Achuar Chicham
Achuar
Jivaroan
Achuar (Achuar Chicham, "Achuar speech"; also Achuar-Shiwiar) is a Jivaroan language spoken in the Marañón–Pastaza ecotone of the Peru-Ecuador border. The Achuar people are the third-largest Jivaroan group, after the Aguaruna (agr) and Shuar (jiv), and have historically been seasonally interconnected with the Shuar and Shiwiar through trade, marriage alliances, and warfare. Achuar achieved international attention through the Achuar Resistance against oil-company encroachment in the 2000s-2010s, with the Achuar Federation (FINAE/NAE) leading territorial sovereignty advocacy. Linguistically, Achuar shares Jivaroan family features with Aguaruna and Shuar: nasal vowels, focus markers, and an exhaustive ethnobiological lexicon for the Amazon ecosystem.
Where it is spoken
31 core words in Achuar
Water
yumi
/jumi/
Fire
ji
/hi/
Sun
etsa
/etsa/
Moon
nantu
/nantu/
Star
yaa
/jaː/
Mother
nukur
/nukuɾ/
Father
apar
/apaɾ/
I
wi
/wi/
You
ame
/ame/
Name
naari
/naːɾi/
Eye
jii
/hiː/
Hand
uwej
/uweh/
Heart
enentai
/enentai/
Love
anentin
/anentin/
Tree
numi
/numi/
House
jea
/hea/
Dog
yawa
/jawa/
Cat
micha
/mitʃa/
Eat
yuata
/juata/
Drink
umarta
/umaɾta/
One
kichik
/kitʃik/
Two
jimiar
/himiaɾ/
Hello
pujamek
/puhamek/
Thank you
mai-tikut
/majtikut/
Good
penker
/peŋkeɾ/
Sources
Words compared
Compared with related Jivaroan languages
| Meaning | Achuar | Shuar | Aguaruna | Central Alaskan Yupik | Shona | Japanese (Osaka) | Japanese (Hiroshima) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | yumi /jumi/ | yumi /jumi/ | yumi /jumi/ | meq /meq/ | mvura /mvuɾa/ | 水 /mizɯ/ | 水 /mizɯ/ |
| Fire | ji /hi/ | ji /hi/ | jii /hiː/ | keneq /keneq/ | moto /moto/ | 火 /hi/ | 火 /hi/ |
| Sun | etsa /etsa/ | etsa /etsa/ | etsá /etsá/ | akerta /akerta/ | zuva /zuva/ | 日 /hi/ | 日 /hi/ |
| Moon | nantu /nantu/ | nantu /nantu/ | nántu /nántu/ | iraluq /iraluq/ | mwedzi /mwedzi/ | 月 /tsɯki/ | 月 /tsɯki/ |
| Star | yaa /jaː/ | yaa /jaː/ | yaya /jaja/ | agyaq /aɣjaq/ | nyeredzi /ɲeredzi/ | 星 /hoɕi/ | 星 /hoɕi/ |
| Mother | nukur /nukuɾ/ | nukur /nukuɾ/ | dukú /dukú/ | aana /aːna/ | amai /amai/ | おかん /okaɴ/ | おふくろ /oɸɯkɯɾo/ |
| Father | apar /apaɾ/ | apar /apaɾ/ | apá /apá/ | ata /ata/ | baba /baba/ | おとん /otoɴ/ | 親父 /ojadʑi/ |
| I | wi /wi/ | wi /wi/ | wi /wi/ | wiinga /wiːŋa/ | ini /ini/ | わし /waɕi/ | わし /waɕi/ |
| You | ame /ame/ | ame /ame/ | amé /ame/ | elpet /əɬpət/ | iwe /iwe/ | あんた /anta/ | あんた /anta/ |
| Name | naari /naːɾi/ | naari /naːɾi/ | daaji /daːhi/ | ateq /atəq/ | zita /zita/ | 名前 /namae/ | 名前 /namae/ |
| Eye | jii /hiː/ | jii /hiː/ | jíi /híː/ | ii /iː/ | ziso /ziso/ | 目 /me/ | 目 /me/ |
| Hand | uwej /uweh/ | uwej /uweh/ | uwéj /uwéh/ | unirak /unirak/ | ruoko /ɾwoko/ | 手 /te/ | 手 /te/ |
| Heart | enentai /enentai/ | enentai /enentai/ | anéntai /anɛ́ntaj/ | irua /irua/ | mwoyo /mwojo/ | 心 /kokoɾo/ | 心 /kokoɾo/ |
| Love | anentin /anentin/ | anentaiti /anentaiti/ | amaja /amaha/ | kenka /kenka/ | rudo /ɾudo/ | 愛 /ai/ | 愛 /ai/ |
| Tree | numi /numi/ | numi /numi/ | númi /númi/ | napa /napa/ | muti /muti/ | 木 /ki/ | 木 /ki/ |
| House | jea /hea/ | jea /hea/ | jegámu /heɡámu/ | ena /ena/ | imba /imba/ | 家 /ie/ | 家 /ie/ |
| Dog | yawa /jawa/ | yawá /jaˈwa/ | yawá /jawá/ | qimugta /qimuɣta/ | imbwa /imbwa/ | 犬 /inɯ/ | 犬 /inɯ/ |
| Cat | micha /mitʃa/ | micha /mitʃa/ | micha /mitʃa/ | qassraaraq /qassraːraq/ | katsi /katsi/ | 猫 /neko/ | 猫 /neko/ |
| Eat | yuata /juata/ | yuata /juata/ | yuwámu /juwámu/ | ner'uq /nerʔuq/ | kudya /kudja/ | 食べて /tabete/ | 食べて /tabete/ |
| Drink | umarta /umaɾta/ | umarta /umaɾta/ | úmag /úmaɡ/ | mertuq /mertuq/ | kunwa /kunwa/ | 飲んで /nonde/ | 飲んで /nonde/ |
| One | kichik /kitʃik/ | chikichik /tʃikitʃik/ | makichik /makitʃik/ | ataucik /atautʃik/ | potsi /potsi/ | 一 /itɕi/ | 一 /itɕi/ |
| Two | jimiar /himiaɾ/ | jimiará /himiaɾa/ | jimag /himaɡ/ | malruk /maɬʁuk/ | piri /piri/ | 二 /ni/ | 二 /ni/ |
| Hello | pujamek /puhamek/ | pujamek /puhamek/ | pujámek /puhámɛk/ | waqaa /waqaː/ | mhoro /mhoɾo/ | 毎度 /maido/ | やあ /jaː/ |
| Thank you | mai-tikut /majtikut/ | yuminsajme /juminsahme/ | see /sɛː/ | quyana /qujana/ | maita /maita/ | おおきに /oːkini/ | ありがとう /aɾiɡatoː/ |
| Good | penker /peŋkeɾ/ | penker /peŋkeɾ/ | ímia /ímia/ | assirtuq /asːirtuq/ | chakanaka /tʃakanaka/ | ええ /eː/ | ええ /eː/ |
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