks

  9. I was wondering if anyone knew how to say “always”, “please”, and “my” in Quileute. Much appreciated

    -Andi

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