Chikashshanompa'
Chickasaw
Muskogean
Chickasaw, called Chikashshanompa’ by its speakers (ISO 639-3: cic), is a severely endangered Muskogean language historically spoken by the Chickasaw people in the southeastern United States and now centered in Oklahoma. It is closely related to Choctaw but remains a distinct language with its own phonology and grammar. Fewer than 35 first-language speakers remain, most of them elders, and English has displaced natural transmission to children. The Chickasaw Nation began its Language Revitalization Program in 2007 and supports community and university classes, youth activities, digital resources, and Rosetta Stone courses; written materials use the Humes and Munro–Willmond Latin-based orthographies.
Where it is spoken
31 core words in Chickasaw
Water
oka'
/okaʔ/
Fire
lowak
/lowaʔ/
Sun
hashi'
/haʃiʔ/
Moon
hashi' ninak aya
/haʃiʔ ninaʔ aja/
Star
fochik
/foːtʃik/
Mother
ishki'
/iʃgiʔ/
Father
inki'
/ingiʔ/
I
ano
/anóʔ/
You
chishno
/tʃiʃnoʔ/
Name
hohchifo
/hoːtʃifoʔ/
Eye
—
/—/
Hand
—
/—/
Heart
—
/—/
Love
—
/—/
Tree
itti'
/itːiʔ/
House
—
/—/
Dog
ofi'
/ofiʔ/
Cat
kowi'
/kowiʔ/
Eat
apa
/apa/
Drink
—
/—/
One
chaffa
/tʃafːa/
Two
toklo
/tokloʔ/
Hello
chokma
/tʃokma/
Thank you
chokma'shki
/tʃokmaʔʃgi/
Good
achukma
/atʃukma/
Words compared
Compared with related Muskogean languages
| Meaning | Chickasaw | Choctaw | Damin (Lardil ceremonial register) | Goguryeo | Nicaraguan Sign Language | Tartessian | Liburnian |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | oka' /okaʔ/ | oka /oka/ | — /—/ | 買 /*mai/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Fire | lowak /lowaʔ/ | luak /luak/ | l!ii /lǃiː/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Sun | hashi' /haʃiʔ/ | hashi /haʃi/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Moon | hashi' ninak aya /haʃiʔ ninaʔ aja/ | hashi ninak /haʃi ninak/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Star | fochik /foːtʃik/ | fichik /fitʃik/ | l*i /ʎ͡ʘi/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Mother | ishki' /iʃgiʔ/ | ishki /iʃki/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Father | inki' /ingiʔ/ | inki /inki/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| I | ano /anóʔ/ | ano /ano/ | n!aa /ŋ͡ʘaː/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| You | chishno /tʃiʃnoʔ/ | chishno /tʃiʃno/ | n!uu /ŋ͡ʘuː/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Name | hohchifo /hoːtʃifoʔ/ | hohchifo /hohtʃifo/ | m!ii /m͡ʘiː/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Eye | — /—/ | nishkin /niʃkin/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Hand | — /—/ | ibbak /ibbak/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Heart | — /—/ | chunkash /tʃunkaʃ/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Love | — /—/ | hullo /hulːo/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Tree | itti' /itːiʔ/ | itti /itti/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| House | — /—/ | chukka /tʃukka/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Dog | ofi' /ofiʔ/ | ofi /ofi/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Cat | kowi' /kowiʔ/ | katos /katos/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Eat | apa /apa/ | impa /impa/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Drink | — /—/ | ishko /iʃko/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| One | chaffa /tʃafːa/ | achafa /atʃafa/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Two | toklo /tokloʔ/ | tuklo /tʊklo/ | r!ii /ɽ͡ʘiː/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Hello | chokma /tʃokma/ | halito /halito/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Thank you | chokma'shki /tʃokmaʔʃgi/ | yakoke /jakoke/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Good | achukma /atʃukma/ | chukma /tʃukma/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
Part of LangMap — a linguistic visualization project. This is a static, crawlable summary; the interactive maps offer pronunciation audio, filters, and a globe view.