Noun Stems ending with a vowel + u

Nouns ending with -uu

These nouns end in a long -uu in the singular and keep this long -uu with all the other inflectional endings.

ᐋᒨ aamuu (na) bee
3 ᐋᒨ aamuu
3p ᐋᒨᒡ aamuuch
3′ / 3’p ᐋᒨᐦ aamuuh
LOC ᐋᒨᐦᒡ aamuuhch
DIM ᐋᒨᔥ aamuush
POSS ᓂᑖᒨᒻ nitaamuum
ᒦᒋᒫᐴ miichimaapuu (ni) meat broth
0 ᒦᒋᒫᐴ Click here to hear this word miichimaapuu
0p / 0’p ᒦᒋᒫᐴᐦ Click here to hear this word miichimaapuuh
0′ ᒦᒋᒫᐴᔫ Click here to hear this word miichimaapuuyuu
LOC ᒦᒋᒫᐴᐦᒡ Click here to hear this word miichimaapuuhch
DIM ᒦᒋᒫᐳᔥ miichimaapush
POSS ᓂᒦᒋᒫᐳᒻ nimiichimaapum

Nouns ending with -uu (-iw)

These nouns end with a long -uu in the singular, but with some inflectional endings, an -ii appears.  Originally, those nouns ended in -iw. You can still hear it with elder speakers or see it in a verb like ᐱᒌᐧᐋᔅᑯᓐ pichiiwaaskun it has gum on it. While their singular, plural or obviative is written with a –u ending, you can still hear the -i today in the locative, diminutive and possessive.

ᐱᒎ pichuu (na) gum
3 ᐱᒎ Click here to hear this word pichuu
3p ᐱᒎᒡ Click here to hear this word pichuuch
3′ / 3’p ᐱᒎᐦ Click here to hear this word pichuuh
LOC ᐱᒌᐦᒡ Click here to hear this word pichiihch
DIM ᐱᒌᔥ Click here to hear this word pichiish
POSS ᓂᐱᒌᒻ Click here to hear this word nipichiim
ᐱᔔ pishuu (na) lynx
3 ᐱᔔ Click here to hear this word pishuu
3p ᐱᔔᒡ Click here to hear this word pishuuch
3′ / 3’p ᐱᔔᐦ Click here to hear this word pishuuh
LOC ᐱᔒᐦᒡ Click here to hear this word pishiihch
DIM ᐱᔒᔥ Click here to hear this word pishiish
POSS ᓂᐱᔒᒻ Click here to hear this word nipishiim
ᑳᐦᑳᒎ kaahkaachuu (na) crow
3 ᑳᐦᑳᒎ Click here to hear this word kaahkaachuu
3p ᑳᐦᑳᒎᒡ Click here to hear this word kaahkaachuuch
3′ / 3’p ᑳᐦᑳᒎᐦ Click here to hear this word kaahkaachuuh
LOC ᑳᐦᑳᒌᐦᒡ Click here to hear this word kaahkaachiihch
DIM ᑳᐦᑳᒌᔥ Click here to hear this word kaahkaachiish
POSS ᓂᑳᐦᑳᒌᒻ Click here to hear this word nikaahkaachiim

Note:  In the Northern dialect, these words are spelled with an -iu ending.

Nouns ending with -eu

Nouns ending with -eu do not keep their -u in the locative, simulative and possessive. The first vowel of the suffixes (i) also disappears in all the endings. The stem and the suffix undergo a contraction.

ᓈᐯᐤ naapeu (na) man
3 ᓈᐯᐤ Click here to hear this word naapeu
3p ᓈᐯᐅᒡ Click here to hear this word naapeuch
3′ / 3’p ᓈᐯᐤᐦ Click here to hear this word naapeuh
LOC (not used-but see simulative inflection)
SIM ᓈᐯᐦᒡ naapehch
POSS ᓂᓈᐯᒻ ninaapem